CUNY LaGuardia Community College

The proposed program is based on the premise that suicide risk is three-tiered including early identification and assessment of at-risk students, referral to community resources for additional services, and enhancement of protective factors that increase resilience and provide buffers from stress while in college. The CLASS and SASS project seeks to expand and strengthen the “safety net” for LaGuardia students at risk for mental health concerns, in particular suicide. The proposed project seeks to promote suicide awareness through prevention, intervention, and co-curricular prevention programming.

The overall goals of CLASS and SASS Front Line Prevention project are to:

1. Increase awareness of mental health and suicide awareness through evidence based and best practice trainings. This will include providing faculty, staff and students with helpful tips and resources that improve their comfort level when asking necessary questions that might prevent suicide, and how to assist a student in seeking help.
2. Decrease stigma and increase awareness of mental health issues and suicide awareness especially among high risk and non-English speaking populations on campus.
3. Promote resilience or “protective” factors including assisting college students in identifying a trusted person in their support network and teaching them that it’s okay to ask for help.