(L to R) Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College President and CEO; Sam Fiorella, Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench founder; Dr. Samantha Lenci, Lethbridge College Provost and Vice President Academic; Dr. Jeanine Webber, Dean of the Centre for Justice and Human Services (Photo courtesy Paul Kingsmith, Lethbridge College)

By Justin Goulet

Suicide Prevention

Friendship Bench installed at Lethbridge College

Jan 30, 2020 | 12:28 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge College has unveiled a new bench on its campus.

But the yellow bench located in the Andrews Building has a special meaning, promoting the message “yellow is for hello”. The post-secondary institution is one of many to install a Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench as a suicide prevention technique.

The bench is named after Lucas Fiorella, an Ontario student who committed suicide in 2014. Lethbridge College said the purpose of the bench is to act as a place to start a conversation.

It was unveiled Wednesday as part of the Bell Let’s Talk campaign – which raises awareness and aims to combat stigma around mental illness in Canada.

Anyone who feels they need support but is not prepared to reach out in a formal setting can sit on the bench and the hope is others take it as a sign to begin a conversation.

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The Friendship Bench foundation was started by Fiorella’s father Sam in 2015. Yellow benches can now be seen in more than 50 post-secondary schools and high schools in Canada.

“The goal of the initiative is to reduce the escalating number of youth suicides,” Fiorella said in a release issued by Lethbridge College.

“What I have learned is that young people don’t want to talk about mental health with their parents or professionals. They want to talk to their peers and know they are not alone, and we see that then leads to them approaching their parents or professionals for help. We need to make it completely OK to not be OK and to talk about how we’re feeling.”

The bench can be seen in the 1700 wing of the Andrews Building.

“The mental health and wellbeing of our college community is one of our over-arching goals,” said Dr. Paul Burns, Lethbridge College’s President and CEO.

“We recognize that not everyone who needs help will seek it in the same way, so this is a means of providing another avenue for those in need to connect. I’m really proud of our campus community for taking the initiative to make this project come to fruition.”

According to the Friendship Bench organization, campuses that feature benches report an 18 percent increase in the number of students seeking help for some form of depression.

Information on available supports for mental health will be available on-site beside the bench.

“We have felt the crippling effect of suicide and depression within our own community campus,” said Dr. Jeanine Webber, the Dean of the Centre for Justice and Human Services.

“Anything that can be done to show our students that help is available and that they are not alone is a worthwhile effort. We believe this will save lives.”

Lethbridge College offers different services of support, including an on-campus Health Centre, 24-7/365 online and phone access to counsellors through Shepell Counselling Services and Indigenous Cultural Services that include access to Elders, spiritual advisors and leaders.