World Suicide Prevention Day: Suicide-related contacts up 34% in 2021 Distress Centre introduces crisis text support September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day - a day to bring awareness to suicide prevention and end the stigma that surrounds the topic. We acknowledge what a difficult year it has been for many. If you [...]
COVID-19: 1 Year Later – Crisis Program Response One year of pandemic response at Distress Centre Calgary This is part one in our multi-part series exploring Distress Centre’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, one year after we first activated our business continuity plan and went remote for the safety of our staff and volunteers. It hasn’t been [...]
50 Stories Part 38: Teen Line Goes On-Line Image: Teen Line volunteer Christmas party in 2000. Read - 50 Stories Part 37 In 2005 the Distress Centre’s youth program was named one of the best youth volunteer programs in the city by Volunteer Calgary's Youth Council. Nevertheless, with the many advances in technology [...]
Image: Teen Line volunteers in 1996. Read - 50 Stories Part 27 The Teen Line was still going strong in 1990/91 with a new 264-TEEN phone number and almost 5000 calls being answered by 28 volunteers (average age 18.5). Public education delivered by staff and volunteers included youth and parent presentations, as well as school [...]
Read - 50 Stories Part 17 With its roots as a Drug Information Centre, Distress Centre has always had addiction support as a mandate. In September of 1990, as part of the desired expansion of services, there was a return to the use of young recovering addicts via the start-up of a new Youth Drug [...]
Image: Dakota Douglas, Crisis Team Lead, working remotely from home. As the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic became undeniable in March, the Distress Centre leadership team and Board had a decision to make. For the safety and health of our volunteers and staff, we decided to completely close our office on March 17th, 2020. Behind [...]
Pictured: The Distress Centre team at Outrun the Stigma 2019. This year marked the 7th annual Outrun the Stigma, a walk/run in support of mental health awareness with a mission to decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness. The event, which took place on October 6th, raised over $24,000 for our ConnecTeen youth program. In total, [...]
Distress Centre has responded to over 38,000 crisis calls, chats, texts and emails so far in 2019 (as of June 30th). Here are two stories highlighting the skill and compassion of our volunteers as they support a caller and a texter through crisis. Arnav Arnav called Distress Centre at 11:45 on a Thursday night. He [...]
This year marked the 6th annual Outrun the Stigma, a walk/run in support of mental health awareness with a mission to decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness. The event, which took place on October 21st, raised $94,650 for our ConnecTeen youth program. The total raised this year exceeds that of all previous years combined, and [...]
On Sunday, February 18, 2018, the Calgary Hitmen faced the Saskatoon Blades at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Hitmen unfortunately lost 1-5 against the Blades, but thousands of fans still enjoyed a great game and had a chance to learn about Calgary’s youth peer support service, ConnecTeen. ConnecTeen provides confidential peer support to Calgary teens by [...]
In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, Distress Centre Calgary would like to honour and acknowledge Moh’kinsstis, and the traditional Treaty 7 territory and oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. Finally, we acknowledge all Nations – Indigenous and non – who live, work and play on this land, and who honour and celebrate this territory.
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