Journey to Hope Spreading Suicide Awareness Throughout Moose Jaw
What began as a support group for those touched by suicide has become something much bigger, as the Journey to Hope charity group works tirelessly to help spread a message of hope and suicide prevention.
The Journey to Hope youth chapter all wearing their JTH t-shirts, featuring the butterfly logo they designed themselves. (supplied)
The local group, which consists of both an adult and a youth chapter, formed in 2018 with the goal to break away the stigma surrounding suicide and provide resources and support to the community — in the form of hope, healing and honour for those lost. Journey to Hope regularly hosts fundraisers and community events to fulfil their mission, such as their annual Journey to Hope Walk in the fall and an event to commemorate Suicide Prevention Day each year in September. In 2019, Journey to Hope collected over $31,000, which they used within the community to spread their message and provide mental health and suicide training courses free to the community. This includes Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training offered to local school division staff and students, as well as regular sessions of safeTALK training for adults and the Tattered Teddies program for children, and more. Last year, Journey to Hope also helped create a Trans Hope Fund in partnership with Moose Jaw Pride, donated journals to mental health and addictions programs in
Moose Jaw, and provided aftersuicide loss care packages to both the Moose Jaw Police Service and local RCMP detachment. In the winter of 2019, the group reached out to include youth voices from three of Moose Jaw’s high schools and created the Journey to Hope youth chapter.
The “Hope Is…” exhibit at the Cultural Centre was a project hosted by the Journey to Hope group in the fall of 2019, featuring work representing what hope looks to each artist.
The youth chapter shares the same message as their parent organization and works together to plan events throughout the year to engage with Moose Jaw teens and young adults to spread hope.
The Journey to Hope youth chapter working on their ongoing mural project, featuring a number of wooden pieces that will be fitted together to form a butterfly. (supplied)
Last year, the youth chapter hosted an art exhibition at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre titled “Hope Is…,” where each artist submitted a piece showing what hope means to them. The group also made Christmas cards for the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation after
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they suffered a rash of suicides, and also planned an open mic night and photo contest to hear community voices.
The annual Journey to Hope fundraiser and walk features a chapel service to honour those lost to suicide, which is always a favourite of those attending. (supplied)
The Journey to Hope youth chapter is also working on a large mural project in the shape of the chapter’s butterfly logo, which will be displayed in Crescent Park when finished. The group has collected wooden pieces painted by the community representing their icons of hope to form the wings of the butterfly, while the body will be a memorial that carries the names of community members who have been lost to suicide. Both the adult and youth members of Moose Jaw Journey to Hope emphasize the importance of spreading hope to everyone in the community, which is why they continue to offer their support and their voices to the cause. To keep up with the Moose Jaw Journey to Hope group, follow them on Facebook for regular updates about resources and events. More information about the group can be found at journeytohope. synthasite.com. The Journey to Hope youth chapter is also active on Instagram and Twitter, as @journey2hopemj.
