OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — This week is national suicide prevention week. One community hit hard by the effects of suicide — the LGBTQ+ community. Rowena Cage, founder of Queerarchy, a LGBTQ+ non-profit organization says addressing mental health within the community is critical.
"The issue stems from not feeling accepted. Not having the tools to deal with feeling like you don't exist or don't matter," Cage said.
According to the Trevor Project, a foundation that aims to support LGBTQ+ youth, 41% of LGBTQ+ youth considered attempting suicide in the past year.
With that, Queerarchy is partnering with the Trevor Project and making kits that include "Love Yourself" t-shirts and journals. She hopes to sell 2,000 kits to show self-love to their community.
"One of my tag lines is created by queer folk for queer folks and allies. That, if I believe in myself, I can inspire others to believe in this cause," Cage said.
The Collective For Hope offers group sessions to deal with grief — something people often go through alone.
"We're spending a good amount of time doing prevention and post-vention training. So that the facilitators know what to look for in terms of prevention and talk to suicide-loss survivors," Sandy Lemen, director of programs for The Collective For Hope said.
Anyone who is struggling can call 988 for support.
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