Stop Soldier Suicide’s efforts have been brought into an international spotlight. The War Within, a video about the VET SAFE initiative was shortlisted for an AYA Inclusion Award during the Cannes Festival of Creativity in France earlier this week. The creative production was recognized as one of six finalists by a panel of esteemed advertising and marketing industry experts.
Our board member and marketing and advertising industry leader, Obele Brown-West, was able to attend the award reception. “Being shortlisted for an AYA Inclusion Award is an incredible opportunity to raise awareness for Stop Soldier Suicide on a global stage. We’re proud of the visibility this recognition has brought to our mission and remain committed to driving meaningful impact in the fight to end suicide among veterans and service members,” said Obele.
We partnered with Simtek to bring the VET SAFE initiative to life. The initiative is a system that uses a wireless alarm to monitor gun safes and/or gun storage locations. The sensor detects disturbances such as light, motion, or vibrations and immediately initiates push notifications within 15 seconds of the disturbance. These alerts are sent to the veteran’s designated support network, providing a critical opportunity for the person’s network to check in and intervene - if the veteran is in crisis.
The initiative is based on the reality that 74% of veteran suicides involve a firearm and keeping a firearm loaded and unlocked is related to a much higher risk of suicide. Additionally, when veterans are contemplating taking their own life, 36% take less than 5-minutes to act. By putting safeguards in place, like real-time notifications, this initiative will allow for intervention during critical moments with lives being saved as the ultimate outcome.
According to award organizers, the Aya Inclusion Award is “a creative recognition of profound distinction, aiming to transform the advertising, marketing and communications industries – spaces that control how we view the human condition and each other. The award is a symbol of why inclusion is good for the world and good for business and recognizes the power of creativity to reshape the world.”
We are so pleased with how the creative team at Weber Shandwick brought the VET SAFE initiative to life. Their work will help raise essential awareness about the suicide crisis within the military community, while also driving actions focused on saving lives. In particular, we love how they include a variety of voices that personify the issue of veteran suicide along with expert perspective about the research that backs VET SAFE. “The veteran community is very diverse but the issue of suicide unites all veterans. We are incredibly grateful to this community for their service and hope the VET SAFE initiative makes an impact in the fight to end suicide among veterans and service members” said Chris Ferguson, Chief Creative Officer, Weber Shandwick, Washington DC.
Yes, awards are exciting and recognition feels great. However, we are most pleased about this high-visibility moment for the initiative and our organization because it will help us save more lives. As more individuals become aware of the issue and get involved, more veterans will have support in their most difficult moments.
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Veterans and support networks can learn more about the VET-SAFE Initiative and the StealthALERT system by visiting www.simtek.io/vetsafe.