Suicide Prevention Week
January 25 - 27, 2022
Now, more than ever, destigmatizing getting help for suicidal ideation, knowing what mental health resources are available and learning suicide prevention skills are essential to keeping our campus community safe. Suicide Prevention Week is a response from community feedback to provide resources, informal/formal supports as well as to show folks who are struggling that they are not alone and help is available.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or providing care to someone who is struggling with suicidal ideation; you are not alone. Support is available. If you are a community member who wants to support your community on this issue, training is available.
To read more, please see the Quad article: Why the U of A recognizes Suicide Prevention
Events
Attend any of our suicide prevention week events to be eligible to win door prizes. We have 50 “for you and a friend” prize packages that include two Van Vliet drop-in class passes and two Daily Grind coffee vouchers and three ONECard deposits of $25. Read the contest rules here.
Presenter: Wellness Supports Community Social Worker
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
LivingWorks is a certified online suicide prevention training that teaches students, staff, and faculty the skills to recognize and support people who may be having thoughts of suicide. Campus members learn essential skills to prevent suicide. Currently, the City of Edmonton is providing this online training free to our campus members. Participants can take the 1 Hour LivingWorks training asynchronously at any time. The training on January 25 is a follow up training to the online content that provides UofA context and additional skill development.
Presenter: Wellness Supports Community Social Worker
11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
This session takes participants through the six SUPPORT steps of the Community Helpers Program. Participants learn how to approach a peer having a tough time, how to engage in supportive listening and how to make appropriate resource referrals. Participants receive a certificate upon completion.
Event Host: Unitea
12:00 - 1:00 pm
January can often be a time of excitement for a “fresh start” but for many is also a difficult time to navigate with the continuing winter weather and long stretch of academics ahead. Chat with your peers about how you are navigating the “winter blues” time and ways of taking care of yourself.
Presenter: Tim Ira
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
It is well-documented that in its most violent form, racism results in early death, including death by suicide. In this workshop we'll explore how lived experiences shaped by racism exacerbate suicide. We will then discuss how anti-racism may play a role in pursuing equity and justice support mental well-being and and how anti-racist approaches might contribute to preventing death by suicide among Black, indigenous, and racialized communities of colour.
Event Host: Canadian Mental Health Association Student Group
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Join the UAlberta CMHA student group for an evening of trivia and education related to suicide prevention and self care.
Suicide and intersectionality on Campus
Suicidal ideation is more than personal problems and languishing mental health. Suicidal thoughts can be related to broader systemic issues such as colonialism, racism, sexism, heteronomatism, abelism, classism and other experiences that marginalize people.
Knowing our own intersectionality is a helpful way to understand systemic issues that shape the world that we experience and live in, which directly affects our mental health. Various intersections include but are not limited to: gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, class, ability status, and sexuality. Our personal intersectionalities create our reality, full of challenges and privileges that others may or may not experience and is helpful when thinking through a suicide prevention lens. Acknowledging our own challenges and privileges helps us gain a better understanding of what realities others in our community are facing.
An intersectional lens is essential to suicide prevention. Not only does this increase our empathy and allow us to better connect with others, it also invites us to address the systemic issues that impact mental health.This means advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion on campus and our larger community.
If you’d like to learn more about intersectionality:
- Check out the Library’s subject guide.
- Join our Anti-racism and Suicide Prevention workshop on January 27, 2022