A council will urge the Government to ensure suicide awareness and prevention is a compulsory part of the school curriculum.
Emotional councillors in County Durham issued an impassioned plea on Wednesday after the tragic death of their 19-year-old nephew.
Eric and Lesley Mavin, county councillors for Belmont, called on the council to support their pledge.
A full council meeting was told suicide is the biggest killer of all people under the age of 35 and three quarters of these are male. The North East also has the highest rate of suicide in England.
Councillor Lesley Mavin said: “Can we ask [the council] to write to the Secretary of State for Education to request that she ensures suicide awareness and prevention is a compulsory part of the RHSE curriculum, to raise the profile and reduce the stigma of suicide?
“People don’t die from talking about suicide - they die because we don’t talk about it.”
The couple paid tribute to their late nephew in a moving speech in the council chamber.
Cllr Eric Mavin said: “Our nephew was a lovely young lad who was caring, loving, thoughtful, talented, and funny. He had the world at his feet and a bright future to look forward too. He was only 19 years old. We cannot comprehend what was going through his head when he decided to take his own life - and we will never know.
“I just wish he had spoken to somebody and shared his burden then we might not have been here today.”
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Tireless charity campaigners Three Dads Walking were also praised for their fundraising around suicide awareness and prevention.
Cllr Lesley Mavin added: “The group came together after their daughters took their own lives and walked hundreds of miles over the last year across the UK to raise awareness of suicide and to ensure the topic is spoken about in schools in a safe and age-appropriate way.”
The plea was unanimously accepted by all councillors.
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