Today, April 16, is World Semicolon Day. And we think you should know about it.
South Africa (16 April 2026) – It started with a tiny punctuation mark and a woman named Amy Bleuel, who in 2013 founded Project Semicolon to honour her father, who died by suicide. She built something beautiful out of grief. She chose the semicolon because of what it means in writing. It’s what an author uses when a sentence could have ended, but didn’t.
That’s the beauty and simplicity of the message. You are the author. The sentence is your life. And you are choosing to continue it.
Since then, millions of people around the world have used the semicolon as a tattoo. A symbol of declaration that says ‘I was here. I struggled. I stayed.’
We have a lot of those people in South Africa.
Mental health in this country is a conversation we’re still learning to have out loud. The stigma is real but the silence is costly. Suicidal ideation starts early on for many people. Young people face immense pressure in school and in the relentless scroll of comparison that social media delivers. Which is why organisations like Matthew and ME matter so much.
Matthew and ME is a local nonprofit born from one of the hardest truths a family can face. It was created in memory of 16-year-old Matthew, who lost his battle with depression. In the wake of that loss, rather than let the silence win, his family chose to speak and turned pain into purpose, and grief into a movement that could hold space for others going through the same thing.
Their mission is to raise awareness about teen suicide, foster open conversations about mental health, and provide support for families navigating depression or coping with loss. They work to remind young people, especially, that it’s okay to not be okay. That help is out there. That you are not alone in whatever you’re carrying.
Today the world is pauses to recognise mental health, to de-stigmatise struggle, to say keep going. A day that someone, somewhere, might be finding very hard to get through.
Most of us are fighting battles that the people next to us can’t even see. The semicolon is a reminder that those battles don’t have to be fought in silence.
If you or someone you love is struggling, reach out to Matthew and ME, or contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) on 0800 567 567. You don’t have to be in crisis to deserve support. You just have to be a person, and you are.
Keep writing your story. The best sentences are still ahead. Promise.
Sources: Linked above.
Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google.
Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes and hear their incredible stories:
Or catch an episode of Good Things with Brent Lindeque or our Weekly Top 5 below. The videos here are always changing, updated with the latest episodes from these two shows. Both are part of Good Things TV, created to bring South Africans balance at a time when the news can feel overwhelmingly negative. Our goal is simple: to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in our country – and to leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.
by 