Speaking & Training

Whether it's a school or a seniors' night, a church group or a rave at a brewery, a major conference or a small community association breakfast, we would love to come to speak, do some training, or setup a resource booth at your event.

We provide motivational speaking, community workshops, emcee'ing, spoken word, introductory suicide intervention and mental health training, and post-suicide debriefing conversations. Our aim is to speak truth and life into darkness and death, with sensitivity towards your group's history and beliefs.

Hashtag Hope has been providing speaking and training since 2013, from coast to coast and heavily in southern Ontario. There's no event too small or venue too unusual.

Engaging Speakers

2

Bookings

400+

Reach & Impact

33,000+

Our Speakers

NICK PEGG

Nick once spent all of his money to live in his car, travel the country, and try to prevent people from killing themselves. He made t-shirts to help fund his travels and wrote words to inspire hope. He will give you a free sticker if you want one, and wants you to know that life is undoubtedly worth living.

MORE ABOUT NICK

MARK STROMENBERG

A youth worker and teacher at heart, Mark approaches each talk with a desire to help people grow, sharing his lived experience, insights, and practical advise. Mark leads most of our workshops, previously working as an ASIST suicide intervention instructor and working with YFC/Youth Unlimited for over 10 years.

MORE ABOUT MARK

Talks, Trainings & Appearances

Personal Lived Experience Story & Advocacy

Both Nick and Mark live with mental illness and have personal experiences with suicide. We seek to share hope in an honest yet helpful way, to reduce stigma, encourage perseverance, and normalize the need we all have for both personal and professional support when we face darkness. No matter the group or the time frame,  both our speakers can tailor a lived-experience talk about hope to your needs.

School Assemblies

Mark has been speaking in school classrooms and gyms since 2015 with over 70 bookings, and is on the list of approved mental health speakers for the Waterloo Region District School Board. Mark safely uses personal story and simple, practical suggestions to engage students on issues of mental health, depression, anxiety, and suicide. While most students aren't in crisis, most have a friend or family member that do. Mark breaks down how to help a friend in crisis into easy, memorable tools. An assembly booking with Mark also includes a commitment to stay after the assembly to speak to students and work with your school's guidance and counselling staff to connect students in crisis to help.

Spoken Word Set

Sometimes you're not looking for a talk or a workshop. A spoken word set is around five minutes, and serves as a great introduction or transition in your event. Nick is our spoken word artist and has toured with a number of bands and performed at a number of larger conferences. Spoken word is a great way to creatively and artistically talk about personal darkness in an engaging and disarming way.

Crash Course In Mental Health & Suicide Prevention

What do you do when you suspect someone is suicidal? How do you help someone who's depressed or experiencing a panic attack? When is the right time to call 911? This 2-3 hour introductory course, taught by Mark (a former ASIST trainer with over 10 years of youth work experience) will address these questions and give you a basic framework for dealing with a person at risk of suicide. This introductory workshop/course is ideal for volunteers, community members, and those who are not primary caregivers.

Post-Suicide Leaders & Volunteers Debriefing

If you've experienced a suicide in your community and some support processing the event or being equipped to help those who may also be at risk, we can host a debriefing conversation. When someone close to us dies by suicide, it often brings up many difficult questions and emotions. This time will allow space for your group to ask questions, learn, and find comfort in not being alone. This can also be lead from a Christian faith perspective, as well as secular. Note: This is not intended to take the place of qualified grief counselling.

Emcee'ing

As a communicator who's worked with youth conferences for many years, Nick knows how to hype your crowd and provide a warm stage personality with good humour and flexibility.

Pop-Up Booth & Store

Looking to have a mental health and suicide prevention presence at your event? We would love to set up a booth or table and be a hopeful presence at your event. Whether it's handing out resources and doing advocacy, or if you'd like a full merchandise pop-up store, we will work with you to find the most appropriate fit for your event.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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