Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.comWHAT TO KNOW BEFORE THEY GO Kids need opportunities to be kids. To be carefree. To make new memories. To form friendships. They also need their adults to give them the best chance to stay mentally, emotionally, and physically safe. How can we help? Here are a few key items to add to your camping check list. PLAN TO PROTECT Step #1: Does the camp have a Plan to Protect policy? Plan to Protect is the gold standard of abuse prevention. I know the potential for abuse is something many of us would rather not think about, especially when it comes to kids. But, we can ..read more

Burnout is rampant these days. Who am I kidding. Many have been burnt out for ages. But it doesn’t seem like it’s getting any easier, does it? When we say burnout can be solved, what does that mean? What options are we left with when it seems we’ve exhausted all avenues and the needs are still so high? Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com It might not be realistic to take a vacation right now. Perhaps because there’s still work to be done, food to put on the table, and short staffing in many industries. So how do we get a break? Although it may not be an option to take an extended leave righ ..read more

Youth are dealing with a lot. Hormonal changes. Body changes. Mental changes. Reduced emotional capacity. Coming in to their own while still needing a ton of support. Not to mention the political climate they may be living in, the discrimination they may be experiencing, peer pressure, concerns for the future, and so on. Our youth are carrying a lot. And adults can feel stuck to know how to reach out, and where to begin. If you’re looking for conversation starters We Have Kids has 215 ideas for you. If you’re looking to really hone your conversational skills with this demographic (better yet ..read more

If you know Big Brothers and Big Sisters you’ll know they do amazing work in our communities. They have camps (the cost of which was covered by donors this past year,) one-on-one mentorship programs, and peer group activities, giving kids lots of opportunity for human connection. We love the work they do, so on October 16th we are participating in their upcoming Big Chase through Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Guelph! (By “we” I mean our President, her partner, and two kids, 6 and 12. This is going to be a real family challenge event!) For every workshop purchased between now and October 15t ..read more

How will you be spending July 1st this year? Some may continue to celebrate Canada Day as they always have. This includes some Indigenous peoples, and many settlers. But many this year will be mourning. Mourning the ancestors, children, peoples who never returned from Residential School, the collective history we are all a part of through living on this land regardless of how or why we ended up here. Allies will be grieving with those who are trying to gather the shattered and scattered pieces of our collective history, and actively working towards reconcilation. This is the time for empathy ..read more

One of the key learnings of Mental Health First Aid is “Listening non-judgmentally”. This is the “L” of the ALGEES model we teach. Today is an amazing opportunity for all to tune in to participating radio stations in Canada and listen non-judgmentally to the stories of Indigenous peoples. At Life Voice we are all about awareness and education because awareness is the birthplace of change. Sadly, more Canadians were unaware of the history of Indigenous peoples in this country. But, that’s changing. Today, there are curriculums available that are changing the knowledge children are growing up w ..read more

There’s still time to purchase your ticket! Only a few spots remaining…. To date we have sold out of every single Mental Health First Aid Standard Virtual workshop we’ve run. Leading up to our next workshop on July 7th we only have a handful of spaces left, but there’s still time to purchase your ticket. Also, if finances are a barrier please let us know. As much as possible we will make efforts on our part to ensure high quality training reaches any person across Canada / Turtle Island who can benefit from this training. To learn more about this certified, evidence based workshop develope ..read more

We’re excited to launch our first virtual Mental Health First Aid Supporting Youth workshop on July 15 & 16. Tickets are going fast! In fact, there are only 4 spots left for this virtual learning opportunity. If you are an adult supporting youth between the ages of 12-24 then this certified workshop, designed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, was designed for you. To read an overview of the program please click here. Or, click here to purchase your ticket today ..read more

June 21st is National Indigenous People’s Day! Today, and every day, we acknowledge that the land our workshops are hosted from is traditionally known as Thadinadonnih. We are on the traditional lands of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabek, and Haudenosaunee peoples, and on the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, today known as Guelph. We recognize the deep wisdom of the Dish With One Spoon covenant, and the Two Row Wampum treaty. A Dish With One Spoon: By Jessie Buchanan Across what is today known as Canada, a portion of Turtle Island, many are occupying lands that were or ..read more

Languishing. This word has quickly become mainstream thanks to a New York Times article titled “There’s a name for the blah your feeling: it’s called Languishing“ Our mental wellbeing fluctuates. That’s normal. We shouldn’t look at our mental health any different than we do our physical health. Would we expect anything less in that area of our lives? Of course not. So when we talk about Mental Health First Aid, like Physical First Aid, it’s to learn how to do everything from those Band-Aid fixes, to what do we do in more serious situations, like an emergency? Mental Health First Aid is about l ..read more