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CAMPAIGN: ‘Time to end black male suicide’

IN 2010 there were 4,532 suicides recorded in England and Wales, of which 75 per cent were men.

Suicide is the single biggest killer of men aged under 35 in the UK, a problem which the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) aims to tackle.

In London there were 434 suicides in men aged under 35 in the Capital compared to 118 road accidents, and 107 assault/murders of men in this age group.

CALM offers a helpline and texting service aimed at young men in London who feel down or stressed, and while anyone can call the line, they especially want to reach out to young black men.

Jane Powell, director of CALM, said:

“We did a YouGov poll last November 2010 which showed that nine out of 10 people don’t know that suicide is the biggest killer of young men in the UK.
The high suicide rate can’t be explained away by explanations about relationship problems, money or family. Bad stuff happens to women too. It’s about society. The problem is that you can’t be a guy and talk about needing help. But men get ill, physically and mentally, and they have as much right as women and children to receive support.”

CALM uses young men’s peers and people they respect, especially artists, to communicate their message. Amongst artists CALM has worked with Dizzee Rascal, Doc Brown, and recently MistaJam who helped launch CALM at Topman at a stunning DJ lineup late last year.

Jane Powell said “The launch of CALM in London was a fantastic start to the campaign. Now we need to build links, and talk to musicians, artists and businesses in London to help us extend our message to young male black Londoners”

CALM can be found at www.thecalmzone.net.