2020 Highlights: Living Hope’s Year In Review
As we enter the last month of 2020, we have an opportunity to reflect back on the past year’s activities, lessons, and important moments. No one could have planned for the 2020 that we all experienced, but despite a global pandemic impacting our lives in every way, Living Hope made some great strides forward with many pieces of work. We rolled out two new phases of the 11 of Us public awareness campaign, trained over 500 Edmontonians in LivingWorks Start, embarked on innovative projects in means restriction, and had the opportunity to participate in the creation of a new crisis phone line for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
11 of Us public awareness campaign
In 2020 11 of Us released two new phases of the campaign. Both phases built on the foundation created in 2019 which focused on learning the signs and starting a conversation about suicide. The more recent messaging from 11 of Us encouraged Edmontonians to check in on one another in this time of uncertainty. We refreshed the 11ofus.ca website with updated information and released a video which aired on CTV throughout September.
Training and sponsorship opportunities
Offering training throughout the pandemic has been challenging, but once again our amazing partners were able to pivot and provide virtual training where possible. The demand for training remains high and we hope to see additional opportunities added in 2021. More on training HERE.
Evaluation
Living Hope has completed its second year of evaluation. The year two report demonstrates that Living Hope’s implementation is ongoing as intended, noting successes in areas such as public awareness, collaboration among stakeholders and availability of training opportunities. Specifically, the website (11ofUs.ca) and the Distress Line are being accessed as intended, and public awareness survey data indicate increased awareness of suicide in Edmonton. Ongoing challenges included: the perceived lack of Indigenous community engagement, insufficient dissemination of training opportunities, insufficient intra-committee communication and committee member turnover. These challenges, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, continue to be addressed, with mitigating strategies considered and actioned as appropriate.
Roots of Hope
Living Hope continues to experience a productive partnership with Roots of Hope, a multi-site, community-led project that aims to reduce the impacts of suicide within communities across Canada. Members of Living Hope's Project Team and Malatest participate in the national meetings, including the Virtual Community of Practice meetings, Community Drop-In Calls and Promising Practice Exchanges.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada will also be highlighting the value of community collaboration within Roots of Hope in an article concerning a collaborative discussion held between Edmonton and Burin Peninsula around men’s suicide prevention.
Means Restriction
Inspired by a collaboration between Calgary's CTrain system and the Centre for Suicide Prevention, an exploration has begun with Edmonton Transit Services and Living Hope. In addition to sharing best and promising practices of suicide prevention in other jurisdictions, it is expected that recommendations about suicide prevention awareness and training for LRT employees will be explored in late 2020.
Living Hope has partnered with the Centre for Suicide Prevention on a targeted suicide prevention initiative for pharmacies.This initiative consists of info sheets for pharmacy staff and info cards for medication bags and strategically placed signage for pharmacy customers. More on this project HERE.
2SLGBTQ+ Crisis Line
Living Hope is excited to be a part of an initiative to create a dedicated 211 Support Line for 2SLGBTQ+ people. This was motivated by feedback from the community about the fears they have of seeking support services due to experiences with homophobia, transphobia, misgendering and other derogatory behaviors. Its purpose is to ensure that queer and trans people can call a mental health support service without fear that they will have to explain themselves, justify their existence in order to receive service, or not receive proper service because of misunderstandings or discrimination. More on this project HERE.
We look forward to seeing what 2021 has in store for Living Hope. We want to thank each and every one of you for staying with us through this difficult year. None of what we have accomplished would have been possible without the ongoing engagement of our contributors.