By Vickie Skorji | Lifeline Director
Dear Friend,
It has been several months since our last report in May and I wanted to give you an update on our activities over the past months. TELL has been busy delivering workshops, providing face to face counseling and running our crisis support Lifeline and chat service.
We have delivered 18 workshops in Tokyo, Kansai, and Okinawa, on a wide range of topics from mental health in the workplace, to communicating with teens, cyberbullying, and sexual harassment in the workplace just to name a few. We also marched in the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Festival, making a noise about youth LGBTQIA mental health issues and handing out information cards and resources to over 1000 people. And on May 30th we held a free screening of the BBC documentary ‘Japan’s Secret Shame’. This is a documentary telling the story of a female journalist who shocked Japan with her public allegation of rape. The screening was followed by a panel discussion that explored the themes outlined by the film and continues the conversation about the challenges of reporting and seeking justice around sexual violence in Japan. The panelist included mental health professionals, survivors of sexual violence and support services in the community.
As we work towards our funding goal, TELL will continue to fight for a culture of respect and equality for all in Japan.
Our next call for action is our Tokyo Tower Climb as part of our World Suicide Prevention Day activities. We hope to have 500 people climbing up Tokyo Tower to raise awareness & funds about the issue of mental health and suicide in Japan and to help expand our overnight crisis chat service. We will also hold walks across the country talking to people about mental health issues and handing out information cards on resources and recognizing the warning signs of someone at risk. Sadly, around the globe, the number of young people feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of school, life, and the future is increasing and here in Japan, youth suicide rates have hit record highs.
Thank you, everyone, for your support of TELL and our work in Japan. We hope you feel proud of your contributions and the difference you are helping to make in Japan.
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