A mental health and suicide prevention awareness initiative called 'Out Of The Blue' is trying to reduce stigma surrounding mental health to junior high and high school students through school presentations.

Having grown up in Kleefeld, singer-songwriter Robb Nash became connected with 'Out Of The Blue' last year when they contacted him and asked if he would be a part of the launch for the program.  Nash adds he also tours through schools, prisons and reserves telling his story.

"I went through something really tough when I was in grade 12, a pretty massive car accident.  I didn't wake up enlightened wanting to change the world, I woke up really bitter and angry.  And the crazy part was I talked to no one about it.  You could ask my family and my closest friends, but I went into a really dark place emotionally and I told no one about it.  I was really good about putting on a mask and making sure no one knew anything was going on inside of me emotionally.  When I started hearing other people going through similar things I thought, man, how many people out there are like me, that are going through something tough, have dark thoughts and aren't willing to talk about it, aren't willing to get help.  And I thought, man, I wanted to tell my story as much as I could so other young people wouldn't have to die like I did before they started to live."

Nash was found with no pulse on scene of his accident and after his heart started beating again, he was in a coma due to the extensive injuries.

During the presentation Nash explains they have a massive concert, tell stories and play videos.  He feels the reason their message seems to get the students attention is two-fold.  First is because students can see how genuine they are noting there is no charge for their shows or music and they are in massive debt on these tours.  Second is because they don't present themselves as perfect people but rather as people who have been through tough experiences and sometimes messed up, yet are willing to start over.  He says he wants the students to see that he went through sometime tough, was willing to talk about it, was willing to get help and they can too.

Nash notes they've spoken to over 900,000 students on this tour and while some have said self-harming and suicide attempts are just a cry for attention, he explains he would rather have someone crying out for attention and letting people know somethings happening than showing up at a school where they just had a tragedy and no one had a clue anything was wrong.

"We've been doing show after show and there was one time not long ago we were asked to go to a school in Ontario.  They had just had a suicide and on her suicide note it revealed that she had a deal with one of her friends - if you kill yourself, I'll kill myself.  They said, we don't know who it is.  So we flew out to do the show right away.  It was a weird feeling, speaking to a school and I knew someone in the audience was about to take their life.  I spoke directly, knowing that someone right in front of me was about to take their life and I didn't know who it was.  After the show someone came up to me, mascara running down her face, and she pulled a suicide note out of her pocket and handed it to me.  Then I found out from police that apparently people usually write their suicide note two to three months before they do it, waiting for someone to push them over the edge or waiting for someone to reach out and say it's going to be okay."

As of last week Nash adds they have had 277 students in junior high and high school walk up to them after a show and hand over their suicide note.  He says they have also received razor blades from students who self-harm and bottles of pills noting everyday they receive pictures or video of students ripping or burning their suicide notes.

After travelling from province-to-province and city-to-city Nash noticed the issues were very similar and things that grade 12 students were doing five years ago grade eight students are doing now, so the age at which these issues affect students are getting younger and younger.  Nash tells the story of a school they visited.

"They were going to bring in the grade fives and sixes.  And I said, 'well, we're going to be talking about some heavy issues.'  And they said, 'what?'  And I said, 'suicide.'  And they said, 'can we bring in our grade fours?'  Because they had three grade fours attempt suicide.  The crazy part was, we went back a year later and now they knew about the content in our show and this year they brought in the grade twos and threes because they knew they already had some suicide attempts that young.  And again you're speaking these words and you wish you'd look at their faces and they'd be going 'I don't get it, I don't know what this is.'  But it's the opposite.  You can look at them and you can see this is a part of their vocabulary.  It's a horrific thing."

Nash notes the biggest word is communication.  When it comes to emotional pain Nash explains life isn't going to be fluffy all the time and there are going to be bad days, but notes when your pain is at a nine, your strength is at a 15 because when the pain doesn't go away neither does the strength.  He says the pain you feel automatically, the strength you have to decide to go and get everyday.  After his accident he had the potential to stay angry and bitter for the rest of his life, but he adds there's also the potential to turn your story around and help others, which is what he does.