The until IT IS zero Project is working to help reduce the number of Veteran suicides from 22 per day to ZERO. This multi-phased project, hosted by the Warrior Thunder Foundation, a MA-based nonprofit and in conjunction with other organizations is attacking the issue with several events over the next year. Although centered in around the New England area, I think these local efforts do the most good because you have people working in their own back yards and responsible for people they know.
THE PLAN
Phase I – We will bring the “Graffiti of War Project” to the Boston area on August 8 – 10, 2014. The art exposition, done by those in combat and after combat, offers a unique, individual perpective, through their eyes and their emotions. Each image represents a moment in time, when an emotion was captured in ink, paint, or pencil, an unconventional historical record of this generation’s war. Our Mission is that through sharing these images, we will begin a dialog between soldier and civilian, to bridge this ever-widening divide between those who have endured these wars and the rest of the world that can only imagine the horrors. To bring understanding and true empathy of what these men and women experience during modern conflicts. There will also be workshops for Veterans looking to use art therapy in their lives.
Phase II – We will host “the MILITARY and PTSD” in the Boston area in late October 2014. This conference will provide education for civilian mental healthcare professionals on the special nuances of the military and those with combat-related PTSD, TBI and transitional issues. With Veterans flocking away from the over-burdened VA system, the civilian mental health care professionals will be the ones to treat our men and women who have served. We need to ensure that they are familiar with the special differences of treating someone with combat-related PTSD.
Phase III – In late spring of 2015, we will host a free PTSD Retreat in a quiet, remote location for military and Veteran individuals and couples struggling with PTSD to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet, some great food, and the opportunity to learn about some non-medicinal, alternative therapy for PTSD like yoga, sacro-cranial massage etc. Peace, quiet, great chow and healing! What more could you want?
To learn more, visit www.warriorthunderfoundation.com/until-it-is-zero-project.
