The new StayAliveFriend video. we have to celebrate our stories. Join us October 14 and 15 at Hoogeind Manor Pneumatix for living stories and live music...things that matters.

raising stories

I've read an article recently in the news about a 17-year old girl who committed suicide. And every time I hear these stories, I feel like another part of the battle is lost. It doesn't matter if I have known the person or not, I feel like screaming in that person's grave,"I'm sorry you had to do what you did; I'm sorry for being part of 'them'; the ones that judged, and rejected, and bullied you". I feel like promoting a story, sharing hope, is a fantasy. People will always judge; always reject; always bully.

I felt like giving up the last couple of weeks, but I'm better now. I can stare life square in the face and honestly say, I will conquer it. But it isn't always like that. I get days that I just don't wanna get out of bed and face life. And I wonder how this girl must have felt every day. Were there people to support and encourage her? Did anyone ever notice she was going through a tough time. Bullying at school caused her to strap a belt around her neck and give up. I wonder how much someone can take before making that final decision to call it quits. I fear for those tonight who's making that final decision. I fear for myself sometimes.

In South Africa, at least one out of every five teenagers deliberately injure themselves. At least one person commit suicide every hour in South Africa. And the sad thing about this is that no one knows about these things. It never make the front page of the newspaper. People's lives, and their stories are silently forgotten. Their families are left to pick up the pieces. The wounds can stay raw and open for many, many years.

This week we had a few discussions on dreaming differently, and this one guy said something that's haunting me every single night. It goes something like this: "To reach the people no one is reaching, you have to do what no one is doing". With StayAliveFriend we attempt to reach those no one is reaching. The ones who fear. The ones who's been left behind. The ones with the questions. The ones with the razor blades and the fingers in their throats. The silent ones. We are tired of organisations raising millions of rands to "raise awareness" about issues such as suicide, cutting, depression. Raising more awareness is silencing the voices of the masses battling these things. StayAliveFriend wants to reach those no one is reaching in South Africa. We believe in connection, conversations, stories, comfortable and uncomfortable. We believe in networking, social media, creative arts, music. That's our pulpit to preach a story that matters. A story of hope.