Blueprint Year in Review
A decade since our founding as The Men’s Initiative, and seven years since the launch of our resiliency program for first responders, 2024 was a transformative year for the Blueprint team—“Blueprint 2.0”. Read on to learn why!
The Evidence Speaks: Impact of Blueprint Resiliency Program
In 2017, we piloted our First Responder Resiliency Program (FRRP) in British Columbia in collaboration with the BC Professional Fire Fighters Association (BCPFFA) and the BC Police Association (BCPA).
Since then, close to 500 members of the fire and police services have participated in the 4-day retreat at Loon Lake in Maple Ridge, and seen the positive impact of FRRP on their personal, home, and work lives.
In June, the University of Canberra released the first-ever independent study of FRRP, which showed the program’s positive impact on a number of mental health and social functioning measures.
2024 BC Fire Leadership & Western Educational Conference, day 2 (Victoria, BC)
We were honoured to present these outcomes to union executives, leaders, and front-line personnel at two recent first responder conferences, and to share in the success of this program - the BC Fire Leadership Conference in Victoria (see video), and the Canadian Police Association's Big 10 West conference in Whistler.
There's lots more work to be done, and we're excited to look towards furthering our impact in 2025. Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter!
First Responders Leading the Way from the Front Lines
Participating in the Blueprint first responders program at Loon Lake can be a challenging proposition based on cost alone. Clinician and staff time, accommodations, food, and supplies add up to almost $5,000 per participant; however, resiliency education and support is not funded by BC's health authorities, nor is it covered by MSP or most third-party employee benefits plans.
First responders attending the program from anywhere in Canada must raise funds from their employers, their unions, and their own pocketbooks.
Thanks to the passion and initiative of firefighters in two Metro Vancouver municipalities, you can make a small contribution to help deliver this life-saving support—fundraising campaigns led by first responders, for first responders:
Burnaby Firefighters (IAFF local 323) are raising $5,000 in their 2nd annual "November Challenge"—members at Hall 1 will ride one calorie on a stationary bike for every dollar donated. All proceeds go towards firefighter participation in Blueprint’s resiliency program. The ride happens Dec 6th - donate now!
Port Coquitlam Firefighters (IAFF local 1941) will host a one-day hockey tournament to also raise $5,000. Firefighters from across the lower mainland will play in a 16-team, round-robin format, with all proceeds going towards firefighter participation in Blueprint’s resiliency program. The tournament happens November 29th at Planet Ice Coquitlam - donate now!
Seeking Government Support for Mental Health in BC
Last week's announcement of British Columbia's new cabinet came with the news that the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions (MMHA) would be folded into Health, making BC one of three Canadian provinces without a dedicated ministry for mental health.
Credit: The Government of Ontario
The following day, Ontario's Solicitor General announced a $32 million investment in mental health support for first responders; their new Mental Health Supports for Public Safety Personnel program (MHS4PSP) will fulfill elements of Ontario's Roadmap to Wellness, providing specialized services for police officers, firefighters, correctional workers, paramedics, and others who support Ontario’s public safety system. BC needs this too.
Investments in mental health is often a shared policy goal between health, public safety, justice, and labour portfolios, especially in the public service.
In 2023 and 2024, we asked the BC government to provide robust, multi-year investments for first responders; we hope 2025 will be the year the province provides direct support for our program.
You can help make this happen:
See what first responders are saying about the Blueprint program
Read past presentations to the BC government from Blueprint and partners
Write a letter to Minister of Health Josie Osborne expressing your support for first responder resiliency, and for Blueprint: HLTH.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Making the Rounds: Blueprint on Men's Health in the Media
June was Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year we partnered with the Canadian Men's Health Foundation (CMHF) to speak about challenges among young men, especially some populations of men and boys deemed most susceptible to depression and anxiety.
As campaign spokesperson, Blueprint CEO David Kuhl made over a dozen appearances on news media across the country to call attention to the pervasiveness of mental health challenges that ultimately affect all Canadians: "Mental health doesn’t belong to the individual, it belongs to families and communities."
On June 23, 2024, David appeared on the CBC’s Canada Tonight: Spotlight to discuss what men can do to begin to address mental health challenges and stigma.
You Can Support This Work
Blueprint continues to build programs to help reframe masculinity, and to help men connect with their authentic selves, their loved ones, and their communities.
This isn’t just unfinished business in our society—in a polarized global culture, it’s more important today than ever before to deliver resiliency support for public safety personnel, to educate fathers and father figures about the importance of their influence, and to help train leaders and mentors so they can build on our work and reach more boys and men.
Help us continue and expand our work—make a financial contribution of any size.
Want to know where your money goes? Talk to a member of our team.
Recent Leadership and Staffing Changes at Blueprint
2024 was a big year for Blueprint operationally, with a number of personnel changes aimed at positioning the society for continued growth and success:
Last year, Blueprint co-founder Dr. John Izzo decided to pursue a unique opportunity to serve as Distinguished Fellow with the Stimson Center in Washington DC. We are forever grateful to John for his contributions as co-founder and Board member; John remains part of the Blueprint team as Founder Emeritus and Advisor.
Kenton Boston, Executive Director of the Canadian Men's Health Foundation, joined our Board of Directors in the fall—welcome Kenton!
We also welcomed three new advisors this year, bringing significant skills and experience in clinical research, healthcare, and charitable giving to the Blueprint team: Blye Frank, Louise Nasmith, and Jim O'Hara.
Earlier in the year, Colin Stein joined our staff team as Director of Engagement, handling many of the fundraising, communications, marketing, and client engagement duties held by VP of Operations Nicky Dhaliwal…
And last but not least, Nicky Dhaliwal began a one-year leave of absence in June, in order to welcome the latest new member of the Blueprint team....baby Milan! Congratulations Nicky and Tal :)
The Birth of 'Blueprint 2.0' (on the Web :)
It’s been a busy year of growth for Blueprint!
We’re excited to be able to share our news and updates more often with our supporters, in part through our new website which we launched earlier this month:
You’re on the new website now, of course—browse away, and please come back often to see what we’re working on. Many new initiatives are planned for 2025, all part of the continued roll-out of Blueprint 2.0.
Follow us on social media, and contact us anytime with questions and feedback!
