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The Native perspective

October 14th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on The Native perspective)

On youth, education, and the Canadian future with Tchadas Leo

A recent national survey has found that aboriginal teens aged 15-19 generally share the same life goals as other Canadian adolescents, such as good jobs, homes and families. But according to the author, Reginald Bibby at University of Lethbridge, “The reality is that in many instances, it’s just going to be very, very difficult for aboriginal kids to realize the dreams and aspirations that they have.”

The survey comes as aboriginal leaders push hard for improved educational opportunities for First Nations peoples. On September 21st Assembly of First Nations national chief Shawn Atleo and others launched a week of nation-wide advocacy efforts in support of action on Aboriginal education. (more…)

‘One in Five’ set to raise awareness

October 14th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on ‘One in Five’ set to raise awareness)

Victoria art exhibition to include Parksville and Nanaimo artists inspired by struggles, recovery

A juried art exhibition called One in Five opens friday October 15th in Victoria. It features works by a diverse group of artists from Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, and elsewhere. With them comes the spirit of their creativity, which will be seen in the form of photography, found object sculpture, painting, drawing and digital media.

The exhibition is called “One in Five” because 1 in 5 Canadians will experience mental health problems in their lifetime. The ten artists in the exhibition have all at some point in their lives experienced mental health issues. The exhibition is considered an opportunity to open up discussion, raise awareness, and help others learn more about mental health. (more…)

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Random acts of poetry for youth

October 7th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Random acts of poetry for youth)

Annual event highlights the importance of youth literacy with in-person poem-ing

Poets across Canada will visit juvenile detention centres, alternative schools and youth centres October 4th to 9th, 2010, during the seventh annual Random Acts of Poetry event, sponsored by The Canada Council for the Arts. For the first time, the event is focused this year on bringing poetry to young people. Organizers want to draw attention to youth literacy, which they consider to be a crucial issue for Canada’s future.

Nanaimo poet Kim Goldberg’s latest book is RED ZONE, a poem diary of Nanaimo’s homeless population. Kim is a frequent performer at spoken word events on Vancouver Island. (more…)

Hatred, homophobia, and bullying

October 7th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Hatred, homophobia, and bullying)

Tragedy at Rutgers University turns attention to privacy, homophobia, bullying issues

The death by suicide last week of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi—which occurred after the online posting of private information—has been linked to several problems, including the bullying of queer youth in school and university settings. Tyler Clementi’s death was the fourth highly-publicized death by suicide among gay teens in the U.S. over a four-week period.

The deaths come amid the release of research showing that [opens to PDF] American LGBT students were significantly more likely to experience harassment when compared with their heterosexual counterparts and were seven times more likely to indicate the harassment was based on their sexual identity. (more…)

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My schizophrenic life

October 7th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on My schizophrenic life)

Sandra Yuen MacKay’s book is a true story about her journey of recovery

Sandra Yuen MacKay has written a book about her recovery from what she describes as an invisible disability—schizoaffective disorder—which includes a combination of schizophrenia and a mood disorder. The true story about her journey of recovery from mental illness has just been published. My Schizophrenic Life: The Road to Recovery From Mental Illness begins with early memories from childhood and junior high school—and then follows Sandra as, in her own words, the gate slowly closes, separating her from normal existence. (more…)

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One man’s courage to come back

September 30th, 2010 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on One man’s courage to come back)

Don Fraser credits family, doctors, and medications for helping him with schizophrenia

Donald Fraser was once enrolled in Surrey’s program for gifted students, active in sports, musically inclined, and popular. Years later, while at University of British Columbia, Donald experienced symptoms of schizophrenia for the first time. That began what has been described as a two-decade-long odyssey—“a roller coaster of diagnoses, institutions, a wide variety of medications and treatments, successes and failures.” Donald was diagnosed with schizophrenia and occipital epilepsy. (more…)

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