Suicide Awareness Walk put on by Portage students on Friday

A group of Portage College students are looking to shed light on an important subject related to mental health.

Cold Lakers are encouraged to show up for a Suicide Awareness Walk on Friday night to raise hope and keep memories alive for those who have died from suicide.

Alena Morozov, Sharonna Cook, Luxmanan Kulasiangam and Niranjan Wickramage hope to have people participate in the 2KM walk.

“We know in rural communities the suicide rate is high,” Wickramage told Lakeland Connect. “There are reasons that contribute to this. One of them is less mental health resources, and there are lots of stigmas related to mental health.

“So in our community development class, as a group project, we decided to educate people in the community about suicide, and why we should talk about it, and how to seek help for those who are suffering.”

The walk kicks off at 5:30PM at the Cold Lake Energy Centre and will go along the Millennium Trail.

After the walk, participants will return to the student section in the school to enjoy pizza, coffee, but they’ll also have the chance to reflect.

A memory wall stands where you can write a loved one’s name, leave an anecdote, or a picture of those who died by suicide.

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