KITCHENER -- A new podcast is working to promote resiliency, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cecilia Marie-Roberts, the suicide prevention project lead for the Canadian Mental Health Association - Waterloo Wellington, and her team have launched a podcast series, called Stories4Hope.
“It's part of a larger project called Here4Hope, which is Wellington County's life-promotion, suicide-prevention project,” said Marie-Roberts.
The creators behind the podcast have a goal to inspire others to learn how to be resilient, especially during the pandemic.
“What do we need to bounce back when it’s not going well?” added Marie-Roberts. “And what do we need to keep in our life that really supports us to be strong?”
Podcast guests share a common them. Three out of the first four shows feature those who have lost a loved one by suicide.
“I have lost loved ones to suicide,” said podcast guest Jane Brown, who is also a peer navigator at CMHA Waterloo Wellington. “So when I hear others talk about how they’ve moved on with their lives after a loss to suicide, that’s inspiring to me.”
Author Wayne Simpson is another podcast guest. While he hasn’t lost a loved one to suicide, he says capturing photos and writing about those who have bounced back from traumatic events in his book Resilient the Portraiture has made him realize the importance of such stories.
“Quite honestly it has been life changing,” said Simpson. “I’m not the same person I was when I started on this book journey.”
Stories4Hope podcast launched last Friday.
It will also be part of a visual series that will be shared on Here4Hope’s social media channels this month.
