November 2022 Newsletter
Don’t wait until the fourth Thursday in November, to sit with family and friends to give thanks. Make every day a day of Thanksgiving!
Charmaine J. Forde
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Silen Wellington - LGBTQ+ Outreach Coordinator
Silen Wellington (they/he) is sculptor of sound, artist of people, genderqueer shapeshifter, mercurial name collector, restless poet, and storyteller, among other things. They found their way to wholeness and self-love through mostly "alternative" means, namely— guided rites of passage journeys, performance art, unhinged-unfettered-unapologetic dance, and connections with fiercely humble Elders & mentors who shared some of Silen's marginalized identities.
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Silen serves as the LGBTQ+ Outreach Coordinator for the Alliance, and & their work involves training and consulting others on LGBTQ+ inclusivity, advocacy with school districts, and direct peer support work. Silen is endlessly grateful to have found their way to peer support work, and considers it a great honor to hold space for people in the thresholds of suicidality, and especially to witness LGBTQ+ youth in their journeys of becoming.
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Kiera Butler - Grief Services Specialist aka Grief Lady
Kiera’s passion for mental health grew after struggling with her own mental health and losing her best friend to suicide as a young teen. Finding healing through therapy, group support, and connection, she went on to get her undergrad from CSU in Clinical and Counseling Psychology. She began working at ASP in 2019 as the Youth Program Facilitator and found her passion for helping others in grief and became the Grief Specialist in 2020.
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She is now working to get her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Naropa University concentrating in Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology. She enjoys connecting with adolescents through coaching cheerleading and being a peer mentor for teens struggling with addiction. In her free time, she loves to meditate, hand balance, listen to live music, workout, study herbal medicine, and spend time outdoors with her partner and 10 year old chocolate lab. Kiera’s superpower is being a Phoenix, because she helps people rise from the ashes and bring light to the darkness.
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Teen Self Care Fair Recap
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We would like to give a BIG thank you to everyone that helped with the Teen Self Care Fair, especially the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery for hosting and allowing everyone free entry that day! We had over 400 teens and adults join us for this amazing event! Throughout the day we had teen sessions that included: yoga/meditation, ariel skills, medieval longswords, music, poetry, dancing, art, creating your own super hero, and therapy dogs. There were also adult trainings where you were taught impactful skills that can help support your teen and their mental health.
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We had many different resource booths throughout the museum and the big back yard that provided information about mental health in our community and fun activities to be apart of! This is a space where teens can be themselves, feel comfortable talking about mental health, and find new skills and / or activities that bring them joy!
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We were able to provide all attendees and staff with a free lunch from Fork Yeah! There was a giveaway for the teens that included some awesome skateboards and we gave out self care kits as the event came to a close. Again, we want to thank everyone for making this event so special. We are looking forward to making this event happen every year!
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BrainChange is an Ignite-style night of short stories with a twist: you get $5 in quarters when you arrive. Each time you hear delightful speakers like me share an idea that makes you laugh, feel, or think - put a quarter in the coin bank on your table and shake it.
At the end of the night, the quarters in every coin bank are donated to Imagine Zero to make a real impact on our community one idea and one story at a time. Only 50 tickets are available, get 'em while they last: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/440628440527 |
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Please join us for International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day on Saturday, November 19th from 1:00pm - 3:00pm at Elevations Credit Union Community Room (2nd floor).
This will be a time to connect with other survivors in the community, honor your grief journey, and remember your loved one(s). We will have a guest speaker talking about their grief journey, a group connection, grief activities, and resources available throughout the day. Light snacks, water, and tea will be available.
To register for this event, please click here
Please reach out to Jordyn at admin@suicideprevent.org if you have any questions about this event. |
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Upcoming Groups for Teens
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Upcoming Groups for Adults
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Yarrow Collective and The BIPOC Alliance present to all of you a new peer support group for BIPOC members called Unity in Community. We are offering a sacred space for quiet, reflection, connection, and permission to be, when we find ourselves no longer wanting to continue on, having or had thoughts of suicide or feeling disconnected.
This group is going to be held by a collective of trained facilitators of diverse lineages and lived experience. Facilitators will hold space for those needing connection and community in English every other Tuesday starting July 19th, and on the following dates August 2nd, August 16th, August 30th, and so on.
We offer this sacred space for quiet, reflection, connection, and permission to be. Find more information in bit.ly/BIPOCUnityInCommunity or at https://www.yarrowcollective.org/
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Con The BIPOC Alliance vamos a ofrecer un espacio sagrado para la tranquilidad, la reflexión, la conexión y el permiso para ser. Presentamos ¡Unidad en Comunidad! Un nuevo grupo de apoyo entre pares para BIPOC donde la comunidad puede sanar en momentos de angustia y desconexión.
Este grupo va a ser sostenido por un colectivo de facilitadores capacitados de diversos linajes y experiencias vividas. Los facilitadores mantendrán el espacio para aquellos que necesitan conexión y comunidad en inglés cada dos martes a partir del 19 de julio, y en español cada dos domingos a partir del 24 de julio.
Ofrecemos este espacio sagrado para la tranquilidad, la reflexión, la conexión y el permiso para ser.
Encuentra más información en bit.ly/BIPOCUnidadEnComunidad y yarrowCollective.org
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What is Happening in our Community
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November 7th, 5:30-7:30pm at Fort Collins Donut Company -- Free poetry workshop with Fort Collins' very own, very queer Poet Laureate, Ally Eden. New to poetry? No problem. Prolific writer? Yas Queen. Poet-curious? Come see for yourself! Join us for a fun evening of co-writing, games, tips, and tricks. Bring something to write with! Hosted by SPLASH NoCo Youth & the Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
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Join Yarrow Collective for a Peer Support Orientation Training on December 6th from 9am-1pm, hosted in Fort Collins. This training is open to people already working in peer support roles, newly hired in peer roles, or considering entering peer support work. By peers, we mean people who have lived experience with a psychiatric diagnosis, trauma, extreme states, houselessness, oppression, problems with substances, and other life-interrupting challenges.
In this 4-hour orientation, you will learn:
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The history and context of peer support as an intersectional, social justice movement
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The principles, values, and tasks of peer support
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What peer support is not, and maintaining role integrity in clinical settings
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The importance of having a peer-to-peer community to continue to learn, grow, and build expertise together
This workshop, hosted by Ashleigh Jones & Silen Wellington, provides a foundation to peer support work based on the Intentional Peer Support model, and also provides opportunities for people working in peer roles to connect with a community of peers for ongoing reflection and learning together.
RSVP on Yarrow's website here. Questions, email: info@yarrowcollective.org
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