Trees of Memory for victims of suicide, web-portal

The project “Trees of Memory” with its accompanying website and the walk around the earth aims at raising much needed awareness for the intricacies leading to most suicides, wich still remain largely unknown to the public – in turn leading to stigma and a lack of proper help for both, potential victims and their families or loved ones.
The trail around our planet will be formed through the invitations received by surviving dependents of suicide victims, with whom I will plant trees as living memorials for those who fell victim to depression and sickness, and thus having become unable to see any other escape to their suffering than suicide, ultimately loosing the fight for the will to live; but also to commemorate loved ones who no longer walk this earth for any reason, really.

Every tree stands for

• A person who is no longer with us
• Surviving dependents left behind in grief and mourning
• A relationship, that once began with a sown seed, becoming a small plant, and eventually having grown into a beautiful, strong and sturdy entity, just like a tree
• A growing, blossoming, international and intercultural symbol that goes beyond denominational boundaries, saying: Yes you can make it. You are worth fighting for your life, for it to bless you with reaching your dreams and goals, and for life to answer your craving and longing. There are people who think you and are there for you! A symbol for courage and hope.

Online portal for surviving dependents
This live project is accompanied by an online portal and will be documented on my website „Trees of Memory“. This is to gain a more adequate format with the help of this campaign, for the current website presentation on www.trees-of-memory.eu feels like a mere provisional solution.

A Portal to keep the memory alive
On this portal, poems, letters, videos and photos will pay tribute to these people, keeping the memory alive.
The forum will help surviving dependents share their feelings and help each other in their grief and mourning.

It shall furthermore raise awareness / draw attention to the global rise in suicide over the past years
“Trees of Memory” shall be an internationally visible beacon for the increasing rise in death by suicide. This tends needs to be stopped! With my project, I want to do my part to raise awareness and elicit attention to this problem, working with journalists and newsrooms on ways of reporting that raise awareness, instead of triggering copycat suicides. And I want to help surviving dependents (like myself) as good as I can – through this project, but also on a personal level – so we may find the strength to get through this.

Project documentation on the web

This project will be documented on a daily basis on www.tress-of-memory.eu in a Blog, as well as through photos and videos which can also be found on social media.
By doing this, I want to prove that it is possible to find a way out of the darkness of depression – because I, too, had hit rock bottom when I lost everything dear to me: My partner, and with him my faith and belief in life itself, in humans, and everything that comes with that. This project aims at helping people every single day in their struggle to reclaim a little confidence.

Giving hope and inspiring courage
The big goal of von „Trees of Memory“ is the creation of a trail that becomes a full circle around earth, lined with „Trees of Memory“ that will elicit attention to the rising numbers in global suicides. A trail wich I will walk myself, creating it with the support of people, whom I want to help rediscover faith in life itself. The goals are:

1. Encourage
2. See what can be achieved
3. Here, you will find a community

A portal for remembering and finding support
At the same time, “Trees of Memory” is meant to become a web-portal in which people can find one another and connect, offering mutual assistance to each other. This is one of this corwdfunding campaigns foci.

I would not have survived without help!
I know that there is a good chance I would not have survived [depression] without the help of sometimes even complete strangers. It was only for the rising awareness of not being alone and not being left alone with what I had experienced, as well as the multitude of encouraging mails and letters that became a guiding light, which made it possible for me to put my eyes back o the horizon, and keep on going.

Empowerment to do both, say goodbye, and cherish the memories
My own experiences, as well as the numerous talks with other surviving dependents have shown me that it takes something that encourages, something that helps take farewell and deal with the pain of loosing a loved one. Something that soothes the shock, that helps comprehend & accept; something that makes it a little easier to let go, and remember in a positive way.
A portal for support & and remembrance. A lasting place where photos, videos and the written word will commemorate those no longer among us.

Who is the target audience?

• With “Trees of Memory” I first and foremost turn to people sharing common ground, like:
• The dramatic loss of a family memeber, i.e. through suicide.
• People suffering from depression, anxiety, compulsive disorder or grief itself.
• People having experienced suicidal tendencies, or who have attempted suicide in their life.
• People who have ceased to take part in life

My project also wants to address:

• Those going through emotional and psychological hell because of the suicide of a person very close to them.
• Those who suffered a great loss, or got into a depression, now finding them in a seemingly endless sea of darkness, not knowing how to go on, or even why.
• Those doubting whether trying to find a way to go on is even worth the effort
• Spouses, Parents, Children or Friends who want to help someone suffering find their way back into life.

I am looking for courage-makers
I am turning to supporters with a lust for life and faith in the future, who will prove, together with me, that even from the places of deepest despair it is always possible to beat depression and chase dreams again. It is possible to go back to having a fulfilled life, and I am here to offer my support and help where I can.

I turn to Encouragers who want to make a difference.

Obviously, you do not need to have been affected by someones suicide yourself to be one of those courage-makers. If you feel you can (and want to) make a difference by helping patients who are at an elevated risk of becoming suicidal, or offer your support to surviving dependents, you are one of those I am looking for. I am looking for you so we can send a message : “Don’t give up, life is worth fighting for – even if it doesn’t feel that way at the moment.

Every 40 seconds, somewhere on planet earth a human being ends their life. In Germany alone this sums up to 10.000 people committing suicide every year, leaving some estimated 70.000 – 230.000 heavily traumatized children, parents, friends and partners behind. Suicide has become the second most common cause of death in children and adolescents, and retired people are at a dramatically increasing risk to become suicidal for years in a row, now.

Nearly every person today has been exposed to someone ending their life, at least in their wider circle of acquaintances.
Perhaps, as someone affected you know very well (or can empathize) how it feels: The Helplessness, feelings of remorse, the pain the grief, the anger and the tears, the „life sentence“ we surviving dependents have been condemned to. Because the loss is not just something we could lock up in a box and forget about it.

Because you feel that every single suicide is one suicide too much, and we as a human people need to stand together from time to time and unite, to be able to keep on going.
Because you are an encourager with a passion for life.

What will happen with the money once the campaign has been successful?

Once 5000 Euro have been raised, I can get the programmers to adapt the website to serve as the portal for exchange , mutual support, and commemorative place for those deceased, as described here in this campaign .

There will be one extra page each,

• for the deceased
• focusing on suicide prevention
• for the promotion of free coaching sessions in media newsrooms on how to ensure a responsible handling of suicide related topics coverage (which I have already begun conducting)
• for the purpose of documenting the project itself

While 5000 Euro facilitate the creation and programming of the central pages and functions, 10000 Euro would expedite this process greatly, and ensure the full site can be optimized and completed. Everything received above this would go directly into creating the trail around the globe, lining it with Trees of Memory.