Journey to Hope Moose Jaw is a grassroots group that grew from a suicide loss support group in 2008, and has grown to sponsor community initiatives such as mental health screening, suicide awareness and prevention training, and a strong youth chapter in local schools.
The group shares a founder with Square One Community, Inc. in local activist Della Ferguson. That connection means the Journey to Hope Youth Chapter (J2HYC) is eager to help support Square One’s recent success in finding a location to establish a women’s shelter and warm-up space.
“Basically, Journey 2 Hope is about coming together as a community to spread suicide awareness and suicide prevention awareness and to try and spread hope,” explained Aidyn Adkins. Adkins is a passionate member of the J2H youth chapter who is learning leadership and lends her graphic design talents to the group.
The J2HYC is comprised of students from Central Collegiate, Peacock Collegiate, and Riverview Collegiate. Titled “Hope Ambassadors,” members of the youth chapter have led projects such as their Community Arts Festival, the Journey to Hope mosaic mural in Crescent Park, individual school projects in support of the unhoused, and open mic gatherings.
Last year, Journey to Hope arranged for Canadian hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser to give virtual presentations to every student in both the Prairie South and Holy Trinity school divisions.
MooseJawToday.com spoke with Adkins and her fellow J2HYC members at Square One’s Walk for Warmth on March 9. The group feels their causes are closely related, as offering people hope and healing resources at their lowest moments is one of J2H’s core tenets.
“Journey 2 Hope helped raise money for Square One by selling cupcakes,” Adkins said, “and then we’re also doing an Open Mic Night, and we’ll be donating the funds we make from that to help Square One establish a women’s shelter and a warming shelter.”
The Open Mic Night is scheduled for Thursday, March 16 at The Hive Espresso Bar on Main Street. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for stories, poetry, songs, readings, and more.
“It’s a little heavy to be constantly doing anti-suicide stuff only with these young people,” explained Kerri Binetruy, a J2HYC teacher liaison at Central. “So, sometimes they come up with other events to bring hope and positivity to the community, and that’s something our kids just jump at and get right behind.
“The Open Mic Night is student-led, it’s going to be student-emceed, and quite a few of our students have committed to sharing and presenting, so it’s kind of their baby.”
Binetruy said the J2HYC counts around 30 student members between the three schools. The things they learn as members of the chapter are essential — despite the seriousness, grief, and sadness of the topic.
“We have lots of good stuff going on as far as trying to teach kids that mental health is not a topic to shy away from,” Binetruy added. “You need to know how to support and help people and connect them with proper resources when they’re in danger, and that keeping secrets is not a good idea and it’s OK to talk about these things.
“I think the youth are much better than adults these days at not pigeonholing people who are struggling with their mental health. We could learn a lot from them, in my opinion.”
