This is the story of one man’s experience with incarceration, suicidal ideation and mental health.
If you are thinking about suicide or if you or someone you know is in emotional crisis, call or text 988 any time for confidential, free, crisis support.
“Learning to Live: The Resilient Path After Prison” was created as a local companion to “Facing Suicide,” a national PBS broadcast special and community engagement initiative on suicide awareness and prevention. With the support of Chasing the Dream, The WNET Group is partnering with Second Chance Studios, a nonprofit that provides media training and job placement to formerly incarcerated individuals, to explore the topic of suicide within the justice-involved community.
“Learning to Live: The Resilient Path After Prison” was produced by members of the first class of Second Chance Studios fellows, with Samson Styles, owner of JayCity Enterprise, as consulting producer and professional mentor. Guided by their own experiences and information from partner organizations working at the intersection of reentry and mental health, fellows received hands-on professional development as they actively participated in all aspects of the production process.
“Facing Suicide” explores the stories of those impacted by suicide, revealing the steps that friends, family and community members can take to help those at risk. Alongside these powerful stories are those of prominent researchers uncovering the complex factors that can lead to suicide, with insights for better prevention and treatment. Together, these stories offer a powerful message of hope and healing.
National outreach partners for the “Facing Suicide” project are four of the nation’s leading suicide prevention organizations: The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Jed Foundation, and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education. In addition, PBS stations around the country are mobilizing around the “Facing Suicide” mission to reach their own at-risk communities via localized broadcast and online content as well as events, screenings, and expert panel discussions in collaboration with prominent suicide awareness organizations.
“Facing Suicide” is produced for Twin Cities PBS and PBS by Barrat Media, 1904 Media, and JWM Productions. Major funding was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Additional funding was provided by Eleanor “Ellie” Crosby; Keith and Mary Bednarowski; Peravid Foundation Agency; David and Karen Olson Family Foundation; and public television viewers.
Second Chance Studios is a nonprofit digital media company that trains and employs formerly incarcerated individuals. The program is built on three pillars: experiential learning, mentorship, and job placement, and the studio provides services for original content creation, video production, podcast recording, and digital advertising. The organization leverages the explosive growth in the new media industry to bring economic empowerment to returning citizens, their families, and communities. For more information about Second Chance Studios, please visit https://www.secondchancestudios.org/
Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America is a multiplatform public media initiative from The WNET Group in New York. We are reporting on poverty, justice, and economic opportunity, and showcasing promising solutions. Our goal is to better inform using facts that go beyond personal biases, media narratives, and presumptions about the American Dream.
Major funding for Chasing the Dream is provided by The JPB Foundation with additional funding from The Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney Fund, and Sue and Edgar Wachenheim, III.
