Miss Guyana World Lisa Punch launches anti-suicide campaign

Miss Guyana World Lisa Punch, on Thursday launched her ‘Staying Alive’ campaign under the auspices of her Prevention of Teenage Suicide (POTS) volunteer programme that will be working to prevent suicide among teenagers in Guyana through education, training and support.

The organization which was founded by Punch in 2014 has now become part of her beauty with a purpose campaign for the Miss World 2015 pageant.

Miss Guyana World Lisa Punch and members of her Prevention of Teenage Suicide (POTS) Guyana team.
Miss Guyana World Lisa Punch and members of her Prevention of Teenage Suicide (POTS) Guyana team.

As the Ministry of Public Heath launched its National Suicide Preven-tion Plan on World Suicide Prevention Day, Punch unveiled POTS Guyana’s G-Talk collaboration with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT). Also unveiled were the campaign’s promotional song “Staying Alive” and its accompanying video as well as the Miss World Guyana 2015 signature band.

The band which is yellow continues the message of the song which encourages teenagers to “yellow it out;” use the colour yellow as a means to eradicate dark emotions such as depression and say yes to living.

GTT as part of its ‘do more’ campaign, which is geared towards fulfilling the company’s corporate social responsibility, has supported Punch’s efforts with a $4 million donation which will be G-Talk Suicide Hotline, Regional Billboard program throughout Guyana, I-commit to Life bracelets and the premiere of the “Staying Alive” music video which will be us used to fund seven of 10 billboards which will be erected in each region of the country advertising the efforts of POTS Guyana.

The other three boards will be funded by the suicide prevention Non-Governmental Organisa-tion Caribbean Voice.

The Ministry of Public Health is currently training the POTS Guyana volunteers on how to deal with teenagers with suicidal tendencies and the Ministry of Education has collaborated with POTS allowing it to tour schools in all 11 education district so as to interact with students.