The inspiration behind celebrating northern successes, came from youth around northern Saskatchewan at a networking event where they talked about being tired of seeing only negative things in the news about northern Saskatchewan communities. The idea to “celebrate” northern successes was about more than just positive news; it became a theme of cooperation, resilience, community and connecting people. The youth wanted other communities, other northerners, other youth and the province of Saskatchewan to see what they were proud of in their community
Originally, this was going to be an in person event, but Covid-19 and the pandemic had other ideas. We held our first Northern Successes Showcase in June 2021, with 60 nominations across northern Saskatchewan. The Embracing Life leadership team had decided to honor all 60 nominees, as they were amazing bright stars in communities working diligently to continue to do good work at tough times.
Northern Successes Showcase will be an annual event that takes place in the Spring to recognize the positive and impactful work taking place in northern Saskatchewan by residents, community and northern agencies.
Below is the awards and criteria for the Northern Successes Showcase:
| Awards | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Youth Action Council Award | This award is given to the community youth council that is active within your community promoting positive programming for youth |
| Community Champion Award - 2 Categories | This person goes above and beyond, outside of their job, volunteering in the community for the betterment of the community. This volunteer is passionate, hardworking and positive. This person goes above and beyond, outside of their job, volunteering in cultural/traditional activities for the betterment of the community. This volunteer is passionate, hardworking and positive. |
| Youth Role Model - 2 Categories | This young person 14-17 excels in their community through cultural/art activities. They demonstrate commitment, work ethic and leadership. This youth models great skills for other youth around them. This young person 14-17 excels in their community through sports/rec activities. They demonstrate commitment, work ethic and leadership. This youth models great skills for other youth around them. |
| Northern Project Award | A project that has helped change or shape a community. The response to this event has created positive wellness changes within and has promoted healthy lifestyles for people in your community. |
| Youth Mentor Award | This person actively works with the youth, for youth. They are a mentor that engages and empowers youth to be positive, active and good community members. This person consistently goes above and beyond for our younger generations |
| Embracing Life Advocate Award | A person who has worked very hard in Embracing life to continue the vision of community mobilization, community wellness and suicide prevention. |
| Non-profit/Community Group Award | A non-profit or community group that has helped change or shape a community. The group has created positive wellness changes and has promoted healthy lifestyles for people in your community. |
Find Embracing Life’s downloadable materials here.
Daily Affirmations Printable
Safety Plan Printable
Natural Supports Poster
Youth Voice Toolkit- Embracing Life
Embracing Life created a fully youth-made toolkit, based on the feedback from the Youth Voice Project, including surveys, sharing circles, and interviews. Embracing Life believes in the importance of the youth voice — in amplifying it and including it in all facets of the initiative — for youth to share their visions, thoughts, and solutions to the problems they see in their everyday lives.
Prevention – Suicide is a real issue that tends to get swept under the carpet. One of our goals is to provide people with the tools they need to get help and help others.
Awareness – Some people think that if you talk about suicide, it will encourage suicide behaviors. This isn’t true. Talking about suicide and removing the stigma could save a life! There are many mental health and suicide prevention resources available to the public, but not everyone is aware of them. This toolkit contains information on helpful resources, as well as strategies for helping and getting help on a more personal level.
Promotion – Promotion and awareness help increase protective factors and knowledge about where to go for help, which is crucial for suicide prevention.
Intervention – One of the purposes of this toolkit is to provide the skills and knowledge to equip people — especially youth — to have conversations about mental health and suicide. These conversations can actually be the starting point of an intervention.