“We have inculcated a culture in our society that men have to be tough, men have to be strong. Our society is very good at punishing gender deviation in men. Weakness is not considered to be masculine.” — Dr. Don McCreary (Toronto Men’s Health Network)
Men, mental health, and moving discussion out of the shadows
January 13th, 2015 | Posted by in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Men, mental health, and moving discussion out of the shadows)SirReal’s ‘Not Like Me’ a culmination of personal experiences brought to music, video
September 8th, 2014 | Posted by in uncategorized - (Comments Off on SirReal’s ‘Not Like Me’ a culmination of personal experiences brought to music, video)Nanaimo hip hop artist dedicates his latest video to the uniqueness present in all who have seen hardships and have the compassion to know that we are all human
Vancouver Island hip hop artist Matt Dunae—aka SirReal—has released the official music video of a single from his upcoming mixtape; both are named Not Like Me. The song, as SirReal describes it, is a micro story, a “culmination of experiences and harsh realities brought to light.”
From the depths of early childhood addiction, to the long walk down struggle street, the story follows SirReal as a young man, caring for his mother, and bringing her back from an overdose on the brink of death. The video then shows the separation that occurred between two brothers as the family they had grown up in was torn apart.
You’ll see yourself and others in Mike Pond’s riveting account of addiction and recovery
September 7th, 2014 | Posted by in uncategorized - (Comments Off on You’ll see yourself and others in Mike Pond’s riveting account of addiction and recovery)Michael Pond’s harrowing two-year journey to sobriety takes stops in abandoned sheds, dumpsters, ditches, emergency wards, intensive care and, finally, prison
After two decades of helping clients battle addiction, Mike Pond, a successful therapist, succumbs to one himself. He loses everything and ends up destitute in a rundown recovery home populated by a cast of characters straight out of Dickens.
The Couch of Willingness… is a real couch in that home; a couch where Mike must sleep until he surrenders and admits he’s powerless over alcohol. But just when Mike gains any measure of sobriety, in sashays his other powerful addiction, Dana, a can of Red Bull in hand, 26’er of vodka in her purse.
The story of a young Indigenous woman coming of age in Canada in the 1980s
July 29th, 2014 | Posted by in uncategorized - (Comments Off on The story of a young Indigenous woman coming of age in Canada in the 1980s)Creative nonfiction story Tilly: a Story of Hope and Resilience captures spirit of hope, recovery
Monique Gray Smith, an accomplished consultant, writer and speaker, was at the Gabriola Island Public Library earlier this year discussing her new book about a First Nations woman’s journey to sobriety.
The book is called Tilley: A Story of Hope and Resilience. “It’s the story of one woman’s journey from early addiction and alcoholism to discovering who she is as a mixed heritage person,” Gray Smith told the Nanaimo News Bulletin. “Even though it’s a story based on First Nations people and history, it really is a story of common humanity around recovery and the ability to move past early obstacles in life.”
Not enough Canadian youth are getting the mental health care they need
June 30th, 2014 | Posted by in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Not enough Canadian youth are getting the mental health care they need)New research network will develop strategies to ensure that more young people are connected to the mental health services they need
In Canada, one-in-five people experience a mental illness in their lifetime. However, it is young Canadians that suffer the most, with 75% of mental health problems and illnesses beginning prior to the age of 25, and more than 50% beginning between the ages of 11 and 25.
An estimated 1.2 million Canadian children and youth are affected by mental illness—yet less than 20 per cent will receive appropriate treatment. With more than two-thirds of adults living with a mental health problem reporting that symptoms first appeared during their youth, establishing the foundation for healthy emotional and social development is vital to ensuring the mental well-being of all Canadians as they progress from childhood to adulthood. [Mental Health Commission of Canada]
National study supports scattered social housing
June 27th, 2014 | Posted by in uncategorized - (Comments Off on National study supports scattered social housing)Participants with mental illness, addictions thrive after being given apartments: five-year national study
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VANCOUVER—A five-year study that housed people with mental illness and drug addictions in apartments scattered throughout Vancouver found most participants stabilized their lives and coexisted peacefully with their neighbours. The findings mean residents should not be afraid of social housing mixed into neighbourhoods throughout the city, concluded the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s final report into the Vancouver At Home/Chez Soi research project. Read the rest of this story at the Vancouver Sun…
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