Informational Fair

All things are going well for the Informational Fair on the 29th of this month. All invites are out as well as the press releases. The Director of the Governor's Eastern Office is coming.

As foor the online petition, we are up to 70 people as of right now. Thanks to all that have signed. Keep on coming people.

IT'S OFFICIAL

Here in Connecticut, March 1 will be Self Injury Awareness Day!

I have the proclamation, signed by the governor, sitting here in front of me. It arrived Friday afternoon.

50!

We have hit 50 signatures on the petition. Thank you to the 50 of you that have signed it. Every person helps. We need more though.

Self Injury Awareness Day 2008 Fair In Connecticut

COME ONE COME ALL

To The
Self Injury Awareness Day Informational Fair

We Will Have: Information about Self Injury, Resources, Information about Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Treatment for Self Injury, and Light Refreshments

When: February 29, 2008
From: 10:00 - 2:00
Where: Southeastern Mental Health Authority
Multi Purpose Room
Uncas On The Thames Campus
401 West Thames St.
Norwich, CT 06360


For more information please email: SIawarenessday2008@yahoo.com

Please Note: Self Injury Awareness Day is on March 1. We are doing the fair a day early because March 1, falls on a weekend.

Proclamation Request.

Below is what we (my friend and I) used to ask our state Governor to issue a proclamation officially recognizing March 1.

We're providing this so that you can ask your State Governors (or what have you) to do the same. We're working on the state right now, but will still work on national later in the year. In the wrding below "Norwich" and "New London" are in Connecticut. Feel free to edit as you need to.

___________________________________________

We are writing to ask you to issue a proclamation officially recognizing March 1st as Self-Injury Awareness Day in Connecticut. Worldwide, persons who are aware of self-injure recognize this day. Currently though only the state of New Mexico and Connecticut's cities of Norwich and New London have officially recognized Self-Injury Awareness Day.

Approximately 2 million people in the United States self-injure annually. Types of self-Injury include: cutting, burning, wrist banging, or hair pulling. It can take other forms as well. People who self-injure can be male or female, wealthy or homeless, and of any race. It recognizes no barrier. It is also often misunderstood. People commonly think that when someone self-injures they are attempting suicide. However, individuals may self-injure because they are feeling overwhelmed with emotions and are trying to deal with them. Growing up the person may not have received validation for feeling emotions and didn’t learn how to cope with emotions. The use of self injury then became a way of trying to deal with overwhelming emotions.

Public awareness is one way to shed light on this growing problem in an effort to reduce the stigma and help reduce some of the myths. It can also help people who self-injure get and/or find treatment such as individual and/or group therapy and medications. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) which is widely available, has been proven to be an effective therapeutic approach for treating Self-injurious behavior.

The _______________________ at the ___________________ will be holding a informational fair on March 1, 2008 about Self-Injury. The group is hoping to educate the public about Self-Injury on that day. The times for the informational fair will follow. Governor ____ is invited to attend. If you have any further questions or would like the wording of any proclamations that have been issues regarding this day please feel free to contact me at the information provided or ________ at _________. Your assistance by proclaiming March 1st as Self-Injury Awareness Day will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Thank you

Self Injury Awareness Day 2008 Preparations

We're off and going out here on Self Injury Awareness Day here. Self Injury Awareness Day will be on March 1 which is a Saturday this year. Out here we (my friend and I) are:

1.) Hosting a Self Injury Awareness Day Informational Fair -- We did this last year and are doing it again. More information will be coming.

2.) Requesting the Governor to officially declare March 1 as Self Injury Awareness Day -- We asked her last year and she issued a proclamation. We're doing the same thing this year. We're also working with state senators to possibly get it made into a law.

Sorry it's been so quiet.

Sorry there's been no posts for so long. This has been a 2 person operation, so when our lives get hectic things get a little out of sorts. Christmas was a little hectic (to say the least) for us. We're back though and on the roll.

Goals

GOALS

• Provide support to those who Self Injure
• Provide support to family and friends of those who Self Injure
• Educate the public regarding Self Injury to let them know that Self Injury exists and help is available (i.e.: speakers, fairs, support groups)
• Direct people toward appropriate resources
• Get March 1 declared as Self Injury Awareness Day nationally
• Stigma bust

Letter in the Paper

One of us have managed to get a Letter to the Editor in one of the local papers. Yes that's right. It ran on Saturday, November 24, 2007 in The New London Day. Below is just a part of how the letter goes:

"I am on the Advocacy Committee at Southeastern Mental Health Authority. As part of that committee, we got Gov. M. Jodi Rell to declare March 1, 2007, . . . "

To read the rest of the letter please click on the link above.

Our Mission

Mission Statement
The Connecticut Self Injury Awareness Project was formed to: provide support to those who Self Injure along with their family and friends; educate the public regarding Self Injury to let them know it exists and there is help available (I.e.: speakers, fairs, support groups) in and around the State of Connecticut.
We are also striving to get March 1 declared as Self Injury Awareness Day nationally.