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#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth – Let’s Talk About #Men’s #SuicidePrevention
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A campaign is sweeping the province, attempting to educate people on how to help #men who are dealing with #stress and #mentalhealthissues.
Studies have shown that #men die by #suicide three times more than #women, and Centre for #SuicidePrevention developed the Buddy Up Campaign to help change this reality.
The campaign was launched in 2020 and is held every June, also Men’s Health Month.
“#Men are often socialized not to talk about their emotions, and not to seek help, for fear of being ‘weak’,” says client relations coordinator Seth McVeity.
“#Men also tend to be more socially isolated than #women. That’s why the Buddy Up campaign promotes authentic conversations among #men and their buddies and focuses on help-offering #behavior.”
The campaign encourages #men to notice when a friend is struggling, to ask how they’re really doing, and offer help if needed. Buddy Up is a call to action for #men, by #men, to drive authentic conversation amongst #men and their buddies. It is #suicideprevention.
“Buddy Up Month was created to highlight, to campaign, and to give people an opportunity to participate in activities that promote connection and wellbeing,” says McVeity.
“Buddy Up is now a year-round campaign, with quarterly mini-campaigns highlighting specific activities, in addition to Buddy Up Month.”
McVeity explains that Buddy Up is run by predominantly #male advisory committees and focus groups to allow for a closer analysis of what other #men may be experiencing.
“#Suicideprevention needs to be cross-sectoral; one campaign will not bring down #suiciderates,” he explains.
“By promoting open conversation about #suicide and #mentalhealth, help-offering, and connection, Buddy Up campaign hopes to break down #stigma, educate, and foster connection, all of which contribute to #suicideprevention,” he adds.
McVeity says their studies have found that #men are expected to be stoic, strong, and unfailing. They typically will isolate themselves when things are not going well, instead of discussing their feelings with others.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
“With #men not reaching out for help, we look to their buddies to offer that support,” says McVeity.
“Buddy Up is a help offering focused campaign. Many #men say they don’t seek out help for themselves but would do anything for a buddy. Buddy Up looks to utilize these relationships and get #men to check in on their buddies, and how they are really doing.”
The campaign, and now year-round initiative, was created to help with conversations starting. It helps to put #suicideprevention conversations in front of #men in a non-threatening way. The purpose to is to help reduce the #stigma that #men cannot talk about their feelings.
McVeity says Talk #Suicide is the #nationalsuicidecrisisline, available 24/7 at (1-833) 456-4566, or via text at 45645 from 2 pm to 10 pm MT. 211.ca is a good resource for community health supports, as is your nearest Canadian #MentalHealth Association office, Alberta Northwest Region (https://www.gpcmha.ca/).
“We have a toolkit about #suicide in #men, and how it can be prevented, including by #men themselves, available at #buddyup.ca/learn ,” he says.
“We also have lots of free resources about #suicideprevention available at suicideinfo.ca, and offer #suicideprevention workshops; more info can be found at suicideinfo.ca.”
The June Challenge happens during Buddy Up Month, where Champions are encouraged to participate in activities that drive connection and promote wellbeing. There’s a June Challenge card listing all the activities, which include things like texting a buddy, learning more about #suicideprevention, and going for a walk with a buddy. Although this is a campaign targeting June, McVeity says it can be done at any time. He says the campaign has almost 900 Champion (individuals and organizations) across the country.
Many hosted their own events such as barbecues, car washes, and information booths. They also distributed free resources and held contests and fundraisers within their organizations.
“Buddy Up is also a year-round campaign and Buddy Up Month is just one opportunity for people to participate,” McVeity says.
“We encourage people and organizations to sign up as Champions and participate throughout the year. We have quarterly events including Power Up (Sept. 18 to Sept. 24, 2023), which focuses on strengthening your body and mind, Build Up (Dec. 3 to Dec. 10, 2023), encouraging #men to work on a project with a buddy, Lift Up (Feb. 12 to Feb. 18, 2024) encourages people to do acts of kindness for others, and Buddy Up Month (June 1 to June 30), focuses on completing the June Challenge.”
McVeity says that three out of four #suicides in Canada are #men.
“This staggering statistic shows that there needs to be more supports for #men, by #men,” he says.
“Though the Buddy Up campaign is focused on #men’s #suicideprevention, the skills learned in Buddy Up Skills Training are applicable to all #genders, and having people trained in #suicideprevention in the workplace will help create an environment where people are able to respond to any co-worker who is struggling and offer help. The second and third levels of training are not at all #gender specific and are instead focused on #suicideprevention and intervention for everyone.”
A new Buddy Up Skills Training was launched in 2023 with CSV Midstream Solutions Inc. and is the first program of its kind in Canada. The training is offered to companies who have large amounts of #male staff in order to try to curb the #suiciderates amongst #men. If your company is interested in offering the training to your staff, you can contact Centre for #SuicidePrevention Strategy and Operations Director Akash Asif at akash@suicideinfo.ca.
“Canadians spend 60 per cent of their waking hours at work and we often know our co-workers well and the workplace is well-suited to support people who are struggling, and it’s a great place to have conversations about #mentalhealth and #suicideprevention,” says McVeity.
“Champions can level up their Buddy Up campaign by building a caring culture in their organizations by implementing Buddy Up Skills training. The training equips workers to skillfully respond to co-workers who are struggling with their #mentalhealth or may be considering #suicide.”
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James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
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