Local school boards hosting suicide awareness event online

By MO CRANKER on October 7, 2020.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@mocranker

Local school boards and their partners are hosting a virtual suicide awareness event on Wednesday.

The event is called Connecting with School Communities about Suicide: Hope and Resilience in Medicine Hat, and will feature a number of speakers.

“As you are probably aware, there has been a series of deaths by suicide in the southeast region of Alberta that has impacted many in our communities personally and weighed heavy on those working to prevent further loss,” the release reads. “Many of our children are likewise burdened by these tragedies but not all are communicating openly about their concerns. In collaboration with national specialists it the field, a recommended first step is a parent and caregiver meeting to bring all adults into a collective leadership role with our children and youth to: assess the current situation, understand the added dynamics of a worldwide pandemic on risk, educate each other on the best practices for our region, discuss immediate and long-term interventions and identify pathways to local helping service for consultation and support.”

The event will feature special guest speaker Kevin Cameron, the executive director for the North American Center for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response.

School division psychologist speakers Claire Petersen and Greg Godard will also be presenting.

More information can be found online on the Prairie Rose School Division website. Registration is live until 1 p.m.

The virtual session is running from 7-8:30 p.m.

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