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Young people can experience periods of emotional distress for many different reasons. Academic pressure, relationships, social expectations, isolation, difficult life experiences and concerns about the future can all affect emotional wellbeing. When these experiences become difficult to manage, having someone who listens without judgment can be important.
At the same time, conversations about suicide and self-harm are often surrounded by discomfort and stigma. Young people may hesitate to speak about what they are experiencing because they are worried about how others might respond. Creating spaces where these subjects can be discussed with sensitivity is therefore an important part of suicide prevention.
Why Youth Participation Matters
Young people are not only people who need support; they can also contribute to creating more supportive communities. Their experiences, ideas and perspectives can help shape approaches that are relevant to other young people.
This is one of the ideas behind Outlive, a youth suicide prevention programme led by the Centre for Mental Health and Policy, Indian Law Society, in collaboration with Sangath and Quicksand Design Studio. The programme works with young people aged 18–24 who have lived experience of suicide or self-harm, emotional distress or mental health problems across urban cities in India.
Rather than approaching suicide prevention only through awareness, Outlive focuses on creating opportunities for young people to participate in conversations, support, advocacy and wider efforts to address stigma.
Making It Easier to Talk
A supportive conversation does not necessarily require someone to have all the answers. Sometimes, being able to explain what is happening and knowing that another person is willing to listen can be an important first step.
Outlive Chat is one part of the programme's approach. It provides confidential, chat-based emotional support for young people experiencing distress. The online format gives young people another way to seek support and communicate about difficult feelings or experiences.
Peer-based support can also help make conversations feel more relatable. Instead of positioning young people only as recipients of services, the programme creates opportunities for trained young people to participate in providing emotional support to their peers.
Moving Beyond Stigma
Stigma can influence how people understand suicide, how they respond when someone asks for help, and whether individuals feel comfortable discussing their experiences. Misunderstandings can sometimes make these conversations even harder.
Addressing stigma requires more than a single awareness message. It involves encouraging thoughtful conversations, sharing reliable information and creating opportunities for people to understand suicide and emotional distress without judgment.
Outlive works toward this through different forms of youth engagement. Its public engagement campaigns provide resources that young people can use to participate in conversations around suicide prevention and challenge stigma in their communities.
Supporting Young People to Take Action
Another part of Outlive's work is the Youth Action for Suicide Prevention (YASP) Fellowship. The fellowship supports young people interested in contributing to suicide prevention through policy and governance.
Youth participation in these areas is valuable because policies and systems can affect how people access support and how mental health and suicide prevention are addressed in different settings. Giving young people opportunities to contribute their perspectives can help bring lived experience into wider discussions.
The programme therefore connects individual experiences with broader efforts for change. Emotional support, public engagement and youth participation in policy are different areas, but they share a common focus on giving young people a meaningful role in suicide prevention.
Finding Reliable Information and Support
When discussing mental health or suicide, the quality of information matters. General advice found online may not always be appropriate for every situation, and people experiencing significant distress may need support from qualified professionals or emergency services.
For this reason, resources that explain emotional wellbeing, suicide prevention, warning signs, support options and ways of responding to someone in distress can be useful for young people, families, caregivers and communities.
Outlive's work brings together information, emotional support and opportunities for youth participation. Its approach recognises that prevention can involve many different forms of action - from listening to someone who is struggling to challenging stigma and contributing to changes in the systems that shape support.
Building a Culture of Listening
Youth suicide prevention is not the responsibility of one person or one organisation. It involves communities, institutions, families, professionals and young people themselves.
A culture of listening can begin with simple changes in how difficult conversations are approached. Taking someone's concerns seriously, avoiding judgment, encouraging appropriate support and learning more about suicide and mental health can all contribute to a more supportive environment.
Outlive work places young people at the centre of these efforts. Through confidential chat-based support, youth-focused campaigns and opportunities to participate in policy and governance, the programme seeks to create different pathways for young people to engage with suicide prevention.
The broader message is simple: young people deserve spaces where they can speak openly, access appropriate support and participate in creating change. Building those spaces requires empathy, reliable information and a willingness to listen.
