Recently, South Cobb High School has encountered suicides of former South Cobb High School students and many suicidal ideations throughout the year that have had a profound impact on our current student body. With suicide, it is not uncommon to be unaware that an issue exists with the victim until the consequential event occurs. In an attempt to provide our students with a safe outlet to express their issues, South Cobb High School has organized an Orange Band initiative program.
The Orange Band initiative began at James Madison University in 2003 when students generated an idea to get their campus talking and listening about the Iraq war. Originally, the Orange Band experiment was a college sociology experiment in active listening that has proven to be effective and has started to spread across the nation in many settings. Participants volunteer themselves to be active listeners to everyone they encounter. They wear an orange band to show they are a designated, active listener. The active listener simply listens to whatever problem a person presents without judgment or commentary; they just listen.
Orange Band Day is scheduled for Dec. 16 with a mandatory training on Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. Please contact as many people within your organization to participate in this culminating event.
Interested volunteers should contact South Cobb High School counselor Joy Moses by Dec. 9 to ensure necessary accommodations are met.
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