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By Martin Martinson

Community working together

Roots of Hope making a difference in suicide prevention

Apr 27, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Roots of Hope is celebrating five years of suicide prevention work in Meadow Lake and area, on Thursday, May 2, at the Meadow Lake Community Life Centre (Meadow Lake Alliance Church).

A community suicide prevention initiative that came about to address the high number of youth struggling with suicide-related concerns, Roots of Hope now works with several communities from Meadow Lake and the surrounding First Nations communities of the Meadow Lake Tribal Council to neighbouring centres such as Loon Lake, Goodsoil, St. Walburg, and Pierceland.

Roots of Hope is built around five core pillars of prevention including Specialized Supports, Training and Networks, Public Awareness Campaigns, Means Safety, and Research. This includes everything from connecting those in need with peer support groups and counseling resources, to supporting community activities or workshops designed to educate and spread awareness, and more.

“Some of the stuff we do doesn’t necessarily look like suicide prevention, it looks like supporting community connections and helping people with facing those difficult things like trauma,” Community Coordinator with Roots of Hope, Anne Duriez said. “It might be education and awareness in the public, but it also might be more awareness with healthcare providers or councillors so that they see suicide differently.”

She said it’s been extremely encouraging to see the way the initiative has grown in recent years, with more and more people taking action to help make a difference in whatever way they can, even if it’s just checking in with a friend who seems down.

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“We’re not all councillors, we’re not all doctors or nurses, but if we’re a caring friend someone can talk to, we’re part of the solution,” she said. The tagline of Roots of Hope is Together We Make a Difference and that’s basically what’s happening. More and more people are seeing themselves as a piece of the puzzle. Everybody’s doing their bit and it’s making a difference.”

More information on Roots of Hope and its resources offered can be found here.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @MartyMartyPxP1