What is Project Semicolon About?
A new trend has been sweeping those who have ever considered, thought about, or attempted suicide. It’s the semicolon symbol (;), and it’s being tattooed as a statement of continuation. This is known as Project Semicolon.
Project Semicolon
has a simple mission statement:
“A semicolon represents a sentence the author could have ended, but chose not to. That author is you, and the sentence is your life.”
The founders, Charlee Chandler and Matthew Willis have noted, “Drawing a semicolon on your wrist can act as a constant reminder and prevention strategy to help you come to your recovery, after all, you are the author of your life and you should choose not to end it.”
It is a symbol of hope, life, and the ability to move forward. It is a symbol not of forgetting the past hurts and desires to die, but to remember that, one has to continue moving in a positive direction and continue to live this life. The movement started as an event that was only meant to last a day on April 16, 2013, but has quickly become a phenomenon still being practiced today.
The goal is to spread Mental Health Awareness around the world to anyone and everyone. The project was not created to solely speak to suicide survivors, but to anyone suffering from depression, anxiety, a broken heart, sadness, or those who are just going through a rough time. It was also created to share the view of the limited resources for those over 18 – and to point out that the resources that are available are largely inaccessible or over-capacity. The hope is that government officials will step in to create services that are more available to a wider, ever increasing population.
The take-away? Love yourself. “Your story isn’t over yet.” Get help. Find support. Live your life! ;
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