Through a grant from Zoom Cares, Vita Alere created a program to support its goal in reducing suicides and helping boys who struggle with mental illness. Read more about Vita Alere and the impact of Zoom Cares’ grant below.
About Vita Alere
Based in Brazil, the Vita Alere Institute is committed to suicide prevention for all people, especially teenagers and young adults.
Vita Alere recognizes that men commit suicide up to four times more than women, and often do not receive the necessary mental health resources. As a center for assistance, education, and mental health promotion, Vita Alere offers psychotherapeutic care and self-help groups for people throughout Brazil with suicidal ideation and those bereaved by the suicide of a loved one.
Understanding the various opportunities for suicide intervention at different points in a young person’s life, Vita Alere also partners with schools, universities, and companies to ensure they have the tools and resources in place when they’re most needed.
“Vita Alere represents the most honest and thoughtful thing that can be done in terms of suicide prevention: intertwining theory coming from the academic sphere with practice that can be applied in everyday life. We work tirelessly for the protection of life.”
Mariana Stefani, Vita Alere Team Member
Vita Alere & Zoom Cares
With the support of a grant from Zoom Cares, Vita Alere was able to bring to life one of its fundamental and immediate goals – the creation of a program to better understand how to communicate and help boys struggling with mental illness and how to increase suicide prevention through a focus them and their teachers. Through this work, Vita Alere has been able to create a stronger network of communication, education, and protection for at-risk youth. The project is the first step needed to break paradigms and establish bridges to mental health and suicide prevention for boys.
How Vita Alere Delivers Impact
Vita Alere believes each human being is unique and special and must be treated with respect, care, and competence. Alongside this value, it recognizes the importance of evolving resources to reach each person where they are, as shown during the pandemic when it created the Mental Health Map, a website that has since been accessed by close to 600,000 people. This is mapped, on a national scale, where people could access free mental health services, both online and in person.
Access to free mental health resources through Vita Alere also includes eBooks, research presented at conferences, and a compilation of suicide survivors’ stories and the creation of quilts for survivors. These resources, combined with education through free training and education courses and a national network of professionals trained in suicide prevention and intervention, work tirelessly to save lives in Brazil.
“For me, Vita Alere is much more than an Institute. It is a space that offers care, innovation and research based on ethics, sustainability, diversity, respect, science, and humanity. Vita Alere understands suicide can be prevented, and all suffering must be embraced with support. We work hard to make that happen in various stages of well-being, mental health, suicide prevention and postvention.”
Dr. Karen Scavacini, CEO & Founder of Vita Alere Institute
Vita Alere understands suicide can be prevented, and all suffering must be embraced with support. We work hard to make that happen in various stages of well-being, mental health, suicide prevention and postvention.”
— Dr. Karen Scavacini, CEO & Founder of Vita Alere Institute
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Learn more about Vita Alere, and how you can support their mission.