Embrace Life Council – Isaksimagit Inuusirmi Katujjigaatgiit says new logo will be on mugs, bags and pop sockets
Tooma Laisa, Embrace Life Council’s programs manager, holds a bag featuring the organization’s logo used to identify people who are trained in suicide prevention. (Photo by David Lochead)
NationTalk: Nunatsiaq News – A Nunavut organization is debuting new promotional items that features a logo designed to identify people trained in suicide prevention.
Embrace Life Council — Isaksimagit Inuusirmi Katujjigaatgiit staff, along with caregivers and people who have completed suicide prevention training with the council, will be easy to identify through a snowy owl logo. These people are considered by the organization to be “guardians of the community.”
The organization unveiled the new logo, which is now in use, on March 13. It can be found emblazoned on objects such as bags, mugs and the gripper attachments for holding onto cellphones.
Council staff chose the creature because it represents the land and symbolizes attributes such as peace, health and leadership, said Opal McInnis, president of the council.
“To me, it kind of symbolizes someone that that cares, someone that’s watching, that notices that you matter. So, to me, it makes sense for it to be a central piece to the imagery,” McInnis said.
The logo was designed with the help of Becky Kilabuk, an Iqaluit-based artist who is a co-founder and former president of the council.
It’s meant to convey the message that “It’s OK to talk to me,” “I am here for you,” and “You are safe with me.”
McInnis said the idea for the designated symbol came from crisis response teams throughout the territory wanting to be more identifiable.
The organization’s goal, according to McInnis, is to get more people comfortable talking about mental wellness and reduce barriers to access health services.
Embrace Life offers four workshops that qualify to be deemed a safe person by the organization. Those workshops are: Inuusiq Pimmariujuq (Life Matters), Reach Out, ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, and Talking to Children About Suicide.
They are all offered free of charge.