Nampa/Northern Sunrise County Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) is welcoming Life Capacity Game to the St. Isidore Cultural Centre.
The program is facilitated by Imagine Institute and will be held on May 21 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
FCSS director Amber Houle says this facilitator training is perfect for organizations looking for culturally relevant suicide prevention tools to add another resource to their toolkit.
“This is a new program to Imagine Institute and was just piloted last year,” says Houle.
“It’s a fairly similar structure to the Brain Architect game that we’ve brought in the past, where you walk through a simulation and you’re dealt some cards, so everything is out of your control, much like life is.”
She says the game is a great opportunity to learn to communicate difficult situations in life.
“You have to respond and interact based off the cards that you’ve been dealt,” she explains.
“It’s just an opening or a pathway to talk about hard topics safely and compassionately, primarily around suicide,” she adds.
Houle urges anyone working with youth to take the program. She says this game was initially co-created with Indigenous youth, and this interactive trauma-informed experience helps players understand resilience, the impacts of trauma, and how to recognize and respond to suicide warnings.
She adds anyone working in schools, youth centres, FCSS offices, or anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide should consider taking the training.
“Anyone who takes the training on May 21 will be asked to sign a memorandum of responsible use,” says Houle.
“They basically have to say that they will only use the game within their own organization or community program and not use it for monetary gain.”
Because the program is all day, lunch, light snacks and refreshments will be provided.
For more information or to register, please call (780) 625-3287.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter