West Hollywood, Calif. (January 16, 2013) – Today, the President issued an Executive Order, “Now is the Time,” presenting solutions that highlight the importance of mental health care when protecting our communities and reducing gun violence. Among the proposed plans is Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education), which seeks to improve access to mental health care for students nationwide and provide training to educators. Abbe Land, Executive Director & CEO of The Trevor Project, which operates crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBT and questioning youth nationwide, released the following statement about this significant Executive Order:

 

“The Trevor Project is encouraged that President Obama’s Executive Order, ‘Now is the Time,’ highlights the importance of mental health care among youth when protecting our communities. Most people with mental illnesses are no more likely than the general public to act violently, unless drugs or alcohol are involved. However, the consequences of untreated mental illness can be serious, including increased suicide risk, failure in school, and homelessness. If a young person is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) or questioning, these issues can be exacerbated due to environments of prejudice, fear and hate.”  

 

“We commend the President’s action in proposing Project AWARE, which would open doors for mental health care accessibility in our nation’s schools, offering training and support to educators and youth, and crucial funding to reach 750,000 young people through programs that help identify mental illness early.

 

“The Trevor Project looks forward to engaging with the Administration in developing culturally competent trainings and services to address the unique needs of LGBT and questioning youth as this life-saving plan is enacted.”

 

The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people under 24. Every day, The Trevor Project saves young lives through its free and confidential lifeline and instant messaging services, in-school workshops, educational materials, online resources and advocacy. Honored by the White House as a Champion of Change, The Trevor Project is a leader and innovator in suicide prevention. Learn more at TheTrevorProject.org.