By Erin Knutson

The ʔaq’am community is proud to announce the arrival of the second annual Suicide Awareness Walk, which it will host in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Kootenays (CMHA Kootenays) and the College of the Rockies (COTR) on Saturday, September 7, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the COTR Track and Field area.

Organizers ʔaq’am Life Skills Worker Autumn Patrick and CMHA Kootenays Director of Public Education and Crisis Services Natalie Hake spoke about their effort to create an event that would allow participants a safe space to talk about suicide and commemorate loved ones who have died by suicide.

According to Patrick, Indigenous communities are at a high risk for suicide.

“Indigenous communities are at a higher risk of losing individuals to suicide because of the colonial policies and practices that began with residential schools. Loss of cultural continuity, territories and languages. Many Indigenous people have intergenerational trauma that creates toxic cycles that are passed down from generation to generation, which adds to the ongoing challenges faced by Indigenous communities,” said Patrick.

The event will give people the opportunity to acknowledge, grieve, and help spread the message about suicide prevention and awareness.

“We’ll do the opening and have the guest speakers, and usually people eat, and then after, we have people take 10 minutes or 15 minutes to walk around the track for their loved one or even run if they choose to,” said Patrick.

The event will include complimentary beverages and BBQ, music, bouncy castles, face painting for all ages, information booths, door prizes, and the chance to honour suicide awareness or commemorate a loved one who has passed.

“Local resources and hotline numbers will be provided, allowing individuals to access resources such as counselling or if an individual is struggling with addiction, postpartum depression, or finances and can’t afford food, then they can look to these resources and access help. It may not solve all the problems they’re facing, but it’s a start, and it helps and gives them a solution and a little hope to overcome the dark times,” said Patrick.

Patrick solely organized the event in 2023 and was successful, a word she quoted from a favourite mental health influencer who touts the slogan from ‘suicidal to successful’ as part of her message to the world.

“I wanted this year to be even bigger, so I approached Natalie to collaborate with ʔaq’am,” said Patrick

who gathered 36 organizations, donated 52 door prizes, and worked with Mr. Mikes and Starbucks, which provided burgers and refreshments at the first Suicide Awareness Walk.

Reducing stigma around mental health issues like depression and psychosis and helping people to open up and feel more comfortable with the topic of suicide is part of the goal for these kinds of events, according to Patrick, who says that awareness is on the rise and mental health challenges are being more widely accepted and normalized by people.

“People are still unsure of how to address these topics. I have lost too many to suicide at a young age, and my goal is to spread awareness about mental health because it can affect anyone at any time. There is no age limit when it comes to suicide,” said Patrick.

Patrick, Hake, and a host of community partners will be present at information booths to greet guests and address any questions, concerns, or conversations during the event.

“Community members who have lost someone to suicide or people who have acted on suicide will be there; we want to make sure we are providing that support and those resources to help,” said Hake.

According to Hake, their presence speaks to the community’s commitment to suicide prevention and intervention services. The CMHA Kootenays works closely with community partners who believe in crisis services, including the four crisis lines CMHA manages in this region alone.

“We have been hosting crisis services for years, and we are deeply grateful for the passionate support of our community partners in the critical work of suicide awareness and prevention. We are committed to continuing this work with the help of our partners,” she said.

On average, 4,300 Canadians die from suicide annually.

“Suicide ideation is a dark place, and it’s about bringing awareness and reducing stigma, which is the number one barrier to people accessing support,” she said.

Hake confirms that the number of calls around suicide ideation has increased over the past few years.

“That is a huge motivator to keep events going and to keep people on the crisis lines. We’re going to do our part,” said Hake.

The event will take place at the COTR Track and Field area on Saturday, September 7, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

For further information, please get in touch with Autumn at [email protected] or visit Suicide Awareness Walk – CMHA Kootenays

Lead image: ʔaq’am Life Skills Worker Autumn Patrick (left) and CMHA Kootenays Public Education and Crisis Services Natalie Hake at the CMHA Kootenays Branch in Cranbrook Photo submitted

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