Project 11 and Hockey

As some readers will know, 10 years ago my late husband, Michael committed suicide. To say it was life changing would be an understatement.

Six years ago, I met Stu. Equally as life changing, in a vastly more enjoyable way.

Stu is Canadian and played ice hockey for many years. On a recent trip to Winnipeg we attended two NHL games. I am not into sports, but I became enthralled with the game and haven’t missed one since.

Yesterday, our team, the Winnipeg Jets played the Arizona Coyotes in the annual Hockey Talks game. This game strives to deepen the conversation around mental wellness, through the amazing work of True North Youth Foundation’s Project 11.

Project 11

Project 11 was founded in honour of Rick Rypien. Rick died by suicide in 2011. He was a Winnipeg Jets/Manitoba Moose player who was generous and tenacious and loved kids. He held hockey development camps for kids in his hometown. He also suffered from depression, and was a very staunch mental health advocate.

Rick’s dream was to be able to help kids so they didn’t have to suffer as he had. He believed allowing the space for a conversation could make a difference. That normalising dialogue around mental health would give kids the language and opportunity to share their problems, their feelings and their experiences.

I first encountered Project 11 when I met my in-laws for the first time. Our niece, Holly, gave me a Project 11 badge, as a welcome gift. She explained what the project was. Without saying it directly, I knew my new family understood my journey and felt supported and accepted.

True North Youth Foundation.

True North Youth Foundation began developing a program in 2012. In 2013 a group of teachers, wellness professionals and educators came together to write an in-school program for middle school kids. This was followed by a program for kindergarten to year 4 kids in both French and English. The program is now available for kindergarten-year 12 children in English and French..

Currently, Project 11 is working with around 75,000 children, mostly in Manitoba, Canada. The purpose of the program is to offer free, proactive mental wellness training. The project teaches kids to build classroom community through personal connection and encourages compassion and empathy among students. Project 11 connects the kids with a positive mental health curriculum, through focusing and meditation, increasing self awareness of feelings and strengths, and building positive relationships.

Hockey Talks

Hockey Talks is an NHL (National Hockey League) initiative started in 2013 by the Vancouver Canucks. Rick Rypien had also played for the Canucks. It started with only 7 teams joining, but now has 18 teams involved. Each team hosts a home game in February which is dedicated to sharing resources and breaking the stigma around mental health.

The Players.

The players from the Winnipeg Jets and the Manitoba Moose are involved in delivering the program in schools. These guys are very popular sports people. The project is a dual team effort and I am sure the kids are so excited when the players are in their classroom. I believe the players also work one-on-one with some of the students.

Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck is the Jets’ goalie. He is also a dad. This year he has co-authored a flip children’s book. One side is called “There’s Something Wrong with Weasel” and the other is “Bucky Beats the Blues”. He has noticed an improvement in his own mental health since becoming involved in the conversation. The book has lots of Jets’ appeal and information like Kid’s Help Line numbers.

The book was given to all grade 2 students involved in Project 11. It can also be bought from the Jets’ Gear stores. The cost is $11.37 CAN. The 11 for Rick Rypien and the 37 is Hellebuyck’s number.

Read more about Project 11 here.