Translating Knowledge for Change During COVID #4: Jackie Ralph
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Grey Bruce
It is certainly safe to say that COVID-19 has definitely added things to my life and taken some other things away. When Ontario was first placed under the emergency declaration, my first thought was, “Great, now I can have time to focus on many things on my “back burner” that I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to invest time into like my KT project.” However, things turned into the exact opposite.
My days have been fuller and busier than ever. I think of the things that have been added to my life like trying to figure out Microsoft teams and Zoom! LOL! But it hasn’t all been bad. I have benefitted by saving money on things like my mileage expenses! It was normal for me to clock up to 2,000 km a month with a schedule that saw me do 600 presentations and displays and trainings in a year. Some good has come out of this COVID-19 situation.
Now, more people than ever want to talk about mental health. There has also been more funding for mental health. And while I’m not out providing our puppet presentations in elementary schools or doing information displays at health fairs or running an ASIST training, there has been more requests than ever before for information, for articles, for “virtual” speaking gigs, and for resources. For that I am so very grateful. It certainly is the positive out of this negative situation.
But my “back burner” has now become the back basement! Ha! But on the flip side, my project, which was about providing mental health awareness using a community approach, has now become more needed and current and sought after then ever! There have been more opportunities to talk about my project with those that can bring it to fruition. So, while I may not have put as many words to paper as I had hoped, the connections I wanted to make have already been started. I hope all my KT project team members are doing well during this time. It is a new and interesting time for sure. One we will talk about for generations. One that will have an impact on us for generations. And ideally, one that will have positive repercussions for generations.
#ktfromhome
