Looking Forward: Living Hope in 2020

2019 was a big year for Living Hope. We launched the 11 of Us public awareness campaign, sponsored over 30 suicide prevention training and education sessions, convened all six committees, and shared our lessons at the 2019 Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention annual conference. We hope to build off the momentum of 2019 and continue to make great strides forward in 2020. Some significant actions that we have set our sights on for 2020 include, but are not limited to, a campaign extension for 11 of Us, hosting and sponsoring events such as a Men’s Forum as well as a Mindset Media Forum, escalating training opportunities, including a suite of online training, and furthering our effort to share research and data surrounding suicide prevention. We also look forward to collaborating with community partners in commemorating World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th and in continuing our partnership with Roots of Hope, a national suicide prevention project.  It is anticipated that COVID-19 will have an impact on the planned activities of Living Hope, but we are determined to adapt and innovate in ways that ensure we continue to work together on preventing suicide in Edmonton.

Opportunities for Involvement

Public Awareness: In 2019 Living Hope launched the public awareness campaign 11 of Us. Through the campaign’s social media channels and website, 11 of Us aims to give Edmontonians the tools they need to recognize the signs of someone who may be considering suicide and engage in meaningful conversations around suicide. Take a few minutes to explore the 11 of Us website and share with friends and family.

Committees: All four of Living Hope’s community-based implementation team committees have been convened and are actively involved in a variety of key priority actions. The committees include representation from 45 community agencies, organizations and individuals with lived experience.

Training and Education: Since August 2019, a whole suite of sponsored training and education opportunities have been made available through Living Hope, such as ASIST, Trauma Informed Care, QPR, SafeTalk and more. For course descriptions and availability please visit https://11ofus.ca/courses/

We look forward to continuing to move these actions forward throughout 2020 and hope you will join us. If you would like to discuss these opportunities with the project team please contact us.