You may or may not have seen Bucknellians walking around campus with bright, lime-green bandanas attached to their book bags. I am here to explain what these eye-catching emblems symbolize and try to convince you to adorn one as well. 

The Green Bandana Project here at Bucknell, organized by Ryan Ziskin ’26, transforms students into green beacons of mental health resources through one training session. The club hosts a QPR Institute-certified speaker to teach students how to talk about suicide in a hopeful, respectful way to save lives. Mental health is a prevalent topic and impacts every individual differently. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among college students. It is also the only cause of death that is 100 percent preventable. QPR’s training process outlines early warning signs to save a life. A person’s choice of words is more pertinent than they can imagine; they have the power to persuade someone to keep living, and it is critical that we learn how to use the power of words to save someone in need of help. 

What does QPR stand for? Question, Persuade, Refer. QPR’s acronym is intentionally similar to the abbreviation for CPR—Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation—since QPR is just as important as CPR. QPR certification is similar to CPR certification, as both instruct on how to respond to cues from someone in danger. Related deaths are equally preventable with a trained person present. Early CPR keeps oxygenated blood flowing through the body. Early QPR gives someone in a dark place a chance to breathe and express what they have been feeling. QPR allows someone suffering in silence to be referred to the appropriate resource. Someone in need of CPR is sweating and unresponsive, while someone in need of QPR delivers both direct and indirect cues that they need help. QPR is an emergency medical intervention just like CPR. Both QPR and CPR aim to address the urgency of the situation until the person in need can be met with professional help.

QPR’s mission is “to save lives and reduce suicidal behaviors by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training. We believe that quality education empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know.” A Bucknellian enters a QPR training session and leaves a Gatekeeper. A Gatekeeper can recognize the warning signs of suicide, know how to offer hope, know how to get help and save a life. The knowledge you can gain from one hour and a half long training session is indispensable to save the life of your peers. The green bandana you earn following the training session signifies to those in need that you are a peer they can confide in and a trusted, understanding source of mental health resources. 

You never know who needs help until you learn what the signs are. Those struggling tend to go undetected. Thanks to The Green Bandana Project and QPR’s training sessions, you can become part of the solution. For more information, you can go to @buckylovesbp on Instagram, where you can join Bucknell’s Green Bandana chapter and see when upcoming training sessions are happening.