WHAT’S NEW

April is the Month of the Military Child

The Month of the Military Child is a time set aside to recognize the unique and often unseen role children play as they stand beside their parents in service.

Growing up in a military Family can include profound challenges alongside meaningful strengths and opportunities, including belonging, integrity, compassion and acceptance of each other.

We invite you to visit our campaign page to read and hear first-hand accounts from adult children of Veterans. These stories are often raw and deeply emotional stories of adversity, difficulty and the resilience that forms as a result.

International Women’s Day 2026

Each year on March 8, we mark International Women’s Day — a time to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and reaffirm our commitment to advancing the rights of all women and girls. At Atlas, we proudly honour all women, especially current and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), as well as the women in Families who stand beside those who have served. Your strength and sacrifices continue to empower future generations.

Amplifying lived experiences and supporting the well-being of women is a priority at Atlas. Through initiatives like the Athena Project, we are advancing responsive research and meaningful connections to support women Veterans.

A presence at the table — and the podium: Why Veteran voices matter in research

In a new Perspectives blog post, read an interview with Corporal (Ret’d) Sarah Lefurgey, an RCMP Veteran who has been deeply engaged in Veteran and Family research since retiring from the Force.

Throughout her journey, Sarah has moved from learning and listening to helping to shape research that is relevant, meaningful and embedded in lived experience. She reflects on finding her voice, building confidence and why she believes research is strongest when Veterans are actively involved and not just studied.

COMMUNITY CORNER

St. John’s listening tour

In St. John’s, NL, community isn’t just a word — it’s a way of life. Team Atlas had the pleasure of connecting with many special people and organizations who wholly embody that spirit during last month’s listening tour, not only in the way they extended a warm welcome to the team, but in the way they support Veterans and Families.

While we were there, we met with organizations including:

• End Homelessness program, a Veteran homelessness initiative
• The local Military Family Resource Centre, where we were able to attend their community coffee morning and connect with local Veterans and Families
• Major Layden, Commanding Officer of 5^th Canadian Division Support Group Garrison St. John’s
• Canna Connect
• Local Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) peer support coordinators

The organizations and programs we met with spoke highly of one another and the ways they work together to ensure Veterans and Families are well-supported. We left feeling inspired to continue strengthening these connections and look forward to returning — perhaps when St. John’s decides to show off its summer side instead of its famous winter chill!

22 Wing Mental Health & Wellness Exposition

Team Atlas was honoured to participate in the recent 22 Wing Mental Health & Wellness Exposition in North Bay, ON. We extend our sincere gratitude to 22 Wing North Bay for creating this space for conversations about mental health in the Veteran community, including the panel discussion on how social media impacts mental wellness. We always appreciate reconnecting with familiar faces and making some new connections as well!

EVENTS AND TRAINING

SELF-PACED TRAINING

FEATURED RESOURCE

Guide for supporting Veterans with problematic anger

Supporting problematic anger in the Veteran community takes the right tools — both for Veterans and Families, and for the service providers who work with them.

The Atlas Institute, in partnership with Phoenix Australia, has co-developed a guide for supporting Veterans experiencing problematic anger. Created with input from people with lived experience from the Veteran and Family community, this resource is designed to enhance the existing expertise of service providers who work with Veterans and Families, and support effective responses to anger-related challenges.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Study participation opportunity for RCMP Veterans: Thriving after service

As Atlas wraps up the Thriving after service study, we are looking for additional RCMP participants. This study seeks to understand what makes people feel happy, connected and fulfilled in all aspects of life, and how it compares to the Veteran experience. Our aim is to identify the factors associated with flourishing and positive mental health, with the goal of providing important insights on how best to promote Veteran mental health and well-being. The results will inform the development of resources and help improve programs and services to foster flourishing and thriving among Veterans in all aspects of their lives.

Participants don’t need to feel like they are thriving to participate.

If you are an RCMP Veteran, we invite you to participate! The survey takes about 60 minutes to complete. It can either be completed in one or multiple sittings, as your browser will remember your spot and allow you to come back.

If you are not an RCMP Veteran, but know someone who is, please consider sharing this survey with them. Your help in sharing this survey with your friends and Family can increase the reach and impact of the study.

Seeking women in the process of transitioning from the military for a study on women’s well-being in post-service life

Women’s experiences in the CAF can be different from those of men, and their experiences during the transition to post-military life may come with a unique set of challenges. Atlas is conducting a study on the experiences of women during their transition from the military to post-service life. This study aims to identify some of the critical factors that impact transition and generate evidence needed to inform how programs and supports for women are designed.

If you are a woman currently in the process of transitioning from the CAF, we want to hear from you! You can participate by completing an online survey that should take approximately 45 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and anonymous.

Please help us spread the word by sharing this information with your networks.

Stories that INSPIRE

Stories that INSPIRE is a storytelling- and film-based research project led by Dr. Jenny Liu at the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre. The project is funded by the Atlas Institute and supported by Mental Health Research Canada. The project invited CAF Veterans to share deeply personal accounts of transitioning out of military service, capturing both the challenges of social isolation and loneliness and the strength found through resilience and community.

Drawing on interviews with Veterans from diverse backgrounds, service histories and transition experiences, the project highlights common emotional and social challenges following release, including loss of camaraderie, identity and belonging. It also emphasizes the healing role of peer support, purpose and reconnection.

Produced in collaboration with RADAR (Recovery Advocacy Documentary Action Research), the resulting film brings these stories to life with honesty and care, translating research into an accessible, human-centred tool for connection, education and advocacy.

This work sits within a broader, ongoing program of research examining the complex transition out of military service. The INSPIRE program is conducted in collaboration with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and supported by multiple funders, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans. VAC recently confirmed that the Stories that INSPIRE video will be adopted as an official onboarding tool for their employees, across all platforms, in both English and French. This milestone reflects the real-world uptake of Veteran-led storytelling and knowledge mobilization and highlights the strength of partnerships that support meaningful impact beyond the research context.

PARTNERSHIP AND STAKEHOLDER SPOTLIGHT

Swiss Implementation Science Conference

Members of the Implementation team recently represented the Atlas Institute at the fourth annual Swiss Implementation Science Conference in Zurich, Switzerland. Centred on the theme “True IMPACT — Delivering innovation for patients and the public,” the conference focused on the translation of international research into clinical practice.

Atlas staff also presented an oral presentation titled, “Unpacking the implementation of written exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder to strengthen mental health services: A scoping review,” to an audience of researchers and health care providers.

Participating in this conference helped further support our capacity and reinforce our commitment to providing service providers with specialized tools and strategies to support the unique well-being of Veterans and their Families.

COMMEMORATIONS CALENDAR

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