The importance of recognizing the signs, communicating with the person at risk and getting help or resources for the person at risk
safeTALK, a workshop about three hours in duration, is a training that prepares anyone over the age of 15 to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources. Most people with thoughts of suicide invite help to stay safe. Alert helpers know how to use these opportunities to support that desire for safety.
“Find your lonely road and follow it…follow it through everything to the end of the road and then let go of that road…put it behind you…”
In the past three years, 50 recognized Canadian Forces veterans have committed suicide directly related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of their tours in Afghanistan. Put into perspective, there were 158 Canadian Soldiers killed in combat in Afghanistan over the 12 year campaign. If the current rate of suicides continues, then 200 Veterans of the Afghanistan war will die by their own hand in Canada in the same time frame.
PTSD has been wounding people in the Canadian Forces, and veterans, for some time—but it seems to be taking an ever-increasing toll as Canadian veterans die by suicide and family members raise questions about the supports needed but not offered or available.
Inspiration for the clubhouse-based program came from Radio La Colifata of Buenos Aires, Argentina, which broadcast their shows from a psychiatric hospital
Radio-UP is an important part of Donald Berman UP House—a “clubhouse” affiliated with the international mental health clubhouse movement. The emergence of these clubhouses around the world demonstrates that people with mental illness can successfully participate in society through education, employment and other social activities.
Food security includes access to healthy, affordable food; it also includes knowing what is in the food we eat
New Democratic Party Member of Parliament Murray Rankin (Victoria) recently put forward a motion in the House of Commons calling for the mandatory labeling of food products containing ingredients that have been genetically modified. The New Democrats take the position that consumers have a right to know what they are buying, that labeling genetically modified foods will allow people to make their own choices.
Endorsements for the motion have have come from industry organizations, consumer advocacy groups, prominent environmentalists and food retailers that agree people have a right to know if they are consuming GMOs.
The benefits of local and organic food production are huge—providing significant environmental and social benefits
“There’s no doubt people are becoming increasingly passionate about buying local, in-season food and locally produced goods,” says Elizabeth Quinn, executive director at the B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets. She points to the fact that over the last several years, there’s been a 62% increase in the number of farmers’ markets in the province.
And anyone who’s a farmers’ market regular knows that in addition to locally grown food and locally made products, the markets offer a surprising variety of community activities such as live music, children’s activities, cooking classes, artisan workshops and much more.
As helpers, we need to ensure that we are not falling into a vicious circle of helping others but draining ourselves, says author Debbie Holmes
The helping profession is filled with people who are selfless and giving. If you are a helper, you are probably well-acquainted with the intrinsic rewards of helping others, as well as the draining effect helping can have on you.
Burnout is a common side-effect of working in a helping role and occurs when we, as helpers, give more of ourselves than is healthy for us. In short: we lose our boundaries, we lose ourselves and we lose what is really important to us.
