Suicide prevention among young people requires more than awareness campaigns or access to information. It calls for meaningful conversations, accessible emotional support, opportunities for participation and systems that take young people's experiences seriously. In India, where conversations around suicide and mental health can still be affected by stigma and discrimination, creating supportive spaces for young people is an important part of prevention.

Outlive is a youth suicide prevention program led by the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, Indian Law Society (CMHLP, ILS), and developed in collaboration with Sangath and Quicksand Design Studio. The program addresses urban youth suicides in India by engaging young people aged 18–25 who have lived experience of suicide, self-harm, emotional distress or mental health problems.

What makes Outlive distinctive is its emphasis on youth partnership. Instead of treating young people only as recipients of support, the program recognises them as contributors, decision-makers and advocates in suicide prevention efforts.

Why Youth Participation Matters in Suicide Prevention

Young people often understand the social pressures, emotional challenges and barriers that affect their peers. Their experiences can help shape interventions that are relevant, approachable and responsive to real needs.

Outlive places this understanding at the centre of its work.

Its programs were co-designed with 50 young people through consultations and participatory co-design workshops. Youth with lived experience also contribute in different capacities, including:

  • Staff members: Bringing youth perspectives into program implementation and development.
  • Advisors: Helping guide program decisions through their experiences and insights.
  • Trainers: Supporting the development of skills and knowledge among other young people.
  • Peer supporters: Offering emotional support through a confidential, anonymous chat-based platform.
  • Youth advocates: Taking part in conversations with policymakers and contributing to wider systemic change.

This approach recognises that young people should have an active role in shaping the support systems and policies that affect their lives.

Three Interventions That Connect Support, Awareness and Advocacy

Outlive has developed three suicide prevention interventions using participatory and human-centred design. Each addresses a different part of the prevention landscape.

1. Public Engagement Campaign: Making Conversations More Open

Stigma, discrimination and misconceptions can make it difficult for young people to discuss suicide, self-harm and emotional distress. Public engagement plays an important role in creating a more informed and understanding environment.

Outlive's Public Engagement Campaign shares accessible resources to improve awareness and encourage more sensitive conversations around youth suicide prevention.

The resources are available in English, Hindi and Marathi, with Kannada resources planned.

The campaign focuses on:

  • Increasing awareness about youth suicide prevention.
  • Sharing useful information and resources.
  • Challenging stigma and discrimination associated with suicide.
  • Encouraging communities to approach conversations about emotional distress with empathy.

By making information more accessible across languages, the campaign aims to reach young people and communities with relevant prevention resources.

2. Outlive Chat: Emotional Support Through Peer Connection

Sometimes, a person experiencing emotional distress needs a space where they can express themselves without worrying about being judged. Having someone listen and respond with understanding can make an important difference.

Outlive Chat is an anonymous, chat-based emotional support service supported by a network of trained peer supporters. It is designed for young people experiencing distress or thoughts of ending their lives.

The service focuses on:

  • Providing a confidential space for conversations.
  • Connecting young people with trained peer supporters.
  • Offering emotional support through an accessible chat-based platform.
  • Encouraging young people to express difficult thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment.

Peer support is an important part of this intervention because it creates opportunities for connection and understanding between people. It is an emotional support service, not a replacement for emergency or professional mental health care.

3. YASP Fellowship: Encouraging Youth to Influence Policy

Suicide prevention also requires attention to the wider systems, institutions and policies that shape young people's lives.

The Youth Action for Suicide Prevention (YASP) Fellowship focuses on preparing young people to become advocates for change. Through the fellowship, youth advocates develop the knowledge and skills to engage with policymakers and influence policy processes related to youth suicide prevention.

The fellowship highlights three important areas:

  • Building the capacity of young people to participate in policy discussions.
  • Encouraging youth-led advocacy and meaningful representation.
  • Bringing lived experiences and youth perspectives into governance and decision-making.

By connecting young people's experiences with policy conversations, YASP creates opportunities to move beyond individual support and work towards broader systemic change.

What Makes Outlive's Approach Different?

Many mental health initiatives focus primarily on awareness, information sharing or individual support. These are valuable, but youth suicide prevention also requires opportunities for young people to participate in designing solutions and influencing the systems around them.

Outlive connects three complementary areas:

  • Awareness: Public engagement resources help address stigma and improve understanding.
  • Emotional support: Outlive Chat offers young people a space to connect with trained peer supporters.
  • Systemic change: The YASP Fellowship encourages youth participation in policy and governance.

The connection between these interventions is central to the program. Rather than approaching suicide prevention as a single activity, Outlive brings together community awareness, peer-based emotional support and youth advocacy.

Its participatory approach also ensures that lived experience is not treated as an occasional consultation. Young people contribute across program development, delivery and advocacy.

Building a More Inclusive Future for Youth Mental Health

Effective suicide prevention requires sustained collaboration between young people, communities, organisations and policymakers. It also requires listening to people with lived experience and recognising the importance of their participation.

Outlive's work demonstrates how youth partnership can be integrated into different aspects of suicide prevention in India. Through public engagement, anonymous peer support and the YASP Fellowship, the program addresses the need for awareness, emotional connection and systemic change.

At its core, Outlive works towards a future where young people can access understanding and support, participate in conversations about suicide prevention and help shape the decisions that affect their communities.