Save the date! Former NHL forward Jordin Tootoo is the keynote speaker at our annual mental health awareness event.

In Jordin’s talk, Aiming at Wellness Together, he shares his personal experiences in order to open up important conversations around addiction recovery, mental health, and suicide prevention, all while sharing a hopeful message of resilience and understanding.

Join us for a free pizza lunch and meet Jordin.

Date: Wednesday, February 5th

Time: 11:30am – 1:30pm

11:30am – lunch

noon – program begins

1:15 pm – meet and greet with Jordin

Location: South Gym, Notre Dame Campus*

*The program will be recorded and live streamed thanks to the eTV studio. You can catch the live stream at live.etvlabs.com

RRC’s Healthy Minds Healthy College Initiative and the Students’ Association are pleased to welcome Jordin.

For questions or accessibility needs, please contact Breanna Sawatzky.

We’re looking for a student who attends either the Notre Dame Campus or the Exchange District Campus to participate in a panel discussion at our upcoming Movies for Mental Health event. Click here for details about the event. You will be given a $40 honorarium for your time.

By volunteering your time and expertise, you play a crucial role in creating an event that will reduce the stigma around mental illness and encourage others to seek the help they need.

Being a Student Panelist

As a student panelist, your role is to share a real, lived-experience story to show the power that live storytelling can have in reducing mental health stigmas. Your generosity in talking about your experiences – the good parts and the bad – is actively helping your peers to overcome their own inhibitions that might prevent them from getting help. You are living, breathing proof that recovery and healing are possible and that mental wellness is real and attainable!

As you begin to put together your five-minute story, we invite you to reflect on what your main message is – what you’d like the audience to take away from your story. That can help guide you as you decide what you’d like to share. It can also be helpful to decide what pieces of your story, if any, you’d prefer not to share. You are in charge of what you share, and there is no pressure to go beyond what is comfortable for you.

If you’re interested in this opportunity, please contact Breanna today.

On October 8 and 9 RRC is hosting Movies for Mental Health, an interactive workshop that uses the emotional power of short film to initiate dialogue with students on the topic of mental health. This FREE event is delivered by a non-profit called Art With Impact and will be hosted at both the Notre Dame and Exchange District campuses.

This peer-to-peer learning event is two hours long and features:

• free pizza lunch for all who attend the workshop,
• facilitated discussion,
• three short films from Art With Impact’s library, and
• a resource panel with campus and community services.

Join us in creating a healthy environment at RRC through dialogue and growth!

Last year, students who attended found the workshop helped increase awareness of mental health, reduce stigma, and improve knowledge about where to go for help.

Wednesday, October 9, 11am – 1pm in room P107 The Roblin Centre at Exchange District Campus

Tuesday, October 8, 1-3pm in the White Lecture Theatre at Notre Dame Campus.

For any questions or accessibility needs, please contact Breanna Sawatzky.

This event is sponsored by the Healthy Minds Healthy College Initiative and RRC Students’ Association as we observe Mental Illness Awareness Week. All students and staff are welcome.

RRC’s 2019 Ride Don’t Hide Team, post-ride at The Forks

On Sunday, June 23 a team of RRC staff and students, along with some family members, supported Canadian Mental Health Association by participating in Ride Don’t Hide – Canada’s largest mental health bike ride.

The team enjoyed a beautiful 20 km ride, beginning at The Forks and continuing through St. Boniface, Assiniboine Ave., Wolseley, River Heights, Tuxedo, Crescentwood and back along the river path to The Forks.

Sponsored by RRC’s Healthy Minds, Healthy College Initiative, the team raised funds and awareness, bringing mental health out into the open.

Three cheers for your RRC team members:

• Angela Tessier (and partner Tom)
• Michelle Lodewyks (and partner Josh)
• Tom Liu
• Leslie Ternowetsky
• Breanna Sawatzky (with family Joel, Vincent and Nevica)
• Sherry Seymour
• Tanya Cole
• Lori Cutrone (not pictured)
• Nicki Albus (not pictured)

Across Canada, over 10 000 riders participated, raising over $2 million dollars for community based mental health supports. Go team!

She Wore Flowers in Her Hair is an event in support of mental health awareness in memory of Jaedra Winter who died by suicide in June 2015. The aim is to raise awareness, spread love & create a community where people feel safe talking about mental health. All proceeds go to Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba.

The event takes place at Kelburn Estate and starts at noon on Saturday, June 8th. Pre activities such as Bootcamp by Johana Seier and a Volleyball tournament will commence at 11:00 am. Pre registration for these events is 10:30 AM – 11:00 am.

Bring a lawn chair, cash, Picnic blanket, yoga mat, sunscreen, etc.

Activities include:
Live Bands
Inspirational Speakers
Flower Crown Workshop ($5)
Craft Table
Self Care Booth – come make your own self care bag with goodies! (FREE)
Therapy Puppies
Pony Rides
Silent Auction
Makers Market
SWF Merch, Pop, Chips, Cotton Candy on sale!
Lunch by Pony Corral (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, FREE)
Laughter Yoga
Yoga by Modo Yoga
Meditation
Closest to the Pin Gold Competition with prize
Axe Throwing by Lumberjax
Card Readings
Photobooth by Photomonkey
AND MUCH MORE!

Tickets are on sale now
http://weblink.donorperfect.com/sheworeflowers2019

Follow She Wore Flowers in Her Hair on Instagram @officialsheworeflowers
& Facebook, for more information.

