Suicide is a major problem among Native American youth, and a group of people at Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation hope to do something about it.

The Suicide Prevention Walk will be held at noon Sunday, starting at Rocky Boy schools.

"We hope to create awareness," said Mary DeBerry, one of the organizers of the event.

She said people need to be aware of the problem of suicide and the solutions.

"We are trying to let people know that there are people to talk to, that there are toll-free numbers to call," she said.

The walk will start at the schools and proceed to the former Stone Child College, she said.

She envisions a walk in which people will carry signs warning about suicide and, at the end of the walk, there will be a time for people to express themselves.

"We will have an open mic, when anyone can come forward," DeBerry said, to share a poem or a story of hope.

There will be gifts for attendees, she said.

A coalition of Rocky Boy groups is sponsoring the event this year, she said. 

DeBerry has spent considerable time at Rocky Boy High School this week, and young people have been receptive, she said.

"Next year, we hope the youth will take over organizing it," she said. 

Sunday was picked as the day for the walk because organizers thought the date — 10/10/10 was catchy and easy for people to remember.

"Next year, the youth will decide what day to have it," she said.

The walk is sponsored by Native Aspirations, Tobacco Prevention Program, Chippewa Cree Wellness Coalition and the White Sky Hope Center.