Overview:
A Peer Supporter with Badge of Life Canada plays a crucial role in providing emotional and psychological support to Public Safety Personnel (police officers, firefighters, paramedics, correctional officers, nurses, military personnel) and their families who are experiencing operational stress injuries (OSI) such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Peer Supporters create a safe, confidential, and empathetic space for individuals to share their experiences, challenges, and feelings without judgment. Through lived experience and understanding, they help others navigate mental health challenges, build resilience, and find a path to recovery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Offer Emotional Support: Provide a non-judgmental and compassionate environment for individuals to express their feelings and challenges.
• Active Listening: Use active listening skills to understand the concerns of participants, ensuring they feel heard and validated.
• Share Lived Experience: Draw upon personal experiences in the public safety or military field (or from supporting a loved one in this field) to connect with participants, offering hope and encouragement.
• Promote Mental Wellness Resources: Help participants access additional mental health resources and services as needed, including therapy, counseling, and Badge of Life Canada’s educational programs.
• Confidentiality: Maintain the confidentiality of all discussions and interactions in accordance with Badge of Life Canada's policies.
• Collaborate with Professionals: Work closely with mental health professionals, facilitators, and the Badge of Life Canada team to ensure participants receive the best possible support.
• Provide Crisis Intervention: Recognize signs of crisis in participants and, if necessary, escalate the situation to appropriate professionals for further intervention.

Training and Support:
Badge of Life Canada provides comprehensive training to all Peer Supporters. Our training program equips you with the tools and skills needed to effectively support individuals dealing with operational stress injuries. This includes training in:

• Active listening techniques
• Crisis intervention and de-escalation
• Recognizing signs of OSI and PTSD
• Confidentiality and ethical boundaries
• Best practices for peer support in a public safety context

Ongoing support and supervision will be provided to ensure Peer Supporters have access to guidance and resources while serving in their roles.

Qualifications:

• Lived experience as a Public Safety Personnel, military member, or as a family member of someone in these roles.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to actively listen.
• Empathy, patience, and a non-judgmental attitude.
• Commitment to confidentiality and ethical standards.
• Willingness to participate in all required training sessions.

Commitment:
Peer Supporters are asked to dedicate time to facilitate or participate in peer support meetings, either virtually or in person, on a regular basis (typically weekly or bi-weekly). Flexibility in schedule is important, as meetings may vary depending on participant needs.

Impact:
As a Peer Supporter with Badge of Life Canada, you will play a vital role in helping individuals and families cope with the challenges of operational stress injuries. Your support can make a meaningful difference in their mental health journey, providing them with hope, strength, and a path toward healing.

Help us keep kids close to home! Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions is looking for Foster Care Providers! 
 
Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions is a Child Welfare (Simcoe & Muskoka) and Children’s Mental Health (Muskoka only) agency licensed by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. We support children, youth, families and communities with multiple services including fostering for children and youth up to 18 years old.  
 
Our agency has an urgent need for foster care providers across Simcoe and Muskoka. We are looking for diverse caregivers who understand children’s needs. Children & Youth lose so much when they have to leave their community. Foster caregivers provide a safe home and a temporary solution for children and youth, while their families make the changes needed for them to come back home. 
 
Would you consider opening your home and heart to providing care to youth and children? Fostering can be challenging, but it’s a very rewarding career. You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference in the life of a child. Fostering can be flexible and fit in with your lifestyle! 
 
We encourage all applicants to apply regardless of sex, gender, marital status, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, orientation or religion.  
 
Our application process, training and support will prepare you for your fostering journey. We find that all successful foster parents believe that the rewards of fostering, including building strong, loving relationships that last a lifetime, far outweigh the challenges involved. We offer a rate of $85/$155 a day per child to help support the cost of raising healthy, happy children and youth. Please inquirer today!
 
We look forward to hearing from you! Please share with anyone you think might be interested!

Across the country, the Gutsy Walk is made possible due to the time and talents shared by thousands of volunteers in their communities. With a collective goal to deliver our mission of finding a cure for Crohn's and colitis, we are greatly appreciative and thankful for our volunteers who have continuously led the Gutsy Walk to success each year.

As a Gutsy Walk Planning Committee Member, you’ll be working closely with a team of other volunteers to plan and promote your local Gutsy Walk. Your efforts in connecting and engaging your community—whatever your volunteer role with Gutsy Walk—will make a big impact in raising awareness about IBD and finding cures.
In particular, we’re looking for volunteers to support their local Gutsy Walk in the following ways:

• Community Outreach –inspire people to sign up and participate in the local Gutsy Walk
• Media Relations –connect with local media outlets to promote the Gutsy Walk
• Social Media –raise awareness about IBD and the Gutsy Walk through social media
• Fundraising –organize exciting fundraisers in your community
• Corporate Sponsorship –engage with local businesses to promote donations of sponsorship and gifts in kind
• Stewardship –build relationships with Gutsy Walk participants and encourage engagement

Help Senior Wish expand into Simcoe County to ensure that no senior is left isolated, alone and feeling like society has forgotten them. Help is especially needed to prepare for our Christmas Wish program starting in Sept.