GibSams prepares community-focused awareness events for Suicide Prevention Month

Gibraltar is set to mark Suicide Prevention Month with a series of community-focused events, beginning with an event by GibSams on Monday at the GEMA art gallery, where the winning entries of this summer’s youth artwork competition will be unveiled.

The competition, themed Sunrise of Hope, has seen young people across Gibraltar express their creativity and support for mental health awareness through art.

The theme echoes that of the sunrise walk planned for September 13 which will see walkers take on one of two routes, one to Europa Point and one up the Med Steps. Both walks start in Casemates at 6am.

This year’s Suicide Prevention Month event will be attended by a Government minister who is expected to address the importance of suicide prevention and the Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting mental health initiatives in the community.

Peter Montegriffo, the chair of GibSams, will open the event, and will highlight the charity’s growth over the past eight years.

“We started with just the helpline, and now we have expanded to include chat, WhatsApp, and face-to-face services,” CEO of GibSams Brenda Cuby told the Chronicle.

In addition to Mr Montegriffo, there will be members of GibSams present talking about the work they do on suicide prevention. Scarlett Humphreys will also talk about the Sunrise of Hope walk.

GibSams will also be promoting Green Day on Friday September 12, which is the charity’s flag day during which they encourage people to wear green in support and in a bid to raise awareness of the charity and the services it provides.

But, overall, the event is about “getting everybody to remember those that we have sadly lost in the community, and also just shining that light,” said Mrs Cuby.

“Because it's the one month where we can actually say, this is what GibSams is here for.”

“This is the core service of GibSams.”

“And also to explain a bit more about the work that we do, because I think that at a surface, in eight years, we've grown from where we started with just the helpline.”

“Plus we have our outreach, plus we have our well-being, so we have quite a lot that can help people find out more information.”

She noted that their talking toolkits are a great resource for people, offering advice and tips on communication.

The charity is aware that the biggest concern their prospective volunteers arrive with is a fear of saying the wrong thing, something that’s addressed in their training.

They worry “if we mention the word suicide, it might make people think of suicide,” said Mrs Cuby.

“That's not going to make people think of suicide. It's the biggest myth going. People need to feel safe and secure to talk about these things.”

“One of the reasons that maybe people are choosing to end their lives is because they don't feel that they can be heard, that they can be seen, and they're invisible.”

“Suicide is never something that just happens.”

“There's a whole range of things that happen to get to that stage.”

“And so, it's far easier to talk to somebody who's feeling sad, lonely, depressed, anxious, than it is talking to somebody who is actively suicidal.”

“So, for us, we're trying to say that whatever, whatever you're feeling, know that we're there, know that there's somebody there and know, if you're calling, it's anonymous. It's confidential.”

The charity’s services are designed to be accessible and non-judgmental, with trained volunteers available to listen and provide support.

“If someone prefers to speak to a volunteer of a specific gender or language, we do our best to accommodate that,” Mrs Cuby added.

It is free to call GibSams on 116 123 every day, including holidays, from 6pm to 11pm.

The charity also has a livechat service via its website www.gibsams.gi

This is open every day of the year, including holidays, from 11am-1pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and 6pm-11pm every day.

The WhatsApp service is on 56003612 and is available everyday including holidays from 6pm to 11pm.

A confidential walk-in face-to-face service is an option for those who are experiencing emotional distress and wish to meet with a volunteer face-to-face.

You just press the buzzer to speak to a volunteer who will help.

This service is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 11am-1pm at 50 Line Wall Road.