By Anusha Trivedi ‘23

In recognition of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Notre Dame’s mental health leadership group, Lighthouse, recently held a school-wide event, Prevention in Pardini, with the goal of bringing some positivity to the ND community and to remind students who are struggling that they are not alone. On this day, students were invited to wear green tops with their uniform bottoms to show solidarity, because green is the official color of mental health awareness. During lunch, Lighthouse’s student leaders gathered in Pardini Park and distributed green colored candy to the ND community. Each candy was attached to a flyer with several hotlines and numbers people could call if they needed mental health support. 

One of Lighthouse’s student leaders, Amanda Lue ‘23, expressed her goals for this event, saying, “We wanted to lessen the taboo surrounding mental health.” The recent suicides at universities in the Bay Area, including Stanford University and Santa Clara University, are indications that “there is a lack of mental health resources and support in schools,” she said. Through Prevention in Pardini, Lighthouse hoped to “provide support and give ND students important numbers to contact if they need help.” 

Last week Lighthouse also hosted a chalk art exhibit to get students involved in sharing positive and uplifting messages of hope and love.