Sam’s Barbers partners with Pieta for suicide campaign
Sam’s Barbers has partnered with Pieta to drive awareness of the charity's Signs of Suicide campaign, which is a public awareness resource created to help family or friends support someone who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide.
With five locations across Dublin, the family-run barber business was chosen by Pieta to help it reach young men in a space where they are comfortable talking about the issues in their lives. Over half of Pieta’s clients are under 25 years of age, and the campaign is encouraging people to ‘swap the small talk for the big talk’.
“January can be a particularly difficult time of the year for people struggling with their mental health, but these struggles aren’t limited to a month or day of the year,” said Leigh Kenny, regional manager and therapist with Pieta.
“However, it is a great opportunity to highlight that it’s OK not to feel OK sometimes, and the best thing you can do is talk about your feelings, whether that be with your family, friends or even your barber, as we launch the Signs of Suicide campaign with Sam’s Barbers. We encourage everyone to watch out for the signs in your loved ones – knowing them could save a life.”
‘Signs’ in the campaign title spells out sleep disturbance, isolation, giving away possessions, no interest in anything and speaking of no future.
Owner of Sam’s Barber’s Sam Donnelly has welcomed the opportunity to work on the Pieta campaign. “We have young lads come in here and they really do open up and talk to us – sometimes they talk to us more than they talk to their friends or the girlfriends,” he said. “It’s almost like the chair is a safe space.
“It is really important that people understand that there are signs of suicide and to know what to do if recognise these in a loved one. Pieta is a fantastic organisation and I fully support the work that they do. If I can play a small part in helping someone or raising awareness of the signs so that someone recognises something in a friend or family member, then I will be extremely happy. We need to support each other and look out for each other as much as possible.”
Singer/songwriter Aaron J Hart is also supporting the campaign.
