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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, August 20, 2014 | 6 Six-time Olympian Clara Hughes has done her very best to get people to talk about it. Clara's Big Ride for Bell's Let's Talk campaign took her to major cities across the country earlier this year in a bid to encourage people to discuss openly and honestly their experiences with mental illness. As a corporation, Bell continues to shine a light on the often-silent voice of those suffering from some form of mental health issue. With the untimely death of actor/comedian extraordinaire Robin Williams, people ocked to all forms of media, especially Twitter, to express their dismay over the loss of this great talent. No doubt Williams was laughing somewhere at the thought he was trending on Twitter. But how do you keep those trends continuing? How do we get people of all ages to feel no apprehension when discussing depression or addiction problems, among other things? The outpouring of support and concern following Williams' death needs to be harnessed and used in a positive way to demystify suicide. Traditionally, newspapers do not write stories about people who take their own lives. We write about murders, fatal accidents, and people dying of various illnesses. But suicide? Not so much. The police do not report on suicides, unless it was very public or about someone who sought to die at the hand of an of cer. When you read the words "no foul play suspected," reporters know what that means. Here in Halton, we have written far too many stories with those words -- especially this year. Somehow that phrase is supposed to soften the blow of suicide and spare families any additional pain. This was not the case, though, with the death of Williams. His cause of death was very publicly discussed. While his family wants his fans to remember the actor's body of work and not the manner in which he died, perhaps that is not the right path to take. We should remember both. Celebrate the man and his talent, but never forget about the pain that drives someone to take their own life. We should not be ashamed to push mental illness to the fore in everything we write. One day, it is our hope Halton residents will be able to discuss suicide and mental illness as freely as they converse about someone diagnosed with cancer. Residents who have a form of mental illness need to know they are not alone and need to know there is help out there. It is time to speak out loud and clear. ··· The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario's (RNAO) Halton chapter will mark World Suicide Prevention Day by hosting `Dialogue on Suicide Awareness.' The free presentation will be held Wednesday, Sept. 10 from 6-8 p.m. at the Milton Sports Centre. Guest speakers will include Elaine Santa Mina, a RNAO member and team leader responsible for the development of RNAO's Best Practice Guideline. Several local organizations will have booths set up with resource material on suicide prevention. Pre-registration to the event is recommended. Visit chapters.rnao.ca/halton or email mao.haltonchapter@ gmail.com to con rm your attendance. Continuing the talk Editorial "Connected to your Community" Letter to the Editor 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 52 | Number 99 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Encouraging conversation with Canada 101 Halton Multicultural Council is a non-forpro t organization with more than 30 years experience helping new Canadians in their settlement process. One of the new activities that Halton Multicultural Council's Community Connections program put together is called Canada 101. As a lead volunteer and teacher in the community, I've been successful in assisting the launch of an innovative new program called Canada 101 Conversational Circle. This pilot project was offered for the rst time in March exclusively by the Halton Multicultural Council. The 10-week program offers a safe environment for adult, English-language learners to practise their emerging English conversational skills. In this way, newcomers are able to make a smooth and effective transition as they adapt to the Canadian environment, lifestyle and workplace. Participants truly have a unique opportunity to share their personal narratives and experiences in an environment that encourages warmth, empathy and respect. In fact, through the high level of support and encouragement, adult learners can chronicle how their foreign experiences connect to their current aspirations. By integrating prior experiences with new opportunities, newcomers can begin their successful journey into the Canadian landscape. Through roundtable discussion, members of the program were able to voice their creative ideas and describe original talents as they relate cross-culturally. Professionally, this provides newcomers the ability to gain the con dence and to assume initiative that leads to a sense of empowerment. It is precisely this type of curriculum that honours personal growth in citizenship and contributes to the development of social and intellectual value. As a result, newcomers can effectively understand change, the process of lifelong learning and career rede nition in the 21st century. Farah Kazim Canada 101 Conversational Circle Halton Multicultural Council Halton Multicultural Council participants Zhong Wang, Bonnie Bao, Kathy Zhang and Zhong He join group and seniors' worker Shinobu Yajima, volunteer Bruce O'Mara and Farah Kazin, teacher and volunteer, in celebrating Canada 101 Conversational Circle.| submitted photo Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5040 Mainway, Burlington ON L7L 7G5 or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.