May 26, 2022

Winnipeg
22° C, A few clouds

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • Community Review East
    • Community Review West
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
    • Manitoba's Top Employers
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • The Star
  • Reader BridgeNEW
  • WFP EventsNEW
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Free Press Community Review
    • All Free Press Community Review News
    • East Edition
    • West Edition
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • LifestylesNEW
    • All Lifestyles
    • Business Hub
    • Community
    • Drink & Dine
    • Life
    • Wellness
    • Whiskers & Wings
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photo and Book store
  • More

©2022 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Federal Election
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photo and Book store
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Support Faith coverage
    • Support Arts coverage
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • Community Review East
    • Community Review West

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Free Press Community Review News
    • East Edition
    • West Edition
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
The Free Press
Articles Read
Your Balance +tax
Day Pass Till
Day Pass
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Report an Error
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
    • Staff Biographies
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • Log in
    • Create Account
    • Help
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
    • My Account
    • Manage My Subscription
    • Change Password
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
Log in Create Account Contact Us
Contact Us Manage Subscription
  • Sections
  • Local
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Diversions
    • Environment
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
    • Manitoba's Top Employers
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Soccer
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • E-Edition
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Automotive
    • Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Merchandise
    • Pets
    • Real Estate
    • Rentals
    • Services
  • Lifestyles
    • Business Hub
    • Community
    • Drink & Dine
    • Life
    • Manitoba’s Top Employers
    • Wellness
    • Whiskers & Wings
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print
    • Ripley's Aquariums
    • The Bay
    • Staples Canada
    • Altitude Sports
    • Nike
    • Tuango
    • Ebay Canada
    • Sport Chek
    • Roots
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe$1.50 for 5 months
Home Local

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Inked with purpose: lives saved

Tattoos honour kids who turned away from suicide

Jen Zoratti By: Jen Zoratti
Posted: 5:46 PM CDT Thursday, Jun. 9, 2016
Last Modified: 10:16 AM CDT Friday, Jun. 10, 2016 | Updates

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Save to Read Later

Robb Nash is seated in a chair at the Parlor Tattoos on Main Street, getting a tattoo. The needle zips around his forearm, spelling out names: Paige. Riley. Bree. Taylor. Signatures in telltale teenage penmanship, inked in black and red.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 9/6/2016 (2177 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Robb Nash is seated in a chair at the Parlor Tattoos on Main Street, getting a tattoo. The needle zips around his forearm, spelling out names: Paige. Riley. Bree. Taylor. Signatures in telltale teenage penmanship, inked in black and red.

When Nash leaves the studio, his forearm will bear the names of the first 117 kids who handed over their suicide notes to him during the first year of the Robb Nash Project, their signatures lifted from the notes themselves. It’s a permanent reminder of the work he does and why he does it.

'I'm glad I got the second chance when I came back from the dead after a car accident, and this is what I'm trying to do with that second chance'‐ Robb Nash  

Over the past seven years, the Robb Nash Project has performed for thousands of young people at hundreds of schools across the country. He goes where he’s needed, putting on free-of-charge rock shows that spread messages of hope, encouragement and empowerment to middle school and high school students who are suffering — often in silence. His band has performed in many communities in crisis, such as the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, which made headlines earlier this year after six young people died by suicide in the span of three months. More than 100 are on suicide watch.

Like the new ink on his arm, Nash has made an indelible impression on many kids. Now, more than 500 students have handed him suicide notes — and that number doesn’t include the kids who have reached out to him via social media. He’s kept many of the notes, but stresses that all suicide letters he receives are dealt with by the appropriate professionals. Nash and his band are not counsellors; they are there, as he puts it, to open a dialogue about suicide and self-harm. He works closely with schools so students can get the follow-up help they need.

photos by PHIL HOSSACK/ winnipeg free press</p><p>Robb Nash says the tattoos will remind teens at future performances they are not alone in their ‘dark thoughts.’</p>

photos by PHIL HOSSACK/ winnipeg free press

Robb Nash says the tattoos will remind teens at future performances they are not alone in their ‘dark thoughts.’

Many of his fans have his name or his inspirational lyrics tattooed on their arms. Taylor Bowman, a young woman I first met at one of Nash’s shows last spring, has both. His name is inked on her arm; now hers is inked on his.

"I want to show them that they’re a big part of my life as well," Nash tells me. "I’m glad I got the second chance when I came back from the dead after a car accident, and this is what I’m trying to do with that second chance."

At 17, Nash was in a head-on collision with a semi on the highway outside of his hometown of Kleefeld and was pronounced dead on the scene. Incredibly, he survived — his skull is mostly made of metal — but, as he told me last year, he didn’t wake up wanting to change the world. He woke up wanting to burn it down. He was angry and bitter. He felt insignificant.

Through music, he discovered how he could be useful. His story could help others. He could have had a more conventional music career — and for a while, he did — but he wanted to make himself even more accessible and available to his fans. And so, he plays in schools at no cost to either the schools or the students. He gives out his music for free.

Reflecting on the permanence of the tattoo — which will be a one-off; he doesn’t plan to keep adding names — he says he further wants to show young people he’s sincere. "Kids can smell bullshit a mile away. We’re here because we care."

The Free Press | Newsletter

Winnipeg Gardener

What you need to know now about gardening in Winnipeg. A monthly email from the Free Press with advice, ideas and tips to keep your outdoor and indoor plants growing.

Sign up for Winnipeg Gardener
Sign Up
PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS</p><p>Robb Nash holds a bag full of suicide notes while getting his arm tattooed. Nash performs at high schools all over the country as part of the Robb Nash Project, giving hope to teens who are struggling and contemplating suicide. </p>

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Robb Nash holds a bag full of suicide notes while getting his arm tattooed. Nash performs at high schools all over the country as part of the Robb Nash Project, giving hope to teens who are struggling and contemplating suicide.

Nash recalls the first time he received a suicide note. He was at a school that was dealing with the suicide of a student. The note revealed there was a pact with another student, but the principal didn’t know who.

"So we went to do the show right away, and it was a bizarre feeling knowing somebody in the audience was about to take their life and we didn’t know who it was. So we spoke directly. ‘We know someone in the audience is having these dark thoughts.’ And we spoke directly about suicide that day and, sure enough, a young girl came up after the show and she handed me her suicide note, planning to take her life that weekend. What a crazy feeling that was."

There’s a consistent through-line in all the letters he’s received since: everyone feels alone.

"I want to show them my arm and say, ‘Look, you think you’re alone, but look at all these names on my arm. These are all kids that were in the same place as you. They did not want to be alive anymore. And they ripped up their notes, they found the strength, the kept walking, they got off the train tracks. They’re still here.’

"These people needed my story. Someone out there needs your story. That’s why you need to keep walking."

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @JenZoratti

Jen Zoratti

Jen Zoratti
Columnist

Jen Zoratti is a Winnipeg Free Press columnist and co-host of the paper's local culture podcast, Bury the Lede.

   Read full biography
   Sign up for Jen Zoratti’s email newsletter, Next

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

History

Updated on Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 11:37 PM CDT: Updates with writethru; adds photo

June 10, 2016 at 10:16 AM: Adds new photo

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund
  • The Free Press is certified by

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top