I Pledge to Stay
"I plan to stay alive. Even when this condition feels like it will never end, I promise to use the safety plan and I promise to stay with you all."
For me, the one thing worth living for is:____________.
There is something psychologically powerful about identifying even one reason to stay. During moments of emotional crisis, the mind often becomes overwhelmed by pain, fear, and hopeless thinking. A person may begin to feel trapped, disconnected, or unable to see beyond their current suffering. When someone pauses to intentionally identify one meaningful reason to keep going, it shifts the brain’s focus away from complete despair and toward emotional connection, purpose, attachment, memory, responsibility, love, hope, or future possibility. Even one deeply personal reason can interrupt hopeless thought patterns and help ground an individual in something emotionally significant to them.
AASP THEY MATTER took that simple statement and transformed it into the I PLEDGE TO STAY initiative, sharing it within communities of individuals who were struggling. The response was immediate and deeply moving. Messages began entering our inbox from people who connected with the declaration in a profound way.
“I took the I PLEDGE TO STAY, and honestly, I feel a little stronger since making that declaration.”
“I took the I PLEDGE TO STAY, and I vow to keep fighting.”
Sometimes people need something within themselves to reawaken...a reminder that despite the pain, there is still something worth holding onto. We believe the I PLEDGE TO STAY initiative helps bring that forward. It encourages individuals to search deep within themselves and identify just one reason to stay, one reason to fight, one reason to keep going through the darkness. Sometimes one reason is enough to help someone make it through another moment, another night, or another day.
Because they matter.
Why the I PLEDGE TO STAY Initiative Matters
Take the Pledge to Stay
"I plan to stay alive. Even when this condition feels like it will never end, I promise to use the safety plan and I promise to stay with you all."
I PLEDGE TO STAY
Hard Copy Cards Now Available
We are excited to announce that our newly designed I PLEDGE TO STAY cards are now available in hard copy. These cards serve as a tangible reminder of your strength, purpose, and commitment to stay.
If you have already placed your name on our I PLEDGE TO STAY Tree, you are eligible to receive a physical card. Each card symbolizes hope and serves as a personal keepsake to remind you that your life matters and that you are not alone.
To request your card, please email us your FULL NAME, FULL ADDRESS. (We must have your entire address in order to ship you a hard copy)
If you have not yet placed your name on the tree, we invite you to join others in making your pledge today.
Together, we continue to grow a community rooted in hope, healing, and purpose.