"Building Community Compassion" & "Real Talk"
Virtual Speaker Series from G.A.P.
Building Community Compassion& Real Talk Virtual Speaker Series!
From October 2020 to July 2021 we ran two series of virtual presentations that highlighted key community supports and provided opportunities to learn about community resources. Additionally, the series provided a space for a question and answer session following each presentation. The meetings were held through ZOOM.
You can scroll below to see details from the series, and in some instances, watch recordings from the presentations.
From October 2020 to July 2021 we ran two series of virtual presentations that highlighted key community supports and provided opportunities to learn about community resources. Additionally, the series provided a space for a question and answer session following each presentation. The meetings were held through ZOOM.
You can scroll below to see details from the series, and in some instances, watch recordings from the presentations.
Ep. 01 • Bridging the GAP Out of Poverty
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Bridging the GAP out of Poverty, presented by Sam Ennest and Kelly Jones from YWCA Muskoka. Sam and Kelly share their personal experience with poverty and the resources they acquired to thrive in the Muskoka Community. You are being invited to deepen your understanding and connection into the term Poverty. The definition of poverty is the extent to which an individual does without resources. There are 11 resources that all people need in order to thrive, if one falters the others tend to follow. Having an understanding of basic needs such as food, water and shelter is the starting point to which an individual would want to even seek external resources. By helping one another we can all achieve sustainability and thrive.
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Ep. 02 • Bridging the GAP Through Addiction
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Addiction. What is it? Many of us have some image formulated in our minds eye that describes our relationship with this term, however often our own experiences leave us biased to the essence of the term addiction. During this 90-minute session we will define addiction, discuss the continuum of use, and lay out treatment models in Ontario, stages of dependency and the affects through appreciating the view of a support person and the view of an active user.
Hosted by: Carly Tompson & Desarae Doolittle (From the CMHA Muskoka Parry Sound Branch) |
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Ep. 03 • Bridging the GAP by Busting Stigma
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Stigma can be dangerous! The goal of this workshop is to provide stigma-busting information through looking at mental health on a spectrum. Leading a discussion around what the extremes are, what they mean and what it means when we get stuck; protective factors for positive mental wellness; and the concept of Recovery.
Hosted by: Noelle Rebelein (Area Manager—Muskoka, Canadian Mental Health Association Muskoka Parry Sound Branch) |
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Ep. 04 • Bridging the GAP for Maternal Health
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In North Simcoe Muskoka the rates for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD) are higher than the provincial average with 27.1 % of women experiencing them. The goal of this workshop is to increase awareness of the symptoms, treatment and impact of PMAD. Join in discussion around maternal mental health and leave with a better understanding of the facts and importance of maternal mental health along with how to best support the well-being of mothers in our community.
Hosted by: Laura Barber Clinical Social Work / Therapist, MSW RSW |
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A recording of this presentation is not available. | ||
Ep. 05 • Bridging the GAP: Creating Your Narrative - Service Autonomy
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Mental health and addictions wellness is a journey and everyone’s journey to wellness looks different based on their unique circumstances and personal choices. Many people may want to offer support and ideas about how to recover, but these choices are ultimately with, and best made by, the individual experiencing the mental health and/or addiction problem. The goal of this workshop is to discuss more about an individual’s rights and responsibilities as it pertains to participation in their own journey to wellness. By allowing the individual experiencing the problem to lead their care, we are empowering them to take back control over their lives, and create their own narrative in recovery.
Hosted by: Desiree Reisenburg (Clinical Social Work / Therapist, MSW RSW) |
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Ep. 01 • The Blunt Truth: What's the Big Deal with Cannabis?
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Cannabis has changed, and what we know about its effects has changed too! While it is certainly not the ‘war on drugs’ it used to be, there is information youth and their communities should have when discussing and making decisions about cannabis use. The aim of this presentation is to provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding cannabis: what strains are out there; how different chemical compositions cause distinct impacts; youth specific effects, including addiction; and safer use.
Hosted by: Cassandra McMullen & Brittany Dean (Youth Addictions Counsellors with CMHA) |
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Ep. 06 • Bridging the GAP: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
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Breaking down Maslow's hierarchy in order to understand how we need the community to fill in the gap to achieve success and self-sufficiency. Kelly Jones, who has experienced generational poverty and is now currently working for YWCA Muskoka as the Circles Coach for South Muskoka and Bridges out of Poverty Facilitator will break down Maslow's hierarchy with stories of lived experience, not only from herself but those from the community in order to help understand the need for the community to fill in the gaps to help achieve success and self sufficiency.
Hosted by: Kelly Jones (YWCA) |
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Ep. 07 • Bridging the GAP: Diversity & Inclusion
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“My name is Samantha Aldridge, and I moved to Huntsville, ON when I was 12 years old. I have dealt with feeling like I didn’t belong in this community for most of my life. Between being low income and being a minority I never felt welcome and even was threatened a few times. I have been on a mission in my life to improve and become part of my local community. I have started living my life for myself and not looking at people and what money others have, but instead how they act towards others. I have learned that many don’t see or understand me and so I choose to let them know who I am as a person. This has helped me develop confidence and be able to speak out and be heard when I need to. I have been involved with the YWCA and this has been a tremendous resource for me. I have grown and achieved so much with the support of my Circles (Huntsville) Community. Without their support and programming I truly don’t know where I would be today. I would love to share my story with you in hopes to help change how we welcome Diversity and help to include everyone in the community.”
Hosted by: Samantha Aldridge |
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Ep. 08 • Bridging the GAP: Building Resiliency
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More and more, the term ‘Resilience’ has been making its way into our everyday vocabulary. But what does it mean? Although genes do play a role, the most significant role in resiliency is our commitment to learning resiliency-based skills throughout our lives. How can we adapt to negativity, stress, pain and uncertainty? Through this month’s Building Community Compassion Virtual Speaker Series we hope to provide an introduction to resiliency skill-building through a thought-provoking self-exploration of our thinking habits, stress management capabilities and identifying strengths.
There will be a community discussion following the presentation. Hosted by: Jheniffe Delsol-Gauthier |
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Ep. 09 • "Consent, Online Trends & Safety"
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This interactive presentation will provide participants with an introduction to language and definitions around sexual violence, gender-based violence and consent. This presentation will also include online trends as they related to sexual violence, and online safety.
There will be a community discussion following the presentation. Hosted by: Sara Ross & Kylie Scott |
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A recording of this presentation is not available as the sessions evolved to include a public discussion. We have chosen not to record the sessions any longer to respect privacy and safety for all involved. | ||
Ep. 10 • "Understanding Rape Culture"
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An interactive discussion on the social influences which make sexual assault one of the most common crimes, generally committed without repercussions for the offenders. This talk will enable participants to begin to understand the prevalence of sexual violence in our society and some things they can do to change the culture.
There will be a community discussion following the presentation. Hosted by: Lauren Power, MSW RSW, Executive Director of MPSSAS |
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A recording of this presentation is not available as the sessions evolved to include a public discussion. We have chosen not to record the sessions any longer to respect privacy and safety for all involved. | ||