Suicide prevention embraces overall wellness

By Chelsea Bissell, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria Public AffairsSeptember 25, 2014

String Game
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Zumba
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GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- Laughter and cheering could be heard from behind closed conference room doors at the Tower View Center on Sept. 24, though for an unexpected reason.

Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation employees had gathered for their Suicide Prevention Stand Down Day.

Instead of drilling her employees with facts about suicide, FMWR Director Audre Binder sought to create an interactive learning environment where they could relax and develop team building.

"Having a dynamic, experiential learning model is best for adults," said Binder. "It provides an opportunity to learn something instead of just being bombarded by messages."

The day's events centered around the five pillars of personal strength: physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family.

Led by Zumba instructor Atsumi Stepp, FMWR employees sweated through 20 minutes of dance. At another station they donned beer goggles and raced heel to toe with their arms outstretched.

Binder even led a relaxation room where she dimmed the lights, instructed everyone to lie down and then lulled them into a meditative state.

Many activities remained lighthearted and sociable while still staying on message.

After each exercise in the teambuilding room, the instructors asked the group to reassess what worked and what didn't. Group members then discussed how those observations could be used to improve communication with coworkers and how that openness could prevent suicide.

The most somber station emphasized the importance of family and friends. Participants watched a film on taking the time to appreciate loved ones and reach out to them without shame.

Veronica Beam, child and youth program assistant at Netzaberg School Age Center, traveled through the stations with her co-workers. The Stand Down Day, she said, not only helped her colleagues grow as a team, but as child care providers.

"It's really worked on our communication skills, especially since we work with kids," said Beam. "We have kids that feel that they want to die because of bullying. This gives us the skills to reach out to them."

What Beam drew from her time at the Stand Down paralleled Binder's vision for her employees.

"Today is about skill building," she said. "When people leave here today, they take away knowledge, a skill or ability that will help them manage stress better in their own lives."

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