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‘The Cats of Mirikitani’ at Columbian Centre’s annual general meeting

May 28th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Tuesday June 26, 5:00 pm, at Christ Community Church, 2221 Bowen Road, Nanaimo

“Poignant beyond words, The Cats of Mirikitani is comparable to finding a pearl in a pile of oyster shells.” –The Philadelphia Enquirer

Eighty-year-old Jimmy Mirikitani survived the trauma of WWII internment camps, Hiroshima, and homelessness by creating art. But when 9/11 threatens his life on the New York City streets and a local filmmaker brings him to her home, the two embark on a journey to confront Jimmy’s painful past. An intimate exploration of the lingering wounds of war and the healing powers of friendship and art, this documentary won the Audience Award at its premiere in the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.

Annual General Meeting

Please join the Columbian Centre Society’s Board of Directors for our Annual General Meeting to review the work of the Society, and learn about the plans for the coming year. The meeting starts at 5:00 p.m. A refreshment break (sandwiches and beverages) will follow the business portion of the meeting. (more…)

Nanaimo mental health services facing backlog

May 28th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Nanaimo mental health services facing backlog)

“What happens is people suffering with mental illness often are homeless or drug taking, and if you are homeless and drug taking you generally come to the attention of police”

NANAIMO–Over a decade spent on the streets of Nanaimo, France Tellier saw how people with mental illness sometimes wound up behind bars rather than in treatment.

The strategy from the Mental Health Commission of Canada calls for spending on mental health to increase from 7% to 9% of total health spending over 10 years, an increase of as much as $4 billion.

Canada’s first mental-health strategy would fix a healthcare system its authors say is so fractured and under-funded it’s turning prisons and jails into the “asylums of the 21st century.” (more…)

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Wayne Cho brings his message to the world

May 24th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Wayne Cho brings his message to the world)

After running across Canada, Wayne Cho brings his stigma-busting and awareness-raising message to a world audience

Wayne Cho developed anxiety and bipolar disorders which he says resulted from neglect and abuses he experienced throughout his childhood. At the age of 30, he took up long distance running, an activity that provided both relief from his anxiety symptoms and the confidence to dream. He ran across Canada in 2009 to raise awareness about mental illness.

Now Wayne has begun an around-the-world effort called Love World Run. (more…)

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Is there a need for more men’s centres?

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

A proposal to establish the first-ever men’s centre at Simon Fraser University brings attention, discussion, and analysis

The Simon Fraser University Student Society has approved $30,000 to start a men’s centre at SFU’s Burnaby campus. The proposal generated a round of articles and discussions, and raised questions such as: Are gender-based ‘safe spaces’ needed? Are equality issues being overlooked? Some students took a directly oppositional approach, compiling their objections into a YouTube video. (more…)

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Mental illness can affect the entire family

May 24th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Mental illness can affect the entire family)

What are the challenges—and what does Canada’s new mental health strategy have to say about it?

Canada’s first-ever national mental health strategy was released on May 8, 2012, after five years of extensive consultations across the country. Changing Directions, Changing Lives [opens to PDF] represents a blueprint for change and provides six strategic directions.

The Strategy focuses on improving mental health and well-being for all people living in Canada and on creating a mental health system that can truly meet the needs of people of all ages living with mental health problems and illnesses—and their families. (more…)

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An overview of the new Canadian mental health strategy

May 17th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on An overview of the new Canadian mental health strategy)

After five years of extensive consultation, the Mental Health Commission of Canada presents a first for the country

Changing Directions, Changing Lives is the first mental health strategy for Canada. Its purpose is to help improve mental health and well-being for all people living in Canada and to create a mental health system that can truly meet the needs of people of all ages living with mental health problems and illnesses and their families. It was released on May 8, 2012. (more…)

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