25/09/2025
๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐ ๐ข๐ก๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐: ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐
By: XARR
Annually, September is known as the Su***de Prevention Month. Ribbons remind us to be gentle and be present with ourselves even in times of doubt. Yet despite the awareness, numbers stay heavy. In the United States, for every young life lost, a hundred or two attempts are done. While in the Philippines 16.8 percent of students aged 13-17 tried attempting in the past year. Mental health challenges have significantly increased, particularly among young adults under 30, often triggered by peer pressure and quarter-life crises.
The numbers kept on going, but hope remains to be a nestling home for the lost. Contact occurs but connection does not. In the distance between the two dots lies the work that social zones can quietly begin to propagate.
According to Ray Oldenburg, an American sociologist, Third Places are those informal social environments outside of home and work that give life to communities and nurture civic engagement. Think of a cozy cafรฉ where you can sip coffee and unwind, a beach house that warms your skin with sunlight, a quiet library corner where silence feels like healing, or even a late-night Discord server buzzing with life. These spaces donโt just offer distractions, they restore a deeper sense of belonging and connection.
In psychology, John Falk and Lynn Dierking (1992 to 2000) described museums, libraries, and cultural institutions as free-choice learning spaces, places where people can freely explore knowledge, share cultural interests, and grow within a community. They emphasized how interactions in these environments shape not only personal growth but also socio-cultural and physical perspectives, helping individuals see themselves in relation to others and to the world around them.
On a global scale, different cultures have their own versions of third places. In Japan, there is forest bathing, where just a 15 minute walk among the trees can lower stress levels and refresh the mind. In the United Kingdom, regular nature walks and programs like Urban Mind have been shown to lift moods, encourage sustainable practices, and promote healthier lifestyles.
Therefore, the task is to translate awareness into a framework that treats these spaces not as luxuries, but as necessities, ensuring they remain open to safeguard and empower inclusion among LGBTQIA+ individuals, the youth, and the marginalized, while also fostering programs that promote meaningful dialogue.
The fight does not end with a ribbon; it lives in everyday tables, benches, and study tables that welcome us within without any question.
Material by Czarina Cacao
