My ambitious goal is to cut the number of youth suicides in half over my lifetime.

Youth suicide has been a silent, persistent burden on my heart for the past 20 years, like a stone in my deep pocket.

Did you know that a young person between the ages of 10 and 29 commits suicide every three days?

That statistic is heartbreaking in addition to being sobering. And it is personal to me.

Every one of my kids has experienced this tragedy in one way or another. The younger brother of one's best friend. The wife of a friend's brother. a classmate in secondary school. Three pals in polytechnic. Not to mention the heartbreaking late-night phone calls and hurried hospital runs to assist pals in need—one acquaintance skipped dinner because her sibling had hurt herself and was being sutured back together.

They are not anomalies. They are becoming uncannily prevalent. Too many of us do not know how to listen, and too many of our young people suffer in silence.

 "Mental Health Awareness" Is not Enough

Let us face it: hashtags, banners, and campaigns have all used the phrase "mental health awareness." But when young people do not even know where to look, awareness is not enough.

I have been delving deeply into this area, engaging in late-night chats, coffee shop conversations, and difficult conversations with friends, specialists, and my own children. The frustrating thing is that there are a ton of fantastic youth mental health resources out there. There are several support networks throughout the terrain, ranging from grassroots groups to government programs.

But nearly all of the teenagers and young adults I talked to? They were unknown to them. Not one.

 What Can We Do, Then?

It dawned on me then. Perhaps it is not my responsibility to invent the wheel. Perhaps my goal is more straightforward—and perhaps equally effective—for the time being: to draw attention to what already exists. Speak up. Make use of my blog. Make use of whatever platform I have to increase awareness of the hard, silent job being done by the helpers.

The fact that these children are suffering alone while assistance is readily available is the greatest tragedy, not simply that they are suffering.

 My Big, Fat, Bold Objective

I am not merely here to converse. Setting a goal is why I am here. One that somewhat frightens me. It could end up taking my entire life.

Before I die, I want to contribute to cutting the teenage suicide rate in half.

Ambitious? Absolutely.

Naïve? Maybe.

Necessary? Definitely.

It takes more than one individual to accomplish this. However, we can work together to do it. One youngster at a time. One candid discussion. One common resource. A single act of extraordinary generosity. A culture changes in this way.

 Calling All Friends, Parents, and Teachers

Stay tuned if you are unsure of where to begin. My goal is to connect the dots between people in need and those providing assistance, highlight the unsung heroes, and map out the resources that are accessible.

 Our generation should be the one to change the tide.However, complexity does not equate to immobility. It simply means that we must start talking about the difficult things and be present on a regular basis, with all our flaws.

Because these are not merely figures. These are our kids.

And who else will fight for them if we don't?

I would like you to come along. Your voice counts, regardless of whether you are a mental health advocate, a weary parent, or just a caring individual. Your presence counts. Together, let us reinvent this tale.

Let us save lives. Just one post. One discussion. One youngster at a time.