The “Out of the Blue” campaign can make a difference for people affected by mental illness. Out of the Blue targets high school students, businesses, individuals and community
groups of all sorts in the South Eastman region. The objective is to get people talking about mental health, mental illness and suicide prevention by initiating or getting involved in “Blue Awareness Activities”. Blue Awareness Activities should promote accurate mental health information, encourage help seeking behaviour by open, direct and honest talk about suicide; and spread hope for recovery.

The SESPC includes youth, people affected by or concerned about suicide, community agencies, public health and mental health organizations, and faith-based organization; and is chaired by the South Eastman Health Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention Coordinator.

Getting Out of the Blue this year are 5 schools (English, French Immersion and French) and the municipalities of Ritchot, Franklin, Taché, and for a second year, Hanover.

South Eastman Health encourages last year’s participating groups, businesses and individuals of La Broquerie, Ste-Anne, St-Pierre en Boom, Vita and Steinbach to join us and continue to raise a New Voice for Mental Health in 2012. Blue Awareness activities can be registered online. The Blue Awareness Activities that are registered on the website may be eligible to win a Blue Activity Award at the Blue Carpet Gala on May 29, 2012.

The goal is to reach approximately 1000 high school students, their families and the members of their communities.

Please join us on February 15th at 9:00 am in Niverville, at the Collegiate School
(161 5th Ave. S. in the Gymnasium.)

Source:
Maria Siemens
Communications Assistant/Events Coordinator
P.O. Box/C.P. 470, rue 94 Principale Street,
MB R0A 0W0
204-424-2327

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Out of the Blue is a mental health awareness project that culminated its inaugural campaign last week.

David Rafeedie, President-elect of the local Rotary Club indicates: “The Out of the Blue Campaign was a natural fit for our involvement. We already fund the D. A. R. E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program for the RCMP and saw the Out of the Blue campaign as another local project that can have a great and long lasting impact for good in the lives of students, their families and for the whole community.”

The Rotary Club of South Eastman is dedicated to serving the community and were among the many groups involved in the campaign. The Southeast Suicide Prevention Committee and South Eastman Health/Santé Sud Est thank the Rotary Club for their leadership and for their generous donation. Marcelle Falk, interim Regional Mental Health Program Manager says “It’s thanks to dedicated community groups like the Rotary that we can continue to provide quality mental health services to achieve wellness and the best possible health for our community.”

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Guests were also treated to a laugh-inducing performance by Big Daddy Tazz, a local comedian living well with mental illness.  Big Daddy Tazz sheds light on mental illness, promotes mental health and fights the stigma tht reigns over them.  The crowd was moved to a standing ovation and the sense that all the mental health champions in the room were not about to end their efforts, even though the campaign has been put to rest for some months.

Acole Saint-Joachim in La Broquerie and Shevchenko School in Vita were the stars of the evening, taking home many awards in categories like Blue Video, Blue Lunch, Blue Expressions and many others.  Individuals from the community were also awarded prizes for literary and visual contributions.  Businesses including Sunshine Greenhouse (Steinbach) and Shop Easy Foods (St-Malo) and community groups like St-Pierre en Boom also were winning participants.

But according to Deb Taillefer, Regional Mental Health Program Manager with South Eastman Health:  “The real winners are all the residents of the South East as we take huge leaps toward breaking down barriers and reducing stigma attached to mental health and mental illness.  The campaign that the entire community embraced so readily was supposed to get people talking about mental health, promote help seeking behaviours and spread hope.  Given the overwhelming success of our activities we are confident that we’ve made progress within the region.”

Taillefer reminds us that suicide is an ongoing problem and that the RSPC will continue their efforts.  They are all looking forward to reviewing the campaign and hope to re-launch an even bigger project next year.

Source:
Suzie Lemoine, Communications
South Eastman Health/Santé Sud-Est
T 204.424.2325

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École Saint-Joachim embraces Van Gogh in Blue Expressions

This high-school art class is researching Vincent Van Gogh and engaging in discussions about his mental health. They are studying a Don Maclean song called Vincent. The class is doing a study of the themes, and subjects of Van Gogh’s art, specifically colours, emotions and metaphors in his works. And they are discussing various mental illnesses that may have been associated to Van Gogh including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.

The students are then producing their own Blue Expressions with paint with the knowledge gained and themes and subjects discussed. Their assignment is to paint a picture of pain, sadness, depression or to show hope.

Contact : Paulette Fournier-Jones, 424-5287

10th grade is Springing into Blue

A 10th grade class is coordinating a number of Blue Awareness Activities for École St-Joachim under the Out of the Blue campaign :
- Blue Bites – blue bake sale – March 18th
- Blue Game -blue hockey game – April 16th
- Blue Lunch – a blueberry pancake breakfast and a blue lunch are being planned by the 10th graders so that they can present the Out of the Blue campaign and engage their schoolmates in mental illness prevention and help seeking behaviours.
- Blue Video –the group is taping footage of all blue activities and producing a video for the end of the campaign.
- Blue Garden – partnering with Sunshine Greenhouse to provide plants and assistance – planting date to be determined.
- A Blue Assembly is planned for the end of the campaign to share all that has been done and learned. Date to be determined.

Contact : Claude Arnaud at 424-5287

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Suzie Lemoine, Communications
South Eastman Health/Santé Sud-Est
T 204.424.2325
slemoine@sehealth.mb.ca

For more information, on this and other South Eastman Health/Santé Sud-Est news, please refer to our website at www.sehealth.mb.ca

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St-Pierre Pharmacy is spreading Blue Awareness

St-Pierre Pharmacy/Pharmacie St-Pierre hosted a Blue Day on April 7th. Paulette Duval, organizer, states: “We really enjoyed making a difference and making people aware of mental health.”

The pharmacy and the staff were decked out in blue and spent the day handing out Blue Cards to increase awareness, to promote help seeking behaviours and to engage their clients in conversation about mental health. They gave a 12% discount on all products with blue labels, all day.

Contact: Paulette Duval 433-7481

 Sunshine Greenhouse want to “Get Out of the Blue and Share a Smile”

Sunshine Greenhouse is doing its part in spreading smiles for Steinbach and surrounding communities. Sunshine Greenhouse is a new partner in the Out of the Blue campaign and they will have special Blue Promotions all season:

- Blue Baskets and plenty of Blue Flowers.
- Get ready for their opening day May 2.
- Don’t forget, May 4th is Blue Day and Sunshine Greenhouse has everything to make your yard cheerful.
- Sunshine Greenhouse is partnering with École Saint-Joachim to supply plants and provide support in building a Blue Garden for the school.
- Be on the look out for a free Blue Flower distribution – coming soon to a special location in Steinbach to help you get Out of the Blue.

Contact: Dorinda Penner – Sunshine Greenhouse Steinbach – 326-9053

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Suzie Lemoine, Communications
South Eastman Health/Santé Sud-Est
T 204.424.2325
slemoine@sehealth.mb.ca

For more information, on this and other South Eastman Health/Santé Sud-Est news, please refer to our website at www.sehealth.mb.ca

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