Stop LGBTQ Suicide through Parent Education

The Mama Dragons team would like to thank all of our generous donors who have already donated and continue to donate to the “Stop LGBTQ Suicide Through Parent Education” campaign. We are very grateful for your support and generosity. Your donations have allowed Mama Dragons to start the groundwork for this vital parenting education program. With continued campaigning and donations, we will be able to continue creating and market this valuable course that will support parents as they work to keep their LGBTQ children safe. 

The time is NOW to get this course up and running. The LGBTQ community has always faced discrimination, violence/bullying, and insufficient legal protections. Yet, the threats are so severe that The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. in June 2023. Beyond today’s alarming and dangerous anti-LGBTQ climate, other longstanding statistics hold steady: LGBTQ youth are at least 4x more likely to attempt suicide. Your donations help us meet this vital need parents have to support the LGBTQ children in their lives. This course will bring hope to parents, like this mother, who shares her story of experiencing suicidal ideation with her LGBTQ son:

“Having a child struggle with self harm and suicidal ideation is such a hard, lonely journey sometimes. I wish that in the beginning I had been armed with more LGBTQ specific information and tools. I didn’t even understand that my child was at higher risk just because he was a member of the LGBTQ community. I know I would have felt more confident and been able to support my son better if I had access to more LGBTQ specific resources in one place so I could become more educated and support him through his mental health journey.”

LGBTQ children often go through periods of suicidal ideation and self-harm. The Advanced Suicide Prevention course will dive in-depth into topics, such as:

• The unique challenges of chronic suicidal ideation
• Self-harm and how it may or may not be related to suicidal ideation
• The differences in warning signs between younger children, young adults, and older adults
• Intersectionality and how multiple identities (such as being of a minority race and LGBTQ) increase suicide risk factors
• Self-care for parents

The funds you have donated have helped us begin the necessary steps to create and launch this course, including mapping out the topics, researching the best ways to educate parents on LGBTQ suicidality and self-harm, and networking with key organizations to ensure this resource gets to the hands of those who need it. We have a ways to go to reach our needed funding goal and will continue to count on support from people like you. 

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GlobalGiving March 2023 Report

#57423 - Stop LGBTQ Suicide Through Parent Education

The Mama Dragons team would like to thank all of our generous donors who have already donated to the “Stop LGBTQ Suicide Through Parent Education” campaign which started a few months ago. We are very grateful for your support and generosity. Through your donation, we have already begun working on our new Advanced Suicide Prevention course while continuing to campaign for more funds to complete this course. With continued campaigning and donations, we will be able to provide valuable information to parents of LGBTQ children to decrease the number of youth suicides.This course will bring hope to parents like this mother who shares her story of experiencing LGBTQ children with suicidal ideation:

“Having multiple LGBTQ kids who have experienced depression and suicidal ideation, I  have felt so alone and lost with all the different elements to navigate. Having the support of other moms has helped me to feel like I'm not alone. Having a platform to hear those stories along with advice from mental health professionals would have made the whole experience less scary and given me more confidence in supporting my kids.”

LGBTQ children often go through periods of suicidal ideation and self harm. Our QPR (question, persuade, refer) online program is a good foundation for parents to recognize the signs of suicidal ideation in their children. However, it does not address the unique needs of chronic suicidal idealion and self harm that parents need to know to help their children survive. Advanced Suicide Preventioin Training for Parents of LGBTQ children will provide that needed information in three expanded topics:

1. Signs, Symptoms, and Factors
2. Acute, Passive, Active and Chronic Suicidal Ideation
3. Tools and Self Care

The funds you have donated have helped us begin the necessary research, collect data and expand our dedicated team to build a strong foundation to put this entire project together for curious parents. This advanced program is designed to answer questions with practical tips for parents to keep their children alive and thriving. We have a ways to go to reach our needed funding goal and will continue to count on  support from people like you.