Wounded Warriors Canada
Wounded Warriors Canada 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:
Wounded Warriors Canada (WWC) is a national mental health service provider specializing in group-based, residential trauma therapy programs for injured Veterans, First Responders and their family members. We also provide Trauma Informed Workplace Training, which is geared towards helping make trauma exposure management a new professional standard for uniformed service personnel. Our mission is to create an environment of compassion, resiliency and hope for Veterans, First Responders and their families.
2. Can you describe your program in 3-4 sentences, including outlined objectives the program aims to achieve?
Our Warrior Kids Virtual and Camp programs have been designed for children exposed to the secondary effects of trauma as a result of a Veteran or First Responder parent struggling with the effects of operational stress injuries. The program has been developed using evidence-informed strategies and is clinically facilitated. Children aged 9-16 learn about the importance of mental health, normalize stigma associated with operational stress in the family, develop creative ways to cope with stress related to their unique family context, and build social connections with other peers. The programs provide hands-on, experiential learning where participants get an opportunity to express their feelings using clay, paint, mindfulness breathing, yoga and a session at a ranch to learn about how animals deal with anxiety.
3. What is the desired outcome of your program and its impact on the Veteran and military community?
- Reduce social isolation by creating a safe and supportive network of peers living within similar family contexts.
- Normalize mental health and operational stress injuries within families through supporting healthy communication strategies and age-appropriate learning.
- Provide support to help children thrive in their daily life through identifying creative, personalized strategies to cope with stress within their unique family situations.
4. What does this grant from the Bell True Patriot Love Fund mean to you?
The funding associated with our partnership allows us to expand our capability to deliver the program nationally at a time where it has been needed more than ever before as a result of the global pandemic.
