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The idea is to install bright-yellow benches on post-secondary campuses across the country. The trio hopes these benches will remind people that it is OK to talk about what’s bothering them, and the benches will provide a space to do some of that talking.

“The benches came about because we thought it was the best physical representation of what Lucas did,” said Sam.

About a dozen students came forward after his death telling stories about how Lucas helped them through difficult times in there lives.

“In the note that he left us, he told the story that he was able to see in the eyes of other people what he was feeling inside of himself,” said Sam. “For him it was a way of taking away the pain that he was feeling.”

The Friendship Bench will partner with mental health support services on campuses. The non-profit will provide them with funding, and pay for the installation of the bench. On the back of the benches is a web address that will direct people to local mental-health services.

The goal, said Sam, is to “augment and facilitate” the existing support network. It’s not designed to replace other programs.

“Whether that’s peer-to-peer, helping each other like Lucas did, or peer-to-professional,” Sam said.

The initiative comes at an important time in Canada. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people 18-34, according to data from Statistics Canada.

Co-founder Danny Brown, who himself attempted suicide at the age of 19, says silence is the biggest killer.