UVU student Jade Dansie, a sophomore studying community health, has been a musician since she was 3-years-old. She has composed her own music, recorded songs and performed in vocal competitions. Her passion for music inspired her to help others through a project named The Alive Movement. Through this program, Dansie will tour schools nationwide to help those who are fighting mental illnesses by showcasing her music video for her song Alive, discuss her own fight with mental health and feature guest speakers. The idea came to Dansie when she was recovering from her own personal struggles. Music has been a huge factor in her life and she decided to use it in a way that it would reach out to others dealing with similar issues.
“Music has always been a form of letting thoughts out in a way of capturing an emotion I couldn’t speak in regular conversation. When I was feeling any sort of emotion, I found I best captured it in a song. Music is my paint; life is the canvas,” Dansie said.
The music video for Alive has been a year in the making and will be released on June 26. The video reflects the effects suicide can leave on family and friends. It demonstrates that life will get better and those struggling can get proper help to fight their mental illness.
“I would really like to raise enough awareness that will bring suicide awareness and mental health issues out from underneath the rug and really head on approach it,” Dansie said, “I think with that approach there will be a lot more help and acceptance of mental health issues because they are so real.”
Utah ranks seventh in the nation for suicide. In the United States, the rate of suicide in children and teens from ages 5 to 17 has dramatically increased since 2008. Researchers have reported that those admitted to hospitals for serious self-harm and suicide attempts has doubled in the last nine years. Dansie’s tour will help those who are struggling realize they aren’t alone and can seek help.
Along with The Alive Movement, Dansie is trying to start her own nonprofit organization called Live On, which focuses on living with mental illnesses. The Alive Movement is geared towards teenagers and Live On will help everyone of all ages. The tour will start in September 2017. Find The Alive Movement on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about it and follow Dansie’s project.
