Overseas grants for suicide prevention
New ideas for preventing suicide and supporting people bereaved by suicide can now be supported with overseas research grants available to all UK citizens. It has been launched in response to the high numbers of people affected by suicide and is supported by a partnership with the Samaritans.
Around 6,000 people die by suicide in the UK every year, which is three times as many as die in road accidents. Men are more than three times more likely to die by suicide than women.
A new category of Churchill Fellowships will be devoted to ‘Suicide: prevention, intervention and postvention’. These are travel grants that fund individuals to research innovative ideas and best practice overseas, then bring their global insights back to the UK and make change happen in their professions and communities. Fellowships are available in 12 fields of interest including the Suicide Prevention category.
Julia Weston, Chief Executive of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, said: “Suicide is the biggest killer of young people aged 20-34 and men under 50. Behind each suicide is a human tragedy, with those bereaved by suicide more at risk of dying by suicide themselves. These Churchill Fellowships will help people to find new solutions to prevent suicide.”
Ruth Sutherland, Samaritans CEO, said: “These grants will give people the resources to bring back exciting new ideas from the rest of the world for implementation in the UK. We all need to be able to utilise the best and most effective suicide prevention practice, and this partnership will help us to do that.”
The Suicide Prevention awards are supported by a partnership between the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and the Samaritans, and are jointly funded by the John Armitage Trust. It will fund Fellows to explore new thinking in this area, with applications particularly encouraged from those who work to provide safe spaces, listening opportunities and practical support in all settings for those who need it.
To apply, or for more details, visit WCMT and the deadline for applications is 18 September 2018 for travel in 2019.
Tags: aftercare, Churchill, fellowship, Grant, Samaritans, suicide, support, WCMT