Bringing students, staff together

 

 

‘You are not alone.’

That’s the message that over 4,000 students from across Manitoba received at the True North Youth Foundation’s Project 11 Mental Wellness Summit at Bell MTS Place on Jan. 30.

"Having a summit like today gives us an opportunity to bring many of our students together under one roof and bring the conversation around mental wellness out of the classroom," Suzi Friesen, director of educational programming for True North, said.

"It’s really exciting time for all of us to come together," Chelsey Doerksen, a Grade 4 teacher at Bertrun E. Glavin Elementary, said at the event. "It’s good for staff and students to see there’s a whole community out there who will support you with your mental health issues."

"This conference can help students by allowing them to see other people and how their strategies work in the classroom," added Amber Enns, a Grade 6 teacher at John W Gunn Middle School. "It’s beneficial for students to see there are other people out there who maybe suffer, who have had similar experiences. It gives them a connection."

They’re not alone. They’re not a burden.

Project 11 is a cross-curricular program available for free in Manitoba for students from kindergarten to Grade 8 with a focus on mental wellness. The program honours the memory of Rick Rypien, a former Manitoba Moose and NHL player who committed suicide in 2011 after years of dealing with mental illness. This year, the program was taught in 1,200 classrooms across Manitoba.

The event on Jan. 30 kicked off with question and answer session hosted by Sara Orlesky featuring Winnipeg Jets players Nikolaj Ehlers and Bryan Little. The questions, which were submitted by students, ranged from who is the funniest guy in the dressing room ("Buff is the biggest prankster," Little said) to how the players maintained healthy friendships.

"I talk a lot with my family, every day," Ehlers, who has been sidelined with an injury since Jan. 4, told the crowd. "They try to keep me positive."

Craig Heisinger, assistant general manager of the Winnipeg Jets, spoke passionately at the event about his friendship with Rypien, who he got to know during his time with the Manitoba Moose. 

"Project 11 is a legacy, to try to deliver his message," said Craig Heisinger, assistant general manager of the Winnipeg Jets, who spoke at the event about his friendship with Rypien. 

"What we hope they bring home is that they are not alone," he said. "They’re not alone. They’re not a burden. If they summon the courage to talk to someone and the friend they choose to talk to has the courage to listen, they will."

Project 11’s message appears to be one that is resonating with students who take part in the program.

"I think it’s really helpful and important," said Kylie Cocks-Loder, a Grade 6 student at John W Gunn Middle School. "My friends and me, we talk about (mental health) more often and it becomes easier the more you talk about it. I’ve learned that there are a lot of people who have gone through these kind of things."

"I’ve learned that it’s better to talk about it, that you’re not alone," said Jersey Trosky, a Grade 4 student at Bertrun E. Glavin Elementary.

"The focus is really in educating from as young as you can get kids to engage in mental wellness and learning coping skills," Heisinger added. "When (Rypien) talked to us about when he first started to struggle, it was in his middle school years."

The event also featured musical performances from Efflo, Bea Jaime, Robb Nash, and Garret Neiles, and included inspirational talks from Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent and Jets alumnus and current Moose operations personnel Mark Stuart, Family Channel host Deepa Prashad; professional golfer Andrew Jenson; professional fan Cameron Hughes; and Olympians Bailey Bram and Desiree Scott. 

For more information on Project 11, visit www.projecteleven.ca