about
broadcast and podcast
People First Radio is a weekly community radio program about people, the society in which we live, and issues related to health and wellness. The initiative is a partnership between Columbian Centre Society and Radio Malaspina Society. PFR has been on the air since November 22, 2007.
enewsletter
People First Radio also sends out a weekly enewsletter with information about upcoming broadcasts and links to local, provincial, national, and international news stories. Note that this is usually a large file (up to 3 MB) and it takes time to download.
contact
Do you have a story idea? Would you like to subscribe to our enewsletter? Do you have feedback about our broadcast or one of our podcasts? Contact us by email.
Image: Ashta and Kevin in the CHLY studio for a PFR broadcast.
ways to listen
The hour-long live broadcast can be heard Thursdays at noon (Pacific) on Radio Malaspina Society's CHLY 101.7 FM radio from Nanaimo, British Columbia. The program is rebroadcast Mondays at noon. CHLY's broadcast range extends from Nanaimo as far north as Lower Cortes Island and as far south as upper Washington state. CHLY's signal can also be heard along the southern west coast of British Columbia, including the city of Vancouver. The live broadcast is also streamed online at the CHLY website.
people first radio on demand
Listen to segments from our recent programs. Visit our 2010 archive. Listen to our top ten most-listened-to interviews from 2010.
Watch for a redesigned website to house Columbian Centre and People First Radio content--new for 2012!
january 2012
Listen to our interviews from January 2012 by visiting our new (in development) website .
top ten most-listened-to online PFR interviews in 2011
Listen to our top ten interviews, based on how often interviews were accessed from our website, in 2011. They're presented on our new website (which premieres in late January 2012). Check it out!
december 2011
Social housing providers in place: Non-profit groups are named as operators for two new social housing projects in Nanaimo, but will controversy fade?
December 8, 2011
Tom Grauman (Columbian Centre Society), Jim Spinelli (Nanaimo Affordable Housing Society), Karyn French (Pacifica Housing)
(25:57) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
An award for mental health activism: Ruth Ruth Stackhouse, a Mad Pride pioneer, is recognized by the City of Toronto for her outstanding work
December 8, 2011
Ruth Ruth Stackhouse
(13:05) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Fighting homelessness on many fronts: Judy Graves' next fight will be to ensure that homeless people actually get into the housing that is built for them
December 01, 2011
Interview with Judy Graves, advocate for homeless people with the City of Vancouver.
(14:05) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
HIV test a part of routine healthcare: 'It's different now,' a new social marketing campaign says, as warnings to 'high-risk groups' become yesterday's news
December 01, 2011
Interview with Heidi Exner, health promotions and community development manager at AIDS Vancouver Island.
(14:21) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
november 2011
Bleak future for children in poverty: A generation's future could include more crime, drug use, teen pregnancies, poor health and failure at school and work
November 24, 2011
Could British Columbia be the very last province to enact a plan to fight poverty? That's the question asked by BC Campaign 2000 in its latest report card on child poverty [opens to PDF]. Statistics show that the child poverty rate in B.C. rose from 14.5 percent in 2008 to 16.4 percent in 2009. The B.C. rate was only slightly lower than the Manitoba rate of 16.8 percent and was much higher than the national rate for all ten provinces of 14 percent.
"The evidence tells us that living in poverty puts children's health at risk and undermines their life chances. It's costing us too much to allow the status quo to continue," says Lorraine Copas of SPARC B.C.. A March 21, 2011 article in The Province titled "British Columbia: ‘The province that doesn't look after its kids'" included the grim prediction that an entire generation of young people in B.C. may be headed for a bleak future due to the effects of poverty.
We speak with Adrienne Montani, of First Call: B.C. Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, and with Jim MacGregor, community school coordinator at Nanaimo District Secondary School.
(20:50) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Bible school child abuse alleged: Linda Fossen says that she, and over eighty other children, suffered extreme abuse at Canada's oldest Bible school
November
24, 2011
Linda Fossen, a former student at the Prairie Bible Institute near Three Hills, Alberta, has alleged that she and dozens of other children were abused by PBI staff from the 1950s to as recently as five years ago. The explosive claim made headlines in Canada and abroad.
