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St. Catharines, Port Dalhousie and Port Weller likely all have people who struggle with mental health challenges. Statistics tell us that 1 in 5 people are going to need mental health treatment at some point in their life. Since mental illness is so prevalent, communities need to have an effective, timely method in providing mental health care. Enter Peer Support. Peer support is a great add-on to existing mental health treatment. Peer support isn't counselling, but it does have incredible value in the way it reduces stress, especially when someone is in crisis. In peer support, the hurting person is introduced to a recovered peer, someone who can share their recovery story. This gives hope and confidence to the person who is struggling. Peer support is also helpful for people who are in between counselling appointments and who just need a listening ear. Peer support can lead to friendships. The more friendships people have, the happier they tend to be. These are the benefits of peer support. Every community has recovered peers, and it would be great if each community opened their own peer support centre. That is a big endeavour. How would you start generating interest in this? Enter radio. A community radio station is a great first step to create a core group of caring community members. Radio immediately let's struggling people know that others care. Behind the welcoming voice on the radio, they know there is a team of people waiting and ready to offer support. Instantly, the person realizes they aren't alone. Radio is a great way to introduce to the community people's recovery stories. It could also broadcast popular podcasts related to mental health. It could also broadcast well wishes from local people who care. And of course it could broadcast everyone's favourite - great music! Producing radio broadcasts is free! People in the community can take turns creating audio content that is uploaded to the station and programmed to play at certain times. It also provides an opportunity for people to host their own daily or weekly show. So much is possible with radio. It can be a real unifier for the community. If you're interested in helping out, let us know. We need a radio station manager, DJ's, administrative workers, people to host a 24 hour Zoom line. As people volunteer to do certain roles, we will
post their positions on this page. So start dreaming. How could you
help this great community endeavour?
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