WHAT’S NEW

Finding joy this holiday season

The holiday season often brings a sense of joy and a time to cherish togetherness, reflect on shared memories and find comfort in the love and support of community. However, this is not the reality for everyone. For some Veterans and their Families, the holidays may be a difficult time.

Visit our holiday campaign page to explore the meaning of joy, learn strategies to help manage challenging feelings and browse resources for Veterans and Families.

Share your feedback on Atlas Navigator

We are pleased to share that December marks the sixth issue of Atlas Navigator, our monthly newsletter dedicated to keeping the Veteran and Family community informed, engaged and connected. Each edition is designed to summarize the latest updates from the Atlas Institute related to the mental health and well-being of Veterans and their Families.

We greatly value feedback from the community to ensure the newsletter remains user-friendly and focused on the topics that are important to you. We invite you to share your thoughts by completing a survey. Your feedback will help shape future editions of Atlas Navigator!

Exploring identity and culture with Métis Veteran Shauna Mulligan

Corporal (Ret’d) Shauna Mulligan, a Métis Veteran of the Canadian Army Reserve, joined Brian and Laryssa to reflect on her personal journey of understanding her identity and cultural heritage and the challenges of integrating them into her military career. They discuss the significance of relationship-building within Indigenous communities and the intersections of Métis heritage and military culture. Listen as they explore:

• The significance of Veterans at powwows and their sacred roles
• The purpose and deeper meaning of land acknowledgements
• Shauna’s military journey and challenges around the recognition of her Indigenous identity
• The emotional aspects of transitioning from military to post-service life

Canada’s daughter: The story of Captain Nichola Goddard

On May 17, 2006, Captain Nichola Goddard was killed in a firefight in Afghanistan. She was the first Canadian artillery officer since the Korean War to call in support fire. She was also the first Canadian officer to be killed in the Afghan conflict.

In the years following her death, monuments have been created across Canada in honour of her life and legacy. In a new blog post, Nichola’s mother Sally highlights the importance of remembering the ultimate sacrifice made by Nichola and 157 other Canadian soldiers in the Afghan conflict. She reflects on who Nichola was outside of her role in the Canadian Armed Forces and the defining qualities that made her who she was as a soldier and as a person.

COMMUNITY CORNER

Shilo Symposium

Members of the Atlas team were fortunate to attend the Shilo Military Family Resource Centre’s symposium on October 23. The team enjoyed connecting with Veterans, currently serving members and their Families, who stopped by our table to learn more about who we are and what we do at Atlas.

Community members expressed their interest in some of our resources that are meaningful to them, such as our suite of informational resources aimed at helping both Veterans and Veteran Family members navigate the topic of suicide, which includes practical guidance toolkits and a conversation guide. They were also eager to learn more about MindKit, a mental health hub and toolkit for young Family members of Canadian Veterans living with a posttraumatic stress injury.

Thanks for having us, Shilo!

EVENTS AND TRAINING

January 23 – 24, 2025 — Veteran Family Summit

Our third annual Veteran Family summit is fast approaching, with only two short months to secure your spot! The summit is a chance to connect, learn from each others’ experiences and hear from service providers about topics that are important to you, including:

• The journey of adult children from Canadian military Families
• The untold experiences of parents of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans with operational stress injuries
• An overview of common sleep issues, treatments and ”myths”
• Parenting with posttraumatic stress injury (PTSI)

and much more.

Register online and check out the full agenda, including this year’s keynote speakers!

SELF-PACED TRAINING

FEATURED RESOURCE

Managing holiday stress

For Veterans living with a PTSI and their loved ones, the pressure to be social and partake in holiday activities or crowded gatherings can sometimes bring about feelings of stress.

Check out the video or download the PDF to find ways to help Veterans and Veteran Family members manage stress over the holidays.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Women’s well-being in post-service life: Evaluating the psychological, social and systematic factors associated with transition from the Canadian military

Atlas is working with the Canadian Legacy Project on a new study on the experiences of women Veterans during their transition from the military to post-service life. Women Veterans’ experiences in the CAF can be different from that of men Veterans and their experiences during the transition to post-military life come with a unique set of challenges. With this study, we hope to identify some of the key factors that impact transition and generate evidence needed to inform how appropriate programs and supports for women Veterans are designed.

Share your experience by completing an online questionnaire. Participation is voluntary and will take about 45 minutes of your time.

Research training course pilot: Now recruiting Veterans and Veteran Family members

Increasingly, researchers are seeking lived experience participation in research studies about Veteran and Family member well-being. To support meaningful engagement of Veterans and Families in all phases of the project life cycle and increase comfort and skills in research, Atlas is working with Dr. Colleen Reid to offer a research training course. Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as their Families, are invited to participate in a pilot for the training and in a study about the effectiveness, benefits and impact of the training.

Spaces are limited! Learn more and sign up today to participate in this pilot program and study at atlasveterans.ca/research-course-pilot. Expressions of interest close on December 9, 2024 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern time.

Final call: New research funding opportunities

In October, we launched new research funding opportunities in three critical areas designed to enhance understanding and support the mental health and well-being of Veterans and their Families. This initiative aligns with our continuing commitment to expanding knowledge and boosting research capabilities in the field of mental health, working directly with the community to identify areas of particular interest and opportunity.

This year, Atlas will be funding research on:

• The impact of Family involvement in Veteran care
• Experiences of single-parents in the Veteran community
• The mental health status of former RCMP members

The deadline to submit proposals is coming up! Proposals will be accepted until December 9, 2024 at 12 p.m., Eastern time, with the anticipated notice of decision in January 2025.

PARTNERSHIP AND STAKEHOLDER SPOTLIGHT

CIMVHR Forum 2024: Connecting and sharing research with Winnipeg and beyond

Atlas was proud to have the opportunity to attend and present our latest research projects at CIMVHR Forum 2024, which took place in Winnipeg, MB from October 21 to 23. Our team presented on a variety of topics, including Veteran and Veteran Family engagement in research, neurofeedback, public policy and more.

For the third consecutive year, we had the pleasure of offering travel grants to Veterans and Veteran Family members to facilitate their attendance at CIMVHR Forum 2024, allowing them to bring their lived experience to research conversations. Engaging the community in conversations that are applicable to them is key to understanding their mental health needs, which leads to better applicability and uptake of research. This year, we invited nine Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Veterans (RCMP) and Family members who have been actively involved with Atlas work over the last year and who had not previously received a CIMVHR Forum travel grant. We received lots of interest for this year’s event and selected individuals from across a range of experiences and backgrounds. Atlas intends to continue to offer opportunities to ensure that Veterans and Family members are part of the conversations that pertain to them.

Additionally, the community’s presence in Winnipeg provided a great opportunity for Atlas to host a roundtable event to discuss Veterans’ access to mental health care in rural and remote areas. Taking place on October 19, the roundtable gathered people from across Canada to explore and address the barriers experienced by CAF and RCMP Veterans and their Families in getting mental health care. We heard from panellists who shared their lived experiences, helping to define the problem and identify solutions before splitting up into smaller groups to dig deeper into the issue. It was an honour to host this discussion and hear from individuals who are so clearly passionate about their communities and improving mental health care access for the Veteran community. We look forward to sharing a report in the near future about what we heard during this event.

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