SPEAK's New Video

SPEAK 2009 Video

SPEAK on Broadcast Radio

Press Release from Governor Martin O'Malley

Former Governor
Robert Ehrlich

The Maryland Youth
Crisis Hotline
1-800-422-0009

National Suicide
Support Groups

The National Suicide Hotlines

Maryland Suicide Prevention Commission

SPEAK on Facebook




Bev Cobain/Jean Larch 'Dying To Be Free'





Linda Goldman
'Coming Out,
Coming In'





Goldman's Great Answers to Difficult Questions about Sex





Nancy Rappaport
'In Her Wake'


SPEAK Would Like To Welcome You To Our Website


Every 1 hour and 53 minutes in the U.S. we lose another young person by suicide.
That's a Columbine a day.

For every completed suicide by youth, approximately 100 to 200 attempts are made.

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds.

For every 2 homicides their are 3 suicides in the U.S.

Children as young as 5 have died by suicide.

 

 

 

photos

 

The faces on our logo all died of suicide. They wanted the pain to end, not their life.  They entered a dark tunnel, unfortunately, not seeing the light at the end.

 

 

  

 

 

SPEAK is an independent organization in the state of Maryland, moving forward with our mission:

To promote the prevention of youth suicide and working to dispel the social stigma surrounding suicide and depression through a campaign of education and awareness at the community level. 
 

 SPEAK is the leader of suicide prevention in Maryland

 

Our accomplishments include some of the following:

  • Getting the Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline Number on student photo id cards, beginning with Baltimore County.  Since then, we have now added Baltimore City and five other counties.  We continue to expand this project throughout the state.
  • SPEAK was instrumental in getting 20 emergency phones and the Maryland Crisis Hotline number on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and six on the Francis Scott Key Bridge for jumpers.  Several bridges in Southern Maryland have also followed suit and we continue to move forward with this endeavor.
  • SPEAK was the liaison between Delegate Simmons who co-sponsored HB740, Safe Schools Reporting Act 2004, with Governor Ehrlich's office; pushing for the first time bullying legislation that was passed successfully in Maryland.
  • We continue our community outreach by speaking to various groups, including police, schools, emergency rooms, medical professionals, faith based organizations, the political arena, as well as offering assistance to survivors.
  • We also provide a survivors panel each year for the Maryland's Annual Suicide Prevention Conference and, this year, SPEAK was acknowledged for its dedication to creating a "culture of hope." 

 We will continue to make major strides in the area of suicide prevention in Maryland and the rest of the nation.