Hi Tomek. This is an inspirational story and as an investor I would be compelled by this story because inspiration sells! As a non-profit venture in a society that has a dim view of mental health, as you say, you’ll no doubt have an uphill battle. I suspect you’ll get students reaching out, but will investors? You might have to reach out to investors from other countries, perhaps even Japanese foreign nationals who have been immersed in another culture and have learned to see mental health from a different perspective. I have no expertise in mental health, albeit I do have considerable experience in crisis intervention as a paramedic, and I would suggestion that there needs to be a synchronous component to your service. While the asynchronous component you describe on your website may be preventative to some degree, impulsivity plays significant role in suicides. In my experience, the time between suicide ideation and a suicide attempt can be very short. People need to talk with a live person to mitigate that impulsivity. As an EVA, I would have liked to have seen a video presentation with some sample screens and other features of the service. Finally, I am so sorry for your loss. This can be a powerful motivator and I wish you success with this venture!
Hi Tomek. This is an inspirational story…
3 Aug
Thank you for your kind words Rob. I know that this is going to be an uphill battle, but as this is not my first student suicide since coming to teach in Japan, I really felt strongly that something NEEDS to change regardless of social stigma. Your advice about contacting Japanese foreign nationals is one that I did not consider, and I should definitely give thought into for sure! Your experience as a paramedic and opinions thereof are very important to me, and I understand the need for on-time support in case of an attempt. Others have also stated they hoped to see screenshots of the service, but I felt that explaining my stance and the importance of the project (after editing out a vast majority of the content for privacy reasons) took reigns over the whole venture... Everyone's opinions are very important for me to make this project a reality - the sooner the better!
