The aMasongrace project (aMg) is a Community Organization founded in memory of Mason Justice Chamberlain, a 14-year-old boy whose life ended by suicide on June 3, 2013.
Mason’s mother, Holly Chamberlain, founded aMg to help formalize and define the grassroots outreach she was doing to middle and high school students- as well as their parents and teachers- in the wake of Mason’s death. Holly’s willingness to speak directly, honestly and passionately about suicide and suicide loss filled a huge need in a state with one of the highest teen suicide rates in the country. Holly wanted to honor her son, honor her grief, and honor the difficulties of navigating adolescence.
aMg started as a conversation about suicide prevention and loss and has taken shape as a movement. In this overwhelming and unpredictable world, all teens are ‘at risk’ of suicide. Mason did not exhibit any signs of suicidal feelings. There was no history of bullying and no clinical diagnosis of depression. He found himself in the middle of a moment too overwhelming and he made a snap decision with tragic, irreversible effects. Three days before finishing middle school, Mason ended his life. Holly has spent the nearly five years since working tirelessly to ensure that no other precious lives will be lost and that no other parents will have to survive suicide loss.
Through the aMasongrace project, Holly helps provide tools so teens can get ahead of the moments. Three critical messages comprise aMg’s platform: Moments Pass, Please Stay, and You Matter. She works with teachers and leaders to embed these messages of hope into youth groups and school campuses so there can be a cultural shift in acknowledging the value of every single life.
aMg is a catalyst. Once the conversation is started, the movement takes shape in the hands of the young people it’s designed to reach. As the messages take on a life of their own, lives are changed… and saved.
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