River of Life: About Us

The Centre for Suicide Prevention (CSP) is an education centre specializing in curriculum development; training programs; library and information services. The purpose of the Centre is to inform and equip people with additional knowledge and skills in the prevention of suicide.

The Centre began in 1981 as the Suicide Information and Education Centre. In 2005, the Centre was re-named and incorporated as the Centre for Suicide Prevention under the auspices of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). CSP is a "one-of-a kind" specialized program of the CMHA. It is a registered charitable organization and is located in Calgary Alberta.

In 2007, CSP responded to an invitation from Alberta aboriginal communities to develop an educational workshop specific to the prevention of suicide within the aboriginal youth population. Through the financial support of The Calgary Foundation, an aboriginal curriculum designer was hired to work with the Advisory group of Elders and community workers. Two years later the original River of Life curriculum was birthed.

In 2009, CSP joined forces with Millbrook Technologies of the Millbrook First Nation (Nova Scotia) and other aboriginal organizations to engage in a 15 month journey expanding the original curriculum to national content and translating it into an online format.

The Centre for Suicide Prevention recognizes the diversity of culture and tradition within the Aboriginal communities across the nation. We realize that the experience of suicide for each community is different and to reflect this diversity we will continue collaborating with Canadian Aboriginal communities. Through this collaboration we will continue to add to the River of Life course content, establish an Online Library and collect information from individuals taking the online course.