HOCKEY TALKS , PROJECT 11 SHOW REMARKABLE GROWTH
BY SCOTT TAYLOR
RICK RYPIEN
PROJECT 11 STUDENTS
For Dwayne Green , the executive director of the True North Youth Foundation , the growth of Project 11 is somewhat difficult to fathom .
One of three major programs operated by the Youth Foundation , Project 11 was an undertaking inspired and then created in honour of former Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose player , Rick Rypien .
As the Canadian teams in the National Hockey League set aside February for the annual Hockey Talks initiative -- a collective effort , with each of the Canadian NHL clubs dedicating one of their game nights to bringing awareness to the topic of mental health – Green and Project 11 ’ s Director of Educational Programs , Suzi Friesen , continue to provide Manitoba teachers with a remarkable program dedicated to educating students about mental health .
However , for Green , the fast , steady and significant growth of the program has almost become overwhelming and he quickly credits Friesen for the work she ’ s done all over the province .
“ We ’ re pretty excited about this program ,” said Green . “ Last year , we piloted the program across the province and placed it into 86 grades 5 & 6 classrooms .
“ This year , we ’ re involved with 36 school divisions and more than 400 classrooms . We ’ ve spread to more schools in Northern Manitoba , along with some First Nation communities and Winnipeg private schools . We ’ ve partnered with Healthy Child Manitoba to help us collect data on the program and analyze them and we ’ ve found that not only do the lessons empower kids , but they empower the teachers , as well .”
Project 11 is an engaging cross-curricular prevention program targeting Manitoba ’ s English Language Arts and Physical Education / Health Education outcomes . The project provides weekly lessons and daily activities that have been designed to help support both students and teachers while bringing mental health awareness , along with positive coping skills into their lives .