NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, SEPT 9
To fight the mental health stigma and encourage consultation for stressed and depressed people, Ahmedabad-based Udgam School For Children has initiated a campaign ‘#ItisOKtoFail‘. The initiative, to be launched on World Suicide Prevention Day on Thursday, September 10, will be a weeklong activity, says a school official.
“During the week, the school teachers will convey the message about the importance of life and moving ahead towards the goals without worrying about the failure. The students and parents will also participate in the campaign through sharing their own success-failure stories, echoing awareness messages through write-ups, drawings, and painting on various social media platforms with hashtag #ItisOKtoFail,” the release added.
Speaking on the initiative, Manan Choksi, Executive Director, Udgam School For Children said, “Every year close to 8 lakh people die due to suicide across the world. Applauding the success and mocking the failure has become a new norm. Planting the positivity in everyone’s minds, especially for students, is need for an hour and hence we have come up with this initiative.
“The management and teachers from the school as well as students and parents will speak out their individual failures and how they moved ahead in life with a positive attitude. The depressed people need support and consultation from their near ones. It is also important that people should not mock someone’s failure and put the pressure on the failed person to end his/her life,”.Chokshi added.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 1.3 lakh suicide cases were reported in India in the year 2018. Shockingly, it revealed that 10,159 students died by suicide in 2018. On average, 28 students ended their lives every day in 2018.
Starting September 10, the teachers at Udgam School For Children will explain the importance of life and how not to get depressed due to failure through the online education platform. Students, who are scared to fail in the exams, will be identified and consulted separately over the phone or video call. The students will also be taught the lessons about team spirit and not to make fun of other student’s failure, one of the key reasons for depressed people to inspire for suicide.
The #ItisOKtoFail campaign will emphasis on messages like ‘It is OK to get fewer marks in exams’, ‘It is OK to fail the race just before the completion line’, ‘It is OK to have losses in business’, ‘It is OK to get fired from a job’, ‘It is OK to fail in a relationship’ but what It is not OK to kill your beautiful life just because of a small struggling phase of life.
“On this World Suicide Prevention Day, let us pledge not to let a person lose his self-esteem merely because of minor failure. Let us all break the barriers of generation as well as overcome the communication gap and understand each other. Let us not make fun and gossip about the failures of others, rather stand by your loved ones and lend an ear to help them. Maybe spending a few moments with the discouraged or depressed person work wonders for him,” added Choksi.