Linda first wrote about her experiences of abuse and recovery in a book called "Out of the Miry Clay" in 2008 and she shares her past and present experiences online. She reports that the victims of the abuses are too terrified to speak out about them. Linda also writes that some of the people who support the Bible college have lashed out against her, praying against her as a so-called "enemy of God". Linda has established an on-line petition related to the allegations.
We speak with Linda Fossen.
(23:41) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
What now for small-city Occupiers? Occupy Nanaimo is staying put at its downtown location for now, as members hold talks with the city and police
November 17, 2011
While big-city mayors and police are engaged in various stages of trying to remove Occupy protesters from their public spaces, Nanaimo representatives of the Occupy movement have been meeting with the mayor and RCMP to discuss issues of concern-from both sides. Matthew O'Donnell told The Daily News that concerns expressed by the city will be discussed among the occupiers and that another meeting is planned for next week.
Up to thirty people are participating in the Occupy Nanaimo protest and some of them recently stated that their resolve to continue the protest has not changed, despite stormy weather and a shortage of food.
We speak with Occupy Nanaimo participants Jon Line and Ryan Porteous about their experiences with the protest group.
(14:00) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Chantal, visiting from Occupy Courtenay, and Jon Line at Diana Krall Plaza.
Struggle for inclusion continues: David Weekley's "journey in from the wilderness" continues as he and others face institutional efforts to exclude them
November 17, 2011
Rev. David Weekley stepped into the pulpit of the Epworth United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon in 2009 to share his story as a transgender person for the first time. After he spoke, the congregation burst into applause. Earlier this year, David shared his experiences in a book called "In from the Wilderness."
David is a transgender man and an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church who quietly served his congregations for twenty-eight years before sharing his full personal story and spiritual journey with his congregation, denomination, and the world. But the struggle for inclusion of transgender people continues, as the United Methodist Church prepares for a debate about "compatibility" with Christianity.
We speak with David Weekley.
(14:57) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Rev. David Weekley prepares the elements for Holy Communion on his first Sunday morning at Sellwood United Methodist Church. A UMNS photo courtesy of David Weekl
What do men need from counseling? Women are more likely to request counseling, but when men do seek help, they tend to have difficulty with the process
November 17, 2011
Dr. Wray Pascoe, a family therapist and human systems consultant from Manitoba, says research has found that women request counseling on a five to one ratio over men and that practitioners say men are more difficult to engage and more likely to terminate treatment early. Men, in general, have difficulty with the psychotherapeutic process, he says.
Wray Pascoe will be in Nanaimo later this month at the invitation of Nanaimo Men's Resource Centre. Workshops will be offered on November 24, 25 and 26, 2011, on the topics of "Counseling Men Effectively" and "Exploring Male Sexuality."
We speak with Wray Pascoe about counseling men and the needs men have in the area of therapeutic relationships.
(12:50) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Can empathy be taught?: Empathy, compassion, understanding, awareness-what happens when we try to put ourselves into others' shoes?
November 10, 2011
Empathy is a relatively common word, but it's also a concept that is poorly understood. It's sometimes confused with sympathy, pity, or feeling sorry for someone. According to Edith Stein, a German phenomenologist, empathy can be facilitated. It also can be interrupted and blocked, but it cannot be forced to occur. When empathy occurs, we find ourselves experiencing it, rather than directly causing it to happen. [Reference here in PDF]
Last month, Vancouver Island University student Emma Irving, a member of the Nanaimo Working Group on Homelessness, organized an overnight campout in a downtown park for people who wished to experience what it would be like to be without a home to sleep in.
Victoria resident and Zen practitioner Sei-in Remy Jordan has participated in "street retreats" involving living on the streets of Victoria and Vancouver for 4 days and 3 nights at a time-"bearing witness" to another reality.
We speak with Emma Irving and Sei-in Remy Jordan.
(14:00) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Stories from the frontlines: Michael Christie's powerful debut collection is inspired by his actual experiences working with people on the DTES
November 10, 2011
The Beggar's Garden, Michael Christie's debut collection of nine linked stories, is dazzling, writes reviewer Candace Fertile in The Quill and Quire.
