We need to be a society that comes together for every person in the community that's going through hell, and in order to do that, every person that’s going through hell, whatever hell, has to be honest about their pain, and if they are honest about their pain, we are going to collectively answer the call and be there for that individual, cause if you don’t see beauty in the next person you meet, you’re not looking hard enough."
​            - Kevin Hines, San Francisco Bridge suicide survivor

Our Goal

We are dedicated to making a positive change in how youth handle challenges they face, encouraging and empowering youth to make meaningful connections with others, and breaking the stigma around suicide. 

Affiliations

YCSP is affiliated with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the non-profit organization 1N5, and the Office of Innovation and Community Partnerships at University of Cincinnati College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services.

Established in 2013

The Youth Council for Suicide Prevention was formed in 2013 to address the issue of suicide in Cincinnati and to inform researchers in the pediatric emergency department on the suicide screening process. Since then, the council has led and conducted our own research projects, analysis, and are heavily involved in the community, attending and hosting events. Members are recruited from area schools and most members have dealt with suicide first-hand in their lives. Ever since 2013, there have been approximately 75 council members.

Want to Join?

We are currently looking for new high school members for the youth council in the upcoming fall semester! For more information, visit the Join Us page, or click here.

Meeting Schedule 

The council meets every other Sunday at 1-3pm from September to May at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Clifton. We have breaks over the winter holidays and summer vacation. As a member, you are required to not miss more than three meetings (unless for extenuating circumstances). Time in the council counts towards volunteer/service hours through your high school. ​

Our Team

Renae Koch​
Council Member

Renae has been a member of YCSP since 2014 and graduated from Roger Bacon High School in 2017. She is passionate about theater, music, and volunteering in her community. ​

Sarah Shirey
Council Member

Sarah has been a member of the council for 3 years. She is in 11th grade at Walnut Hills High School. She loves running, photography, music, and colouring. She hopes to spread the word about suicide prevention, end stigmas and educate people about mental illnesses.

Maya Sivakumaran
Council Member

Maya has been in YCSP for three years now. She is a junior at Walnut Hills High School.  She also is co-president of the Bring Change To Mind Club, which promotes positive mental health at her school. She loves music, photography, ultimate frisbee, computer science, reading, and traveling. She is very excited and passionate about the council's work with the education and spreading of awareness about mental health and suicide in the community.

Jack Fredette
Council Member

Jack has been on the council for three years, graduated from Turpin High School in 2018, on the honor roll, and has volunteered at UC Medical Center for the past three years. Jack plays ice hockey, runs cross country, and is a distance track runner. He is also an active member in the community and he loves to cook. Jack began attending college at UC in the fall of 2018 to study nursing and eventually go on to medical school.

Sammy Stenger
Council Member

Sammy has been a member of YCSP since 2017, attends Walnut Hills High School, and also volunteers with the Stay Animal Adoption Program. She loves dogs, traveling, swimming, and photography!

Sophia Young
Council Member

My name is Sophia Young, and I am a junior at the Summit Country Day School. I first got involved in the youth council in September of 2017 after the loss of a close friend. Teen mental health is an under-addressed issue, and as a member of the council, I feel able to continue to educate people on this issue and raise awareness.

Shannon Seiler
Council Member

Shannon Seiler has been a part of YCSP for a little over a year. She is a senior at Roger Bacon where she resides as Vice President of the National Art Honors Society. She is an avid book hoarder and hopes to be a successful neuropsychologist/artist in order to own a library.

Elina Govil
Council Member

Elina Govil, a senior at Indian Hill High School, is extremely passionate about suicide prevention. Seeing how suicide affects teens in the community, Elina is an advocate for mental health awareness through open conversations and kindness. Elina is serves as teen advisor for Girl Up, a UN girls’ rights campaign, enjoys participating in theatre, and competes in Mock Trial.

Erin Koch
Council Member

Erin Koch is a senior at Roger Bacon High School and is a new member of YCSP. At Roger Bacon, she is involved in choir, band, drama guild, mass planning committee, L.O.V.E. club, and is a member of the National Honors Society. She values education and advocating for mental health awareness. She also enjoys color-coding almost anything.

Kayla Boaz
Council Member

Hi! My name is Kayla and I’m a senior at Cincinnati Country Day School. I am super passionate about increasing awareness for mental illness. I love to run fundraisers for mental health, participate in model un, and work with kids as a camp counselor. In my spare time, I keep a daily journal. I joined the YCSP because I believe suicide is a widely misunderstood issue that needs to be addressed.

Katherine Williams
​Council Member

​I am Katherine Williams, a Senior at Bishop Brossart High School in Northern Kentucky. I have run the Kindness Club at Brossart since I founded it two years ago. This club promotes positivity in my community's classrooms and hallways. This is my first year on the Council, which I joined to end the stigma surrounding mental health issues and to extend my impact past my school!

Liz Radway
Council Member

​Liz Radway is a first year member of YSCP and is very passionate about mental health awareness. Outside of YSCP, Liz is a passionate dancer, as well as President of Speech and Debate Club and Treasurer for 501c3 charity BEST.

Manav Midha
​Council Member

Manav is a high school senior at Cincinnati Country Day School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Besides serving on the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention, Manav operates Study∙Jump∙Smile, a tutoring/mentoring program for under-served Cincinnati students. Manav is also involved in clinical psychiatry research at the University of Cincinnati, is on the Executive Board of the nonprofit organization Siblings with a Mission, and mentors middle school children as a "Staff-O" of the Ohio Association of Student Councils. In his free time, Manav enjoys playing tennis, having political discussions, and reading non-fiction.

Julia Dean
Council Member

Hi! I'm Julia Dean, a senior at the Summit Country Day School, and I am passionate about eliminating the stigma around mental health. This is my first year on YCSP and I couldn't be more excited to be working with this amazing group of people. In my free time, I love running, playing with my dog Annie, and watching Riverdale. 

​Carli Vallota
Council Member

I'm Carli Vallota, a senior at The Summit Country Day School and a first year council member! I am very passionate about ending the stigma surrounding mental health, so I joined the YCSP to have an impact that extends farther than my school community. 
In my free time I love reading books, making beautiful art, and playing with my dog Vinnie!​

Maddy Fredette
Council Member

New member
Turpin High School
Sophomore

Abigail Schoner
​Council Member

New member
Roger Bacon High School

Hosein Hashemian
Council Member

New member
Indian Hill High School
Junior

Elsa Khan
Council Member

New member
Summit Country Day School
Junior

Kristen Haddad
Council Facilitator

Kristen Haddad has been a facilitator for the Cincinnati Youth Council for Suicide Prevention since 2016 and is a doctoral student at University of Cincinnati with concentrations in Educational and Community-Based Action Research and Clinical and Translational Science. She is passionate about supporting youth in their pursuit to become leaders of suicide prevention. She hopes to help the council use their research findings to develop outreach strategies and peer-to-peer mental health programs that are evidence-based and tailored to local youth. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring hiking trails in Cincinnati and discovering new coffee shops.

Lesley Dorhout
Council Facilitator

Leslie Dorhout has been a facilitator for the Cincinnati Youth Council for Suicide Prevention since 2017