For more than a decade, Active Minds’ acclaimed Send Silence Packing® exhibit has traveled the country to end the silence that surrounds mental health and suicide and connect visitors with resources for support and action.
The 2025 display will be at SDCCD Miramar College all day on the Quad on April 24, 2025.
The all-day exhibit features personal stories from individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide and is designed to raise awareness about the impact of suicide, connect individuals to mental health resources, and inspire action for suicide prevention. Passersby are invited to walk among the Send Silence Packing backpacks to view the photographs and read the stories attached to them. Many of the backpacks were donated by families who lost a loved one to suicide.
Since its inaugural display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 2008, Send Silence Packing has reached over a million visitors and counting with messages of hope and help. Evaluation data attests to the display’s impact: most visitors leave wanting to learn more about mental health and the majority tell three or more people about the display and may reach out to a friend in need or seek help for themselves as a result of experiencing it.
Active Minds recently launched a companion exhibit designed to complement the in-person program: Send Silence Packing: Behind the Backpacks. This virtual, immersive experience gives users an in-depth look at the impact of suicide through personal stories, stigma reduction techniques, and visual components such as videos, photos, and audio. Visitors to Send Silence Packing will have a chance to learn more about Behind the Backpacks and easily share this program with friends, family, and their communities. It can be experienced both at the exhibit and at home.
“I founded Active Minds as a freshman in college following the death of my brother, Brian, by suicide in order to end the stigma around mental health. Stigma is shame, shame causes silence, and silence hurts us all,” said Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Mind. “Send Silence Packing is a highly visible way to combat that stigma, increase openness, and inspire action for suicide prevention. Thank you, [NAME OF LOCATION], for bringing the 2024 exhibit to your community to help continue to spread awareness and inspiring action around mental health and suicide prevention efforts.”
Send Silence Packing: Behind the Backpacks was made possible by a generous donation from the RSM US Foundation.
More information about Send Silence Packing or Behind the Backpacks can be found at activeminds.org/ssp.
About Active Minds: Active Minds is the largest nonprofit in the United States mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society. For more than 20 years, we have equipped the next generation of peer mental health advocates through a variety of programs, including the Active Minds Chapter Network, A.S.K., and Send Silence Packing. Our advocacy, initiatives, and campaigns foster lasting change in how youth view and discuss mental health, encouraging them to use their voices to influence broader conversations and inform mental health supports within their communities. Together, we are building a diverse movement of champions committed to improving mental health for all. To learn more about Active Minds, visit activeminds.org.
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