Team Rubicon
Team Rubicon is one of the recipients of the 2021 Bell True Patriot Love Fund. Below they’ve answered some questions to help us learn a little more about their program, what they hope to achieve, and what they aim to do with the funding provided.
1. Tell me a little bit about your organization and its mission.
Team Rubicon Canada serves communities by mobilizing Veterans to continue their service, leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises.
2. Can you describe your program in 3-4 sentences, including outlined objectives the program aims to achieve?
As part of our mental health and wellness support to our Veteran leaders and with support from the True Patriot Love Foundation, Team Rubicon Canada will be running a Mental Health First Aid and Veteran Resiliency Project. This project will see two streams of mental health and wellness support that will result in lifelong positive impacts on Veterans and their families, and ultimately the communities they serve.
This support will help us create a long-term partnership between the organization and the volunteers where members can “plug and play” as their personal needs and situations in life dictate. While no two Veterans are alike and the needs of the entire population span a full spectrum, we believe that through continued service and a supportive network of peers, Veterans can navigate the process of self-realization and own the narrative of their transition.
3. What is the desired outcome of your program and its impact on the Veteran and military community?
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) will continue to build on our existing efforts to support Veteran wellness by offering training to our leaders. Prior funding from the Bell TPL Fund has allowed us to train 60 Greyshirts (Veterans) in MHFA and 1 MHFA instructor who instructs in-house. This program has been a tremendous asset to our Veterans and has enabled us to build our Peer Support Leaders. We plan on offering this course in Ontario beginning in Q1 of 2022 and training 60 more volunteers in MHFA.
Veteran Resilience Project a new initiative that includes an intensive, service-based program that will help foster and grow a thriving community of Veteran emergency management leaders, empowering them to own the narrative of their transition and integration into civilian life. This intensive eight-week group experience will see cohorts of 12 Team Rubicon Veterans immersed in guided discussions, focused on self-awareness, resilience and peer support. With thought-provoking discussions and service projects to explore purpose, community and identity, this program will equip Canada’s Warriors with the tools and community to navigate the difficult times of transition and beyond.
4. What does this grant from the Bell True Patriot Love Fund mean to you?
Team Rubicon Canada is beyond excited to be funded by the True Patriot Love Foundation. Our organizations have been working together since 2017 to positively impact the lives of Veterans and their families. We are excited to be reaching new Veterans and growing this support.
