Imagine Institute For Learning
#624, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square NW T5J 2V4 Edmonton, AB, Canada

After such an eventful year, we hope you find peace during the holidays. And in these restful moments, we hope you find time to do things that rekindle the hearth of your soul. Happy holidays from all of us at Imagine Institute for Learning and a happy New Year!

We may have been away from social media for a while, but just like all of you, we've been extremely busy behind the scenes. As a testament to this, our registration system has passed 10,000 registrations! Ten thousand people have attended Imagine Institute trainings and learning events in the last five years. TEN THOUSAND. For our tiny team, that's a major accomplishment. To celebrate, we reached out to our 10,000th registrant, Victoria Champion of Peace River, Alberta to se...nd her a celebratory gift and ask about her learning journey with Imagine: "I have taken quite a few courses through Imagine and have so much to say on mental health in our communities. ... Mental health is having good ways to deal with your feelings and how to enjoy life. Somewhere along the way society has seemed to scream that mental health matters, but no one talks about the skills necessary to achieve positive mental health, or wellness. Imagine Institute helps everyone to gain those skills. If they are a service provider teaching others, someone accessing services, or anyone really, the Imagine Institute allows people to thrive." We thank Victoria, and every single one of you, from the bottom of our hearts for being part of our Imagine family. To the next 10,000!

In our intersectional movement for healthier communities, fostering positive masculinity is key. Next Gen Men is a non-profit organization redefining what it means to 'be a man'. In their circle talk on November 19th at 5pm MST, they will discuss how traditional gender roles affect substance use in men. Join them in exploring how men are disproportionately impacted by substance use disorders and what we can do to change this at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/next-gen-men-circle-talks-mascu

You’ve been hearing about the Community Mental Health Learning Immersions, but what are they? Well, they are part of Alberta’s Community Mental Health Action Plan and they happen in two parts. The first part is called a Meet-Up. It’s an opportunity for community members to get together and talk about the unique strengths and challenges their community is facing in regards to mental health and mental health supports. Our amazing mental health facilitators, June and Launa, sha...re resources and participate in discussions with the group. They also facilitate planning for next steps and how to keep momentum going to make change that fits that unique community. It’s 100% community developed, driven, and implemented. (Part Two is the training day, more on that in a future post). Three meet-ups happened last week. A joint meet-up of North Rocky View County and Mountain View County. One for Peace River County and one in Lethbridge. Some in-person and some virtually. And they were AMAZING. There are no words to describe the incredible people in Alberta and how much they are willing to come together and make positive change. Participants are leaving with new friendships, new partnerships and new understandings. People are so stoked to come together and talk about something that unites us instead of what is pulling us apart. And we want you to be a part of this! There are more meet-ups happening soon, check out our website (https://imagineinstitute.ca/upcoming-sessions/) and look for your town/county to register. And if you don’t see your area represented, contact us so we can make it happen!

Love to see two of Imagine Institute's passions, early learning and care and trauma-informed care, coming together. A beautiful example of programs working in partnership to create something new and very much needed. "The daycare will provide wraparound services to address immediate needs and provide support. Staff will be equipped to assist children and families, including trauma counsellors, art therapists and other childhood experts, while the curriculum will be tailored to create a sense of safety and belonging." (If you've taken our Trauma-Informed Care training you know that some of this is also trauma-specific work, not only trauma-informed).

Want to learn more about mental health topics like loss and grief, trauma-informed care, and brain sciences and resilience? Our Community Mental Health Learning Immersions are coming up soon! Dates: October 28 November 7... November 19 These events are designed for community members to immerse themselves in increasing awareness about mental health in their communities and building a common language for talking about positive mental health practices. Choose the sessions that most interest you and learn alongside participants from across the province! Register at https://imagineinstitute.ca/upcoming-sessions/

Ever heard of The QUILTBAG? More than an adorable anagram for LGBTQIA+, the QUILTBAG is a retail shop carrying queer & trans wares in the community. They are a local store that celebrates our diversity. QUILTBAG is asking for support during their exciting move to Whyte avenue! Visit their site to shop and get 10% off with the code: MOVINON or contribute to their crowdfunding campaign at: https://thequiltbag.com/

We know we aren't the only ones who love data so we thought we better share. Children First Canada has released their third annual report on the top ten threats to Canadian children and they've done an amazing job at linking in how they suspect COVID-19 will impact each one. The whole report is worth checking out, but here is the list for your quick reference: 1. Unintentional and preventable injuries 2. Poor mental health... 3. Child abuse 4. Poverty 5. Infant mortality 6. Physical inactivity 7. Food insecurity 8. Systemic racism and discrimination 9. Vaccine-preventable illnesses 10. Bullying See more