Jill Rideout spoke first giving a history of the group and its origins some 16 years ago. It was originally called the Flin Flon Creighton and Area Suicide Prevention Committee. The group consists of many organizations and occasionally members of the School Division. It was decided five years ago to change their name and extend their focus to hope and resiliency thus Hope North Flin Flon. The group has been active in many projects over the years but with COVID activity has decreased. They are getting creative once again this year as its time to get back on track.
About a year ago they applied to the Mental Health Commission of Canada who was looking for communities interested in being part of a two year pilot project called Roots of Hope. Eleven groups were chosen from across Canada including Flin Flon the only one from Manitoba. They are still in the early stages of the project and learning what their role will be. Work continues across the country to build a national framework when it comes to suicide prevention.
Planning is underway for a grade eight Step Up Conference the seventh for Hope North Flin Flon which will include youth from Snow Lake, Sherridon, Creighton, The Pas/OCN, Moose Lake and Grand Rapids. This is done in Flin Flon every other year with The Pas doing the opposite years. This year they are working with an organization out of Ottawa called Live Different offering interactive virtual conferences covering topics such as resiliency, authenticity, empathy, growth values and altruism with Be Kind as a theme. The dates are to be announced.
