VolAware is a yearlong initiative to address mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and wellness. In October 2006 the Counseling Center and the UT Safety Environment and Education Center hosted the first annual VolAware, a two-day event targeting mental health awareness, wellness, and suicide prevention. VolAware seeks to teach students to recognize signs of distress in their fellow students by training sessions in QPR. The QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) technique provides skills necessary to effectively and directly ask someone if they are suicidal, persuade them to get help, and refer them to the appropriate professional. The State of Tennessee and the University of Tennessee have adopted QPR for training in suicide prevention and education.