about NASPAC...                                                                                                              

The Native American Suicide Prevention and Awareness Coalition's efforts regarding the reduction of suicide in Indian Country are: the MBRACE Life Summit, which brings people together to develop strategies that build capacity at the community level to reduce suicide by identifying natural assets and resources; and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) trainings, which teach the skills necessary to competently and confidently intervene with a youth at risk of suicide, thereby building suicide-safer communities.

NASPAC was created in 2004 in response to a disproportionately high rate of suicide among Native Americans - then 250% higher than the overall population for those ages 15-24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth, elders, community leaders, practitioners and professionals joined forces to establish a common ground and encourage interaction, constructive discussion, and exchange to develop and implement strategies that are most likely to succeed in tribal communities.

So far, the Coalition has brought the ASIST training to four tribal communities in northern Arizona and impacted over a thousand people at the past MBRACE Life Summits. Ten of Arizona's twenty-four tribes reside in northern Arizona (Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Yavapai counties), and we have already received support or participation from the Hualapai, San Juan Southern Paiute, Kaibab Band of Paiute, Navajo, Hopi, Fort Mojave, and Yavapai-Apache Nations.

This year's MBRACE Life Summit is September 16 and 17 at Hon-Dah Resort in Pinetop, Arizona on the White Mountain Apache Nation.

During the five years that the Coalition has been working to reduce suicide, the suicide rate among Native Americans has decreased in Arizona but our work is not done.