I received an email recently from suicide bereavement support group facilitator Marcia Epstein about two remarkable young men who are biking across the country to bring attention to suicide's impact on individuals and communities. Marcia directs the Headquarters Counseling Center in Lawrence, Kansas, where local survivors had a potluck dinner for the cyclists.
Zachary Chipps and Thomas Brown met in 2009 as co-workers in an after-school youth recreation program in Scottsdale, Ariz., and discovered that each of them -- when they were 24 years old -- had lost their older brothers to suicide. Their common experience sparked their creativity (Zak is a drummer, Thomas is a video artist), and they formed R.I.S.E. (Revolution Inspired by Self Evolution) to organize the cross-country trek, which began in March at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Zachary Chipps and Thomas Brown met in 2009 as co-workers in an after-school youth recreation program in Scottsdale, Ariz., and discovered that each of them -- when they were 24 years old -- had lost their older brothers to suicide. Their common experience sparked their creativity (Zak is a drummer, Thomas is a video artist), and they formed R.I.S.E. (Revolution Inspired by Self Evolution) to organize the cross-country trek, which began in March at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
They will be using various forms of media, including blogging and in-depth video shorts, to connect more intimately with those who are participating and following their journey. While many have traveled by bike or foot across the country, and have blogged about their adventures, their planned extent of real-time video blogging will be unprecedented. Thomas will film the entire tour, providing a collective view of suicide, the ripple effect it can create in one’s life, family and community, and how “personal reflection and creative expression can be a catharsis to counter stressful ordeals."
Below are examples of the video clips Thomas and Zak are posting along the way, the first one features Thomas a few days after their journey began on the West Coast, and the second one features Zak more than two months later in eastern Kansas:
You can follow Zak's and Thomas's progress on the RISE Phoenix blog and on their Facebook page. They are relying on the hospitality of survivors and suicide prevention stakeholders across the country to help them along their journey, so please send an email to Thomas if you can lend them a hand.
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