Suicide prevention tour honors Milwaukee Ald. Jonathan Brostoff

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text “Hope Line” to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

In the following days Ald. Jonathan BrostoffFollowing his death on Nov. 4, Levi Stein, heavy with grief, felt Brostoff’s name flicker on the list of people planning to attend one of her organization’s upcoming mental health events.

Executive Director Stein Wisconsin Friendship CircleHe realized how deeply this event would resonate with Brostoff, who has struggled with mental illness for most of his life. Sunday’s event “Something I Wish You Knew” It will give four local young people the opportunity to share their personal experiences with mental health issues.

Now this event is dedicated to his memory. But this is only the beginning of Stein’s respect for Brostoff, who committed suicide at the age of 41. Stein has committed to leading the tour called “We Can Save Lives.” 41 SafeTALK trainings across WisconsinFree for every year Brostoff lives. The tour is expected to end on time in September Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

“When he passed away from suicide, the best response, in my opinion, was to make every moment of his life on this earth as precious as possible,” Stein said. “And for me, that’s SafeTALK.”

For Stein, SafeTALK It offers some of the most effective, comprehensive and accessible training for recognizing when someone is having suicidal thoughts. During the four-hour training, people learn how to identify signs, ask the right questions, be the most active listener, and direct people in crisis to the right resources to help keep them safe.

Stein plans to go to every community in Wisconsin that wants education. So far, Stein has booked 10 trainings, mostly in the Milwaukee area, but has 31 more to plan.

In the first leg of the tour, Stein will conduct SafeTALK training. I keep track of times and places:

Nov. 21, 12 p.m., Kelly Senior Center in Cudahy, 6100 S. Lake Dr.;
Nov. 26, 4 p.m., at East Side Chabad, 3030 E. Kenwood Blvd. in Milwaukee;
Dec. 9, 4 p.m., Wisconsin Friendship Circle, 8649 N. Port Washington Rd. in Fox Point;
Dec. 15, 12:30 p.m., at the Jewish Learning Coalition of Milwaukee (Milwaukee Jewish Federation), 1360 N. Prospect Ave.;
9 a.m. Jan. 14 at the Autism Association, 3720 N .124th St, Ste. He is in Wauwatosa;
Jan. 19, 10 a.m., My Choice Wisconsin, 10201 W, Innovation Dr., Ste. #100 in Wauwatosa;
Feb. 26, 12 p.m., at Milwaukee University School, 2100 W. Fairy Chasm Rd., River Hills.

“My commitment is to do this at no cost. It’s $45 per person for training, and I’m not sharing that cost with anyone,” Stein said. “In memory of Jonathan, I am removing this barrier.”

SafeTALK is an ‘investment in the community’

Brostoff, whose death shook both the Milwaukee community and the state at large, strongly advocated for suicide prevention, mental health awareness, and improved gun control measures; he equated the latter to “having your own personal and permanent ‘delete’ button.” When he contemplated suicide, he wrote: Column for Urban Milwaukee When he served as a state representative in 2019.

Mental health awareness was a passion he shared with Stein. During the COVID years as society began to reckon with the nation’s staggering mental health crisis, Stein became licensed to become a SafeTALK instructor.

The model caught Brostoff’s attention.

Brostoff not only trained himself, but also invited Stein to train all the leaders at Milwaukee City Hall and then the leaders at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison; one of them was Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld, who has led the Department of Administration since 2022.

According to Blumenfeld, the training offered people a safe space to share their personal stories of strife, which created a sense of community in the room. Blumenfeld said that although conversations about suicide are inherently difficult, tension and fears dissipated within the first 20 minutes of the training.

“After 20 minutes, you lose that discomfort. Getting out of your comfort zone is a really healthy thing, especially when you’re in a safe space,” Blumenfeld says. he said. “I really encourage anyone who isn’t quite sure whether to take this step, because it’s worth it, and by having the tools you can save a life one day, and a few lives the next.”

It’s impossible to reduce suicide numbers without first talking about suicide and prevention, according to Rep. Deb Andraca, D-Whitefish Bay, who knows Brostoff well and has been involved in many difficult conversations about suicide prevention and gun safety measures.

“We need to talk about (suicide) in society, we need to talk about it with our loved ones, and we need to talk about it in the legislature,” Andraca said.

A recent study It found that only a third of people who noticed suicidal behavior in others asked them about it. Main barriers to seeking help include being too embarrassed, shy, or afraid of being judged. On the other hand, those who received SafeTALK training gained knowledge, confidence, and willingness to commit suicide and were more likely to seek help.

“I look at this as an investment in yourself and your community,” Blumenfeld said. “I think everyone who receives this will leave with the power to help.”

Wish You Knew, a youth-focused podcast, is coming to Marquette University

Part of Brostoff’s drive for change stemmed from his own coming to terms with his mental illness. According to his article in Urban Milwaukee, he attempted suicide several times in his youth. As a teenager, he was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, severe depression, and bipolar disorder.

“I wish those diagnoses and the medications, hospital stays, and all the steps my family and I took at that time had been enough. But as with so many people facing mental health crises, they were not enough,” Brostoff wrote. Later.

Stein understands that most support and care happens at the community level, before emergency interventions. This is the basic building block of the Circle of Friendship, whose mission was solidified in the late ’90s when a Detroit teenager named Daniel Sobel committed suicide.

That’s one reason why Friendship Circle launched the youth-focused podcast. “I Wish You Knew” hosted by teens, Autumn and Lizzy. Frank discussions about mental health can break down some of the taboos and stigma associated with such a heavy topic as suicide prevention.

Sunday at 4 p.m. at 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. The free event, which will be held at the Marquette Memorial Union at , will also feature a mental health vendor fair where 20 local mental health organizations will come together to offer resources.

“The Circle of Friendship is really all about friendship. It’s about giving people another door to open that’s not suicide, that’s not loneliness, that’s not isolation,” Stein said. “That’s who we are at heart.”

Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The story welcomes tips and feedback. You can reach him at: [email protected] or view his X (Twitter) profile at: @natalie_eilbert.