The reality of the rate of suicide is a startling and devastating wake up call to those who are not up close and personal with the crisis. The Gelt Charitable Foundation, a Florida based non-profit organization that provides suicide prevention workshops worldwide, is on the forefront of the fight to spread awareness. They work with organizations, schools and communities by using focused workshops to train participants on how to notice the signs of suicide, and how to respond. One such organization is the Human Trafficking Survivors Foundation (FSTH), based in Santa Ana, California. Their mission is to eradicate human trafficking, and child and adult exploitation of all kinds. Survivors of human trafficking and modern day slavery can turn to FSTH to be guided and supported with their mental health and the journey to rebuilding their lives. By opening up the conversation about suicide and suicide prevention, FSTH and the Gelt Charitable Foundation accomplish more together.
Survivors of human trafficking undergo severe mental trauma, and are at an extraordinary risk of mental health struggles including increased thoughts of suicide. Left without mental health resources, thousands of human trafficking survivors end their lives with suicide. Suicide prevention education is integral for anyone in mental health, and especially for those who are working with survivors of human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
The Gelt Charitable Foundation works to provide suicide prevention to anyone who is willing to learn, no matter the obstacles. FSTH caters to the Latino community, and many of the team members first language is Spanish. The Gelt Charitable Foundation had the privilege of providing a suicide prevention workshop completely in Spanish to the FSTH team on March 16th, 2021, over Zoom. “We work hard to understand the needs of an organization, school or community,” said Ella Steinmetz-Simon, logistics coordinator at the Gelt Charitable Foundation, “so that we can create a workshop that will be most effective for them.” Eighteen participants who work with human trafficking survivors each day attended the workshop titled “If You See Something, Say Something”. The workshop covers noticing the signs of suicide, how to respond, and how to guide the person to safety.
“[Suicide] is a touchy subject, and not something many people want to talk about” said Sofia Valdivia, a FSTH board member, “but [this workshop] was given clearly, was very detailed, and we use these skills on a daily basis when we work.”
The Gelt Charitable Foundation is funded by Gelt Financial: https://geltfinancial.com/.
To learn more about GCF, to inquire about this workshop, or the upcoming one titled “You Are Not Alone”, check the website: https://www.geltcharitable.foundation/, reach out on Instagram: @geltcharitablefoundation, or email esteinmetz@geltcharitable.foundation.