Send Silence Packing

Send Silence Packing is a visually striking exhibit that includes personal stories from individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide and is designed to connect individuals to mental health resources and inspire action for suicide prevention. You’re invited to walk among the Send Silence Packing backpacks to see the photographs and read the stories attached to them. Remember that you are not alone, help is available, and we each play a critical role in changing the culture around mental health.

The exhibition will be on the Statesboro campus on Tuesday, October 12th and the Armstrong campus on Wednesday, October 13th.

About the exhibit

Send Silence Packing, a traveling exhibit from Active Minds is headed to Georgia Southern University. For over a decade, Active Minds has traveled across the country with their Send Silence Packing tour, an exhibition designed to inspire action for suicide prevention and connect people to mental health resources for support and tangible action steps.

The all-day exhibit includes personal stories from individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide and is designed to raise awareness about the impact of suicide, connect individuals to mental health resources, and inspire action for suicide prevention. Passersby are invited to walk among the Send Silence Packing backpacks to see the photographs and read the stories attached to them. Many of the backpacks were donated by families who lost a loved one to suicide.

Send Silence Packing was first unveiled in 2008 on the National Mall in Washington, DC, with a keynote speech by Congressperson Patrick Kennedy. The exhibit road for more than 10 years, has been displayed over 200 times throughout the country.

About college student mental health

• Mental health issues are prevalent among college students.
• 39% of college students experience a significant mental health issue.
• 50% of cases of mental health issues begin by age 14; 75% begin by age 24.
• Two thirds of students with anxiety or depression don’t seek treatment.
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among students.
• For every person who dies by suicide, 280 people decide not to go through with a suicide attempt.
• 67% of college students first tell a friend they are feeling suicidal before telling anyone else.
• 1 in 5 adults has a diagnosable mental illness.
• 50% of us will experience a mental health condition in our lifetime

Mental health resources

• Individual, group, and relational therapy services are available at the Georgia Southern University Counseling Center. To schedule an intake, please call 912-478-5541 (Statesboro) or 912-344-2529 (Armstrong/Liberty).
• The Counseling Center also has same-day appointments available which can be scheduled by calling the office. When the Center is closed, please call 912-478-5541 and select option 2 from the voicemail menu to speak to the on-call counselor.
• The Psychology Clinic at Georgia Southern University offers low-cost individual, couples, and group therapy. Call 912-478-1685 to make an appointment.
• Visit the HERO Folder for more resources including crisis resources such as recognizing and responding to distress as well as information for faculty, staff, and students.
• You can text HOME to 741741 for the JED Foundation’s 24/7 text therapy line. 
• The Christie Campus support line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for clinical support and emergency response.
• The Georgia Crisis and Access Line is available by calling 1-800-715-4225 to help those in crisis.

About Active Minds

Active Minds is a nonprofit organization supporting the mental health of students. To learn more, visit the Active Minds website and the Send Silence Packing website.

Last updated: 9/2/2021