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Daniel Griffin explores the troubled family

February 24th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Daniel Griffin explores the troubled family)

Stories about artists, lovers, brothers and strangers probe love, loss, and the family ties that bind people

Daniel Griffin’s debut collection of short stories, “Stopping for Strangers”, covers birth, death and all the big moments in between. Dark and yet uplifting, his stories take us to the heart of what matters in the tangled lives of people on the edge of crisis. The stories are about family and family relationships—topics Daniel loves to write about. “They’re the closest people to us in the world,” he told the Victoria Times Colonist. (more…)

Bearing witness to the evil of Auschwitz

February 24th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Bearing witness to the evil of Auschwitz)

Sei-in Remy Jordan experienced an interfaith retreat ‘bearing witness’ to the horrors of Auschwitz and Birkenau

More than six million Jewish people were killed in the atrocities of the Holocaust. Others were also targeted, including Gypsies and homosexuals. Each year, on January 27, a day of international remembrance marks the liberation of the largest Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, by Soviet troops in 1945.

Over the years, many people have visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, and other Nazi death camps, to educate themselves about what happened and to help prevent such atrocities from ever happening again. A group called the Zen Peacemakers held a “bearing witness” retreat at Auschwitz in the spring of 2010. Zen practitioner Sei-in Remy Jordan from Victoria, B.C. was there. (more…)

Calls for B.C. to deal with homophobia, transphobia in schools

February 24th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Advocates challenge the government to move farther in the attempt to protect young people from bullying violence

The West Coast Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund is calling on the British Columbia government to implement a province-wide anti-bullying policy that specifically addresses homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools. Research has found that gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer kids experience bullying at a much higher rate than other students. Two thirds of LGBTQ students report that they feel unsafe at school and more than 1 in 5 are physically assaulted or harassed due to their sexual orientation. Suicide rates are also high among LGBTQ students. (more…)

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New housing project moves forward

February 23rd, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (0 Comments)

In late 2011, Pacifica Housing and Nanaimo Affordable Housing Society, in partnership with Columbian Centre Society and Haven Society, were selected as the successful non-profit providers to develop, manage and operate two new supportive housing developments for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Nanaimo. The architectural firm Chow Low Hammond (CLH) has now been selected to design the building.  (more…)

Matt Dunae on how hip hop saved him

February 16th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Matt Dunae on how hip hop saved him)

Dedicated, passionate hip-hop artist learned to conquer his demons of addiction and poverty and shine through with music

Hip-hop artist Matt Dunae—who performs as SirReal—has credited his involvement with music for helping him to overcome the demons of addiction and poverty. He has also shared his experiences with loss (his older brother, Nick, died by suicide in 2007) through music and by performing at the Soles Remembering Souls event in Nanaimo. Sirreal boldly laces his lyrics with the “die-hard truths of reality and its consequences”, whether they be positive or negative. And he exemplifies strength and resilience with his devotion to family and community in both his actions and his lyrics. (more…)

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Learning about therapeutic communities

February 16th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (0 Comments)

People live in organized and structured environments to promote change, support a drug-free life in outside society

Therapeutic communities are drug-free environments in which people with addictions and other problems can live together in an organized and structured way. The community environment promotes change and can make a drug-free life possible. A number of therapeutic communities are operating on Vancouver Island. A symposium in Nanaimo will provide an overview of therapeutic communities and provide opportunities for partnerships to explore the development of therapeutic communities. (more…)

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