Around 40 attendees shuffled into the MS-162 auditorium on a sunny September afternoon before taking their seats at the suicide prevention training presented by City Student Mental Health and the City Active Minds chapter.

Calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has become a lot easier. 988 is the new easy-to-remember, three-digit number for 24/7 crisis care. 

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for people between the age of 10 and 43.  During September, National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and all year long, San Diego City College Student Mental Health is working to lessen the stigma around suicide.

The San Diego City College Active Minds chapter is recruiting.  Active Minds, a national organization advocating for and educating about mental health, has 800 chapters at colleges and universities around the United States.

Isolation brought on by COVID-19 not only caused the majority of social opportunities on campus to dwindle, but also put pressure on students' well-being. Community art could be one way to help students assimilate to campus life.

Dozens of backpacks filled Curran Plaza for an Active Minds event called “Send Silence Packing” at San Diego City College March 17.

San Diego City College will be holding an event called “Send Silence Packing” on March 17 that focuses on mental health and encourages people to ask for help when needed.

To help shine a light on the stigma around mental health in Black communities, City hosted multiple events throughout Black History Month aimed at breaking down some of these barriers.

The latest episode of The Knight Life debuted the San Diego Local Spotlight, a new podcast that features musicians and bands in the region.

Through interactive events, guest speakers, social media and other resources, the student chapter of Active Minds at City works tirelessly to fight stigma about and open lines of communication around mental health.

For National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, San Diego City College Student Health and mental health education organization Active Minds presented Behind the Backpacks, which shared stories of those impacted by suicide and resources for suicide prevention.

San Diego City College President Ricky Shabazz highlighted successes and challenges from the past academic year and laid out a plan for the future at the fall 2021 San Diego City College Convocation.