#MyMindMyPriority

The theater play

our theater play

In our surveys of UNIGE students, most students mentioned that the pandemic had a negative or very negative impact on their mental health. Approximately 10% of our respondents also mentioned that they had had suicidal thoughts most or all of the time. These results motivated us to develop projects around suicide prevention among students, especially since suicide remains the leading cause of death among 18‑25 year olds in Switzerland.

To do so, we decided to propose an interactive event such as a play, in addition to more traditional prevention actions such as the distribution of flyers and the organization of stands within the university buildings. This type of prevention is seen as effective (Keller, et al., 2017) and is part of peer prevention interventions that increase people’s knowledge about suicide, making them more attentive to the warning signs of their loved ones (Tsong et al., 2018; Wright-Berryman et al., 2018; Eldridge et al., 2021). For this project, we called upon the association Stop Suicide and the ANOU Theatre who imagined a participative play to relay prevention messages through art.

  • Saturday 5 November and Friday 11 November 2022
  • 8:00 pm‑9:30 pm
  • Uni Mail, MS180 auditorium (from the tramway entrance, take the stairs on the left)
  • Free entrance without registration

Description and objectives of the play

The play «NOUS» (“US”) is a creation directed by young people for young people. The play addresses the warning signs of malaise, the difficulties encountered by people with suicidal thoughts, professional and personal help resources, as well as advice on how to help a loved one. It is also interactive in order to encourage the public’s involvement and stimulate reflection on the taboo surrounding suicide. The audience will be invited to express themselves, share their ideas and exchange their points of view with the actors.

Director: Laure Bacchiocchi

Actors: Clémentine Auer, Adrien Früh, Aurelia Loriol, Kim Vasquez, Lisa Melcore, Irina Melero

Synopsis

I was not understood and I could not make myself understood. I was stuck, unable to move forward or backward. I had the impression that each thing I experienced, each word that was out of place, each argument, each headache, each disappointment…added to my weight. I was getting heavier and heavier and I couldn’t move forward. I needed to talk but I was ashamed to do so. I was ashamed of myself, of my life, of my ideas…And I was angry at everyone, at the people I love. This anger was eating me up, making me cry, laugh, scream...I couldn’t take it anymore, I was in pain. What scares me is that all this, it may always be in me. And I don’t know if I will be able to handle it, to accept it. But I will do everything to, I'm not alone, I understand that now. I know that if I find myself in a difficult situation, I don’t have to be ashamed, I don’t have to be angry. Because it’s not me against the world, it’s Us.

find out more

 

Sources

Eldridge, A., Chen, J., Furnari, M., Makowichuk, K., & Black, W. Adopting a Peer-to-Peer Approach to Trainee Suicide Prevention. Acad Psychiatry 45, 306–307 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-020-01284-z

Keller, S. N., Graham Austin, C., & McNeill, V. (2017). A theater intervention to promote communication and disclosure of suicidal ideation, Journal of Applied Communication Research, 45:3, 294-312, DOI: 10.1080/00909882.2017.1320569

Stop Suicide (2021), « NOUS », une pièce de théâtre interactive par et pour les jeunes. Repéré à https://stopsuicide.ch/nos-actions/campagne/

Tsong, Y., Young, J. T., Killer, J. D., Takemoto, M. A., & Compliment, B. (2018). Suicide Prevention Program on a Diverse College Campus : Examining the Effectiveness of a Peer-to-Peer Model. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 33(2), 131‑144. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2018.1434716

Wright-Berryman, J., Hudnall, G., Hopkins, R., & Bledsoe, C. (2018). Hope Squads : Peer-to-Peer Suicide Prevention in Schools. Children & Schools, 40(2), 125‑126. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdy005

 

bleu.png