Ugly. Stupid. Fat. With words like those flinging around like spaghetti in an elementary school food fight, it’s no surprise that suicide is the third leading cause of death (after accidents and murder) for American youth between the ages of 15 and 24.

In a hundred seconds, two people in the world will have committed suicide and a third will be close behind. That cycle repeats every day, every month, every year. And judging by the recent spike in suicides in the United States, it’s obvious we aren’t doing enough to change that.

But what can we do to end that cycle? What can we, as teenagers in America, do to eliminate suicides from our society? Holding assemblies in schools about “being nice” isn’t working. Neither is preaching kindness to kids that really just don’t want to be kind in the first place.

So instead of lecturing about being nice, why not lecture about being tolerant? Why not tell kids that if they can’t go out of their way to be nice, they can at least do their best to not inflict pain through words or actions?

On top of that, schools should be obligated to raise awareness on the delicate subject of suicide. We need to be reminded that hurtful words cause more pain than we think they do. Sure, we know that by calling someone a nasty name they’ll be affected negatively, but we never realize just how badly our words and deeds can influence someone.

So pay it forward. If you see someone struggling to carry their things, offer to help. Smile at a stranger in the hallway. Stand up for someone being picked on, even if it means your friends think differently of you. If someone looks like they need to talk, be willing to listen. Just be there, because most of the time, all people want is to know someone cares.

You don’t need to do something outrageous to make a difference. Sometimes, just being there is the biggest impact you can make.