AUGUSTA – Maine is receiving a $300,000 federal grant for programs to prevent youth suicide, the second-leading cause of death for Mainers ages 15 to 24.

Maine is one of four states receiving federal funding to continue school-based youth suicide-prevention programs from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The other states are Michigan, Virginia and Washington.

The grant will help high schools develop better ways to recognize and assist young people who may be suicidal, said Cheryl DiCara, coordinator of the Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program.

“We want to get everyone involved in helping to save a life,” said DiCara. “By focusing resources on better training, both for adults and children, this grant helps make that possible.”

Some of the money goes to training for key people in schools and communities known as “gatekeepers” who are responsible for helping youths who need suicide-prevention services.

Programs also help school districts intervene during suicide crises, help high schools develop better ways to recognize youths who may be suicidal and respond in the event of suicides.

While many schools around the state have implemented portions of these programs, the grant will support the full implementation of a comprehensive program in 12 schools.

The recipients include Ashland Community High School, Belfast Area High School, Calais High School, Hampden Academy, Houlton High School, Jay High School, Lincoln Academy, Morse High School, Mountain Valley High School, Noble High School, Portland High School and Richmond High School.

Suicide claims an average of 20 young lives in Maine each year, and is the second-leading cause of death for Mainers between 15 and 24 after motor vehicle crashes, according to state statistics.

The Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program is an outgrowth of then-Gov. Angus King’s Task Force on Adolescent Suicide and Self-Destructive Behaviors. Before 1995, there were no guidelines for schools on either prevention suicides or dealing with the aftermath.