On January 30th, RRC joined others across the country in observing Bell Let’s Talk Day – a campaign dedicated to moving mental health forward in Canada. The strategy is built on four pillars: anti-stigma, improving access to care, supporting world-class research, and leading by example in workplace mental health.

At nine different campus locations, staff and student volunteers served free refreshments, distributed printed mental health resources and invited folks to contribute to a giant art canvas. On the canvas, people shared words of encouragement or supportive images to encourage someone who may be struggling with mental health difficulties.

STTC

We know that each year 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental health problem. While over the course of our entire lifespan, nearly half of us will. Unfortunately, despite this prevalence, judgmental and prejudiced attitudes about mental illness abound, causing many to struggle in silence, feeling shame, embarrassment, or guilt that compounds their distress.

Winkler Campus

We envision a community where mental health problems are accepted as a part of the human experience; where people can speak openly about these, receiving appropriate health care and community support.

Notre Dame Campus

In addition to the Bell Let’s Talk Day activities, the RRCSA participated in the Students Let’s Act campaign – a national advocacy effort, lobbying the Federal Government to devote more resources to post-secondary student mental health supports.

Steinbach Campus

Portage la Prairie Campus

On January 30th RRC will be observing Bell Let’s Talk Day with a day full of supportive conversations and stigma-busting activities.

We know that each year one in five Canadians will experience mental illness. One of the biggest hurdles for anyone suffering from mental illness is overcoming the stigma. It is the number one reason why two-thirds of those living with mental illness do not seek help. So, get involved and help bring positive change.

Paint on our giant canvas
Join us for tea, cookies, and conversations. Paint supportive words or images on a giant art canvas.

Notre Dame Campus: Library Hallway and SSTC Lobby, 11am – 2pm
Exchange District Campus: Atrium 11am – 2 pm

Workshop
Attend a workshop where you’ll learn how to start helpful conversations about mental health. Registration is not required.
Notre Dame Campus: Room F210, 12:05 – 12:55pm

Drew Dudley Talk
Drew Dudley, keynote speaker, founder of Day One Leadership and author of This is Day One, will be talking about his personal experience with Bipolar Disorder.
Exchange District Campus: Room A104 The Roblin Centre, 12 – 1pm

Visit the Bell Let’s Talk website
At https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/ you’ll find several insightful videos where people with lived experience of mental illness share their stories. You’ll also find information about ways to contribute to fundraising efforts by participating in the social media campaign.

Red River College is hosting a FREE event called “Movies for Mental Health,” an interactive workshop run by a non-profit called Art With Impact that uses the emotional power of short film to initiate dialogue with students on the topic of mental health.

This peer-to-peer learning event is two hours long and consists of pizza lunch, a facilitated discussion, three short films from Art With Impact’s library , and a resource panel with campus and community services.

Join us in creating a healthy environment at RRC through dialogue and growth!

Wednesday, October 3rd, 11am – 1pm in The Cave Lounge at NDC. Free pizza lunch for all who attend!

This event is sponsored by the Healthy Minds Healthy College Initiative and RRC Students’ Association as we observe Mental Illness Awareness Week. All students and staff are welcome.

Earlier this month, RRC welcomed Winnipeg Jets exec Craig Heisinger (Zinger) to give a mental health awareness talk. If you missed it, you’re invited to watch the recording here.

Zinger spoke about his relationship with Rick Rypien who, while struggling with poor mental health, played parts of six seasons with the Manitoba Moose and Vancouver Canucks. After Rick’s death by suicide, Zinger and the True North Foundation started Project 11 to help students learn skills to build strong, positive mental health. Zinger now speaks at many schools each year, highlighting the importance of mental health and support. His talk at RRC was both informative and heartfelt.

on Twitter, check out #ZingerAtRRC to see some of the statements that resonated with those in attendance.

L-R: Kelsey Gillespie, VP Academic, RRCSA; Lauren Slegers, President, RRCSA; Craig Heisinger; Breanna Sawatzky, Mental Health Coordinator, RRC; Laureen Janzen, Manager, Counselling and Accessibility, RRC

RRC is committed to keeping the mental health conversation going so that every member of our community knows they are not alone and that it’s okay to reach out for support. A great way to stay informed of future events is to subscribe to this blog.

A huge thanks goes out to the RRC Students’ Association for supplying the pizza lunch and to the eTV crew for recording and livestreaming. Prize winners will be announced in a subsequent blog post.

You’re invited to participate in CMHA’s ‘Ride Don’t Hide’ – Canada’s largest bike ride for mental health.  The event is held on Sunday June 24^th in communities across the country. CMHA Manitoba and Winnipeg are starting recruit bike riders for the event and RRC is excited to participate. There are 6 kilometer and 21 kilometer route options.

From CHMA’s website:

“CMHA’s Ride Don’t Hide is an annual fundraising bike ride held in six provinces in 31 communities. Supported by the fundraising efforts of more than 7000 riders, Ride Don’t Hide will raise funds for essential programs and services in communities, workplaces and schools – programs that change lives. Programs that save lives.

 

When we hide, mental health stays hidden. When we ride, we create change. This year, on June 24, ride in plain sight. Ride Don’t Hide. It’s more than the name of the event. It’s also the reason we’re riding.”

CMHA is a community partner, helping RRC with our Healthy Minds Healthy College Initiative. This makes participating in Ride Don’t Hide an ideal opportunity for us to show support in return.

The registration cost for an adult is $40 and youth registration costs $25.

If you’d like to be part of the RRC team for Ride Don’t Hide, please contact Breanna Sawatzky at blsawatzky@rrc.ca or 204-632-2061. Students, staff and faculty are welcome.