Calgary,AB (RPRN) 08/04/11 — (August 3, 2011, Calgary, AB) LivingWorks Education Inc., the Ottawa Suicide Prevention Coalition (OSPC) and the Collateral Damage Project will host a concert on Saturday, September 10th, 2011 at Ottawa’s Centrepointe Theatre headlining Inuk singer/songwriter, Susan Aglukark. The opening band, Friends of Emmet, is from Dublin, Ireland. The concert is the first of its kind honoring World Suicide Prevention Day in Canada. Susan Aglukark will be launching her new album, Revolution Road on Sept 27th. Friends of Emmet will be releasing their new album, State of Mind in January 2012.
Many partners are have come together to make this concert happen, including the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP), the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), the City of Ottawa, and many other “friends of suicide prevention” including Your Life Counts! International Inc. (YLC).
“The goal of this special event is to raise awareness about suicide prevention in Canada”, announced Richard Ramsay, President of LivingWorks Education Inc., “and highlighting the need for training for caregivers in every part of Canada.” The evening will also benefit suicide prevention in Ottawa and area, the Collateral Damage Project, and support The Arctic Children and Youth Foundation, chaired by Susan Aglukark.
The event will celebrate the “Building Suicide Safer Communities” initiative, a Canadian campaign hosted by LivingWorks Education and the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP-ACPS). The initiative advocates for nation-wide suicide prevention and saving lives lost through this highly ignored community health tragedy. Communities can register to become a suicide-safer community and receive recognition for their contribution at www.suicidesafercommunities.com and find more information on Facebook at “suicide-safer communities initiative”.
Scott Chisholm, founder and CEO of Collateral Damage, a national project that works to de-stigmatize and prevent suicide through education and conversation, speaks of his personal experience of suicide: “I was just 17 when I lost my dad. Suicide, back then, wasn’t something that people willingly talked about. In presenting this concert, we’re making a statement that these conversations are not only OK in this day and age, but vital – not talking about suicide certainly isn’t working. It’s an honour for us, here at the Collateral Damage project, to come together with these likeminded organizations, advocating for suicide prevention.”
This first time event held in Ottawa will be an opportunity to commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day in Canada and start the discussion about a National Strategy for Canada on Suicide Prevention which remains long overdue. Tickets are available to purchase for $35 each at the Centrepointe Theatre website at http://www.centrepointetheatre.com/events_tickets/
About LivingWorks Education Inc.
LivingWorks Education is the suicide intervention training company that trains community helpers of all kinds to work in this intervention context. LivingWorks is a private corporation, employing all of the financial discipline, innovation and determination of any private sector business to achieve its mission. This business foundation allows us to develop collaborative partnerships with private and public organizations around the world without compromising training standards.
LivingWorks’ business philosophy is based on “suicide can be prevented and communities made suicide-safer.” LivingWorks has been the leader in this field for over twenty-eight years. The developers are a multidisciplinary team that includes education, medicine, nursing, psychiatry, psychology, social work and spiritual perspectives. For more information go to http://www.livingworks.net.
About the Ottawa Suicide Prevention Coalition
The Ottawa Suicide Prevention Coalition members represent agencies involved with suicide prevention as well as individuals who have experienced suicidal behaviour and family member survivors of suicide. The Coalition is housed at Canadian Mental Health Association, Ottawa Branch and is supported by CMHA staff. Other members include Bereaved Families of Ontario, Ottawa Region, the City of Ottawa Public Health Department, the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region, the Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus, Pinecrest Queensway Community and Health Services Victims Crisis Service of the Ottawa Police Services, Youth Net/Réseau Ado, and Youth Services Bureau. If you are in crisis, please call or email: Youth Services Bureau 24/7 Crisis Line Phone: 613-260-2360 or 1-877-377-7775 (toll free for Eastern Ontario) Email: crisis@ysb.on.ca Mental Health Crisis Line Within Ottawa 613-722-6914; Outside Ottawa 1-866-996-0991; Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region 613-238-3311.
About Collateral Damage
“Collateral Damage, Images of Those Left Behind by Suicide,” is a book project comprised of portraits, and website and gallery exhibitions of people who have had loved ones or friends die by suicide. The project, which is still under development, will provide survivors with a collection of images that will not only create a path of healing but also help reduce the social stigma that continues to plague the issues of suicide and mental health. The images will be accompanied by short stories shared by individuals about their journey in suicide survivorship.
About CASP-ACPS
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) was incorporated in 1985 by a group of professionals who saw the need to provide information and resources to communities to reduce the suicide rate and minimize the harmful consequences of suicidal behaviour. Its core functions are to facilitate information sharing on intervention and research, advocate for policy development at the federal/provincial/territorial levels, and contribute to the development of research and service in Canada.
About the Canadian Mental Health Association
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), founded in 1918, is one of the oldest voluntary organizations in Canada. Each year, CMHA provides direct service to more than 100,000 Canadians through the combined efforts of more than 10,000 staff and volunteers in over 135 communities across Canada. CMHA achieves its mission to promote the mental health of all Canadians and support the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness through advocacy, education, research, and service delivery. For further information, please visit www.cmha.ca .
About the Arctic Children & Youth Foundation
The mission of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation is “to work at all levels to assist Arctic children and youth to attain standards of living, education, opportunities and health and well-being equal to those of other Canadians.” For more information, please visit http://www.acyf.ca/
About Your Life Counts
Your Life Counts (YLC) is a registered charity leading the youth suicide prevention movement in Canada. Its founder Rory Butler is a suicide survivor on a mission. YLC’s first priority is to offer immediate attention to youth who are at risk via an online lifeline, providing access to counseling and support to survivors and victims’ families via their web site at www.yourlifecounts.org. In its commitment to youth suicide prevention, YLC works tirelessly with communities and stakeholders to raise funds to build awareness and advocate for positive transformational change in Canada.
So much I could say but I saw a bit on the news about collateral damage and I almost immediately broke into tears; before the interview was over I was sobbing I guess it hit a nerve. I am 52 and my father and my best friend ( the same person) committed suicide when I was 19. It not only ripped a huge hole in my life but had devistating long term affects on my family. Now when I am faced with difficult times that i may have difficulty coping I tell others they dont have to worry because suicide isnt an option for me because I am a survivor or suicide and I could not hurt the ones I love that way because I know only too well how much it hurts. I have often felt that because of all the things I have survived ( suicide included) that I should consider doing public speaking for possibly students or groups for inspiration and to help develop inner strength. There may be times when someone thinks it will not get better but if we hold on we can ride out the lows. We do need to speak out. Thank you for your efforts in bringing this topic to the forefront it is like a victum of child abuse the pain in being a survivor of suicide never really goes away.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your story. I agree, we do need to speak out and in doing so, others will join us.