Wings of Change - Peer Support
RESOURCES
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department
I've Got Your Back 911
The goal of the campaign is to spread social awareness worldwide in regards to First Responder mental health issues. We strive to create an open platform of discussion, a safe space for First Responders to connect, as well as an outlet to raise money to donate back into the community. We support initiatives and organizations that focus on providing mental health supports for all First Responders.
Programs
Wounded Warriors Canada
Thanks to the generous support of caring Canadians and Canadian businesses from across the country, we are able to deliver a national slate of mental health programs and services that are adaptive, innovative and evidence-informed. Our investments are providing life changing and family saving results for our Veterans, First Responders and their families — and we couldn’t do it without you! Together, we are delivering on the guiding ethos of Wounded Warriors Canada to Honour the Fallen and Help the Living
Can Praxis
As unresolved conflict destroys relationships, and is especially common in overly stressed families, Can Praxis trains participants to manage their conflict effectively. Can Praxis uses horses to help soldiers and first responder recover and regain their family relationships.
Project Trauma Support
To provide a destination and a program where military personnel and first responders who have had their lives ravaged by PTSD can convene in a safe community of their peers.
New Horserizons
Our Equine Assisted Learning activities are tailored specifically to meet the unique needs of members of the Canadian Armed Forces, First Responders and Police Officers, active members and retired alike.
The exercises will let you reflect on your own communication and negociation skills, and amongst other things, work on reasonable goal settings, while having fun in the company of horses.
Save a Warrior
Save A Warrior™ takes timeless virtues - ideals like compassion, empathy, humility - and presents what is beautiful and good in a powerfully sacred experience. You can see this positive energy in the genuine joy with which SAW's "Shepherds" ( a best practice (Rand, 2011), evidence-based, peer-to-peer support model comprised of SAW alumni) serve their fellows, and you'll feel it long after your completion ceremony. As we approach the issue of suicide, we look at the whole person, realizing there are many pieces to this puzzle that must be located and pieced together. The goal of the "war detox" experience is to reduce pain and increase resiliency.
First Responder Families
First Eyes®
First Eyes® is a 6-hour workshop and its goal is to minimize the impact and affect that a “mental injury or illness”, like PTSD, can have on:
an "at-risk" person
their "partner"
their family, and
their friends
With early detection and a planned intervention, the likelihood for positive outcomes in a shorter period of time is increased.
What's included in the workshop?
The workshop provides the participants (an "at-risk" person and their "partner") with:
clinical information about mental injuries and illnesses
shared real-life experiences from someone who suffers from a mental injury or illness
a better understanding of how mental injuries & illnesses impact relationships, families & friends
an open Q & A discussion period
a personalized "care plan" that they will create together during the workshop
ongoing support through our website to answer any post-workshop questions
Having a care plan that can be immediately activated in time of need can save valuable time in getting all those concerned the help and support they will need to work through the challenging times ahead.
COPE – Couples Overcoming PTSD Everyday
We believe that the impact of PTSD on the family is profound and COPE serves to reduce this impact. The importance of the health of the family relative to the path of healing for the injured veteran/first responder has, while acknowledged in the literature and in the rhetoric of professional communities striving to serve veterans, has largely been ignored in terms of service delivery and programming; this must change.
Sylvio (Syd) Gravel
We gratefully acknowledge Syd Gravel, retired Staff Sergeant from the Ottawa Police Service and a Member of the Order of Merit for Police, and one of the founding fathers of the Robin’s Blue Circle peer support group, whose group model has been adapted to create the Wings of Change - Peer Support program.
Save~My~Life School
This intense and engaging memoir is based on the true life of Natalie Harris. Mental illness, post-traumatic stress syndrome, overdoses and addiction are some of the demons this paramedic turned author deals with--stemming from a horrific double-murder call. This incredible story makes public the very private battles many face. This book is raw, honest and a window into the mind of someone facing mental illness. Although a serious topic, this biography is at times laugh-out-loud funny, poignant and simply a good, entertaining read. This is a must-have for anyone who wants a cover-to-cover read, keeping you on the edge of your seat.