September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to face a hard truth and hold onto real hope. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Americans ages 10 to 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Orange County alone, at least 179 young people ages 18 to 34 have died by suicide since 2024, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. But there’s encouraging news, too: nationally, the suicide rate among 15- to 34-year-olds fell 4% between 2023 and 2024 (CDC). That progress shows prevention works and why we need to keep investing in it.
One strategy playing a growing role in that progress is the “third place.” The term comes from sociologist and urban theorist Ray Oldenburg, whose research on informal community gathering spaces transformed how we understand the link between social connection and well-being…