A Henley High School sophomore has been honored at the state level as an Oregon Sources of Strength Showcase Peer Leader for his suicide awareness and prevention video, “We Have Purpose.”
Kai Crume was among 10 high school and college students honored today (May 26) in the virtual 2022 Oregon Sources Showcase event.
The event celebrated students and adults working to create belonging and connection in their schools and communities through youth-led suicide prevention efforts. Kai was nominated for “showing up as an agent of change and a connector to help in his school community, and for raising awareness around mental health and suicide prevention by spreading messages of hope, help and strength,” according to an announcement from Sources of Strength.
In creating the 2-minute “We Have Purpose” video, Crume drew on his experiences with depression following the suicide of his youth basketball coach. He used imagery from the Modoc Ancestral relay, native songs sung in the Klamath language, and a strong message about hope and connection. Kai and his mother, Lupe, are members of the Pit River Tribe. His father, Dion, is a member of The Klamath Tribes.
The video earlier this year won first place in the You Matter to Klamath 2021 Youth Suicide Prevention Contest. View Kai’s video here: https://youtu.be/ntqRr4zwm6Q
Sources of Strength is a statewide suicide prevention project supported by the Oregon Health Authority that focuses on multiple sources of support, increasing help seeking behaviors and promoting connections to peers and caring adults.