People First Media program archive
Header

Party assaults create shock waves

September 23rd, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Party assaults create shock waves)

Social networking’s involvement in sexual assaults reveals dark side of technology

Pictures of the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl at a weekend party east of Vancouver were circulated on the Internet via Facebook, police told reporters last week. But despite efforts to halt the spread of the images, after the initial web posting was shut down copies continued to spread across the Internet. One of the lead investigators on the case has stated the obvious—that the re-posting of the photos is only making the horror for the victim worse. The girl’s father told the Vancouver Sun, “For me it’s unbelievable in this day and age, youth are so desensitized to crime and pornography.” Since the incident, two arrests have been made. (more…)

Survivor advocates for ‘mad studies’

September 9th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Survivor advocates for ‘mad studies’)

Phebe Wolframe’s research into connections among madness, gender, and academia

PhebeAnn Wolframe is a proud psychiatric survivor and an advocate for mad studies who is currently completing a PhD degree in English and Cultural Studies. Phebe also presented at the PsychOUT Conference in Toronto last May. Her presentation was titled The Madwoman in the Academy: Making Space for The Mad Movement in Feminist Scholarship and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Phebe points out that the second-wave feminist movement and the mad movements, though sharing many points of intersection, have not managed to work effectively in tandem. (more…)

Helping men and men’s organizations

September 2nd, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Helping men and men’s organizations)

A look at the need for men’s groups and some upcoming programs for men on Vancouver Island

Cowichan Men’s Centre works to “provide resources and support groups for men to better improve their relationship with themselves, their families, and with their community.” The organization, started in 2004 and located in Duncan, operates in a funding-scarce environment, with governments either unwilling or unable to provide sufficient grants.

Internationally, there has been increased interest in providing specific supports for the needs of men. This year, for example, the Australian government issued a new National Male Health Policy [opens to PDF], a policy first for the country, which was aimed at males of all ages. (more…)

A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer joins The Vagina Monologues

April 8th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer joins The Vagina Monologues)

New play a call to action and outreach to men to become allies in ending violence against women and children

Eliza Gardiner and the Vancouver Island University Human Rights and International Solidarity Committee present Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, plus her new production of A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer, Friday April 9th to Sunday April 11th at VIU’s Nanaimo campus. The plays will raise awareness and funds for the internationally renowned V-Day campaign, and the Nanaimo Women’s Resources Society. Ensler’s new play, A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer, is a compilation of dramatic and poetic pieces by diverse writers that features male performers; it is a call to action and outreach to men to become allies in an international campaign to end violence against women and children. (more…)

Eating disorders on stage

March 4th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Eating disorders on stage)

Students Fiona Sauder and Megan Carty create and perform a play about healthy eating, body image

Two students from Ottawa’s Canterbury High School have created a theatre production based on overcoming unhealthy body image. The play, called “Enough: A Whimsical and Political Statement About Beauty and Self-Image,” was recently presented on the Fourth Stage of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

The high school seniors won a $1,500 Ontario provincial SpeakUp grant, awarded for student-led projects, and then brainstormed ideas with therapist Heidi Mack. Megan Carty was herself previously treated for eating disorders at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. (more…)

Men’s gathering

February 18th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Men’s gathering)

The Mankind Project brings its ‘warrior training’ to Vancouver Island

The “hero’s journey” of classical literature and myth has nearly disappeared in modern culture. The Mankind Project, through its New Warrior Training project, asks men to “stop living vicariously through movies, television, addictions and distractions and step up into their own adventure—in real time and surrounded by other men.”

The weekend training returns to mid-Vancouver Island this spring. (more…)