OLDS — The Conversation Has To Happen, the annual fall conference in Olds on suicide prevention has been postponed to Nov. 14, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
During the day-long event, normally held in September, speakers tell stories about how depression drove people to try to take their own life or even did so. Advice is provided on how to prevent that from happening.
Andrea Hawiuk, the founder and a key organizer of the event, says although a date for the conference has been picked, the location has not yet been nailed down.
Nor have details like lunch been hammered out as she awaits further word from health officials and operators of a potential site for the conference.
In years past, a buffet-style lunch was available. But that may not be possible, due to COVID restrictions, so she’s mulling over the possibility of asking attendees to bring a bag lunch.
Hawiuk is determined to overcome all those obstacles and hold the conference this year one way or another, because she says it’s desperately needed.
In fact, she believes COVID-19 has made depression and suicide an even greater risk this year.
“(It’s important) particularly now. There’s so many people wanting help and need it, because this is really some kind of crisis alright,” Hawiuk said.
