Unilab Foundation (ULF) was recently awarded the distinction of Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Project in Health through its RACE project during the League of Corporate Foundation’s (LCF) 2024 CSR Guild Awards held recently. RACE is a project under ULF’s mental health pillar, Heads Up PH.

The CSR Guild Awards is an initiative of the League of Corporate Foundations to recognize its member organizations who are implementing social good initiatives with meaningful and sustainable impact to the communities and institutions they serve. This event coincides with the celebration of the CSR Week in the Philippines which is held every first week of July by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 299, s. 2020.

The “RACE Against Suicide Toolkit: A Gatekeeper Training Toolkit for Suicide Prevention in Schools” or RACE project was developed in 2020 to bridge the gap in access to mental health resources for student suicide prevention.  The project empowers schools through training of their teachers, guidance counsellors, and other school personnel as gatekeepers equipped to identify, manage, and refer learners at-risk of suicide.

As a Toolkit, it consists of a screening tool and modules that cover basic skills for all personnel and advanced skill prevention for counselors and health staff, delivered through a combination of learning videos, lecture and processing, case simulations, and action planning. The Toolkit introduces the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) tool, a screener developed by a team of mental health experts from the USA and considered the gold standard in suicide assessment, endorsed by institutions such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA.

Leveraging partnerships through a Training of Trainers (ToT) approach starting in late 2022, the RACE project is co-implemented by select trainers from the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association, the Department of Education, and public and private schools. 

From an initial pool of 86 trainers, the number of RACE trainers equipped in 2023 is at 200, equipping over 4,400 Gatekeepers nationwide, bringing life-saving knowledge to schools and communities that need it the most.
 

As of March 2023, 172 out of 223 respondents (77.1%) have used the C-SSRS tool. Through these respondents who used the tool, 763 students have been identified as “at-risk”. Consequently, out of 763 identified students, 331 (43.3%) have been referred for further assessment and 292 (88.2%) were assessed and received the help they need.

“The true success story unfolds in schools across the Philippines. Every passionate teacher, counselor, and personnel applying their knowledge in real-life situations contributes to the vision of a mentally healthy nation. They are what makes the RACE Against Suicide project a movement that breathes and shares life – both to the advocate, and the reason for this advocacy,” Ms. Claire Papa of the Unilab Foundation shared.
 

RACE Against Suicide roll-out in SOCCSKSARGEN through PGCA Region XII Chapter.

Overall, this project emphasizes that mental health and wellbeing is not just the work of professionals – it is everyone’s responsibility. This year, the project is set to be rolled out in colleges and universities in partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).