"Drawing on his experience working in a homeless shelter in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Christie explores the intense humanity of people living on the margins of society. His characters include addicts, homeless people, hospital patients, and those who interact with the city's outcasts."
The Beggar's Garden won the City of Vancouver Book Award in October 2011, went on to be long-listed for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and is nominated for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Award.
We speak with Michael Christie about his book, and the experiences that led to it.
(12:57) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Out of mind -- into creativity: Art and mental health symposium tackles the deep-seated social ignorance and stigma accompanying mental illness
November 10, 2011
Out of Mind-Into Creativity is a symposium co-sponsored by Artbeat, a Winnipeg gallery focused on mental health and art, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The event will explore the relationship between individual creativity and artists' mental health, shedding light on the links between social inclusion and the participatory arts. It also provides a forum for subverting the myths, stereotypes, and stigma that continue to surround discussions of mental illness.
The symposium, being held November 24-25, 2011, will include a range of speakers and panelists from Canada and abroad.
We speak with Anna Wiebe, head of education at Winnipeg Art Gallery.
(10:41) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: William Kurelek, Despondency.
Death with dignity back in focus: Russel Ogden--and the Farewell Foundation--prepare plans for Canada's first facility to offer legal assisted suicide
November 3, 2011
Last November, sociology professor Russel Ogden offered to accompany a small group of Canadians to Switzerland's Dignitas centre and to act as a witness to the assisted suicide of a severely ill family member. When he saw the effects of Canada's criminal code on the family and their loved one, the social scientist became a legal activist. Russel Ogden and several associates formed an organization called the Farewell Foundation, which believes its members should have the right to receive assistance to end their lives, and that members should have the right to provide assistance.
The Farewell Foundation--which the province of British Columbia has refused to incorporate--proposes to establish a free-standing, rigorously supervised B.C. facility [opens to PDF] operating exactly like the Dignitas centre, where people who request assistance can come to commit legal, carefully scrutinized suicide.
We speak with Russel Ogden in an interview first broadcast in July 2011.
(13:42) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Kay Carter, 89, Lee Carter, 63, in Dignitas clinic in Zurich, Switzerland. They are about to sign forms at the table. Kay died on Jan. 15, 2010.
Radio-UP premieres in Montreal: Clubhouse members are working toward realizing their full potential, and now that includes broadcasting to a wider world
November 3, 2011
Donald Berman UP (Urban Pardes) House is a clubhouse that helps adults living with a mental illness achieve greater self-determination, self-esteem and self-worth. The Clubhouse is based on the International Center for Clubhouse Development model, founded in New York in 1948. There are currently 350 accredited clubhouses world-wide and 20 in Canada (including the Phoenix Centre Clubhouse in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island).
ICCD Clubhouses offer people with mental illness opportunities to reach their full potential; the UP House in Montreal helps people to reintegrate themselves back into society and the job market after their lives have been interrupted by mental illness.
Now the members of UP House have launched an ambitious new project-an online radio station called Radio-UP.
We speak with Marty Zidulka and Fenton Benjamin.
(14:00) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image from the Montreal Gazette
Using art to express and heal yourself: Mehdi Naïmi says that good art therapy empowers people, strengthens relationships, brings peace of heart and joy to life
November 3, 2011
Long before there was "art therapy," artists explained themselves with their inner images as references to reality [Wikipedia]. Now considered a mental health discipline, art therapy combines the creative process and psychotherapy, facilitating self-exploration and understanding. Using imagery, colour, and shape as part of this creative therapeutic process, thoughts and feelings may be expressed that would otherwise be difficult to articulate.
We speak with Mehdi Naïmi about his therapy practice and experiences in an interview first broadcast in July 2011.
(12:18) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
october 2011
On living deeply and dying well: What if grief is a skill, in the same way that love is a skill, something that must be learned and cultivated and taught?
October 20, 2011
With counseling and ceremony, Stephen Jenkinson has for a quarter century been guiding individuals, couples, families and communities through all the human sufferings, sorrows and confusions in life. He is a Harvard-trained theologian, a sculptor and a traditional canoe builder. Stephen is also the subject of the National Film Board documentary Griefwalker, a lyrical, poetic portrait of his work with dying people.
Whether sitting at the bedside of a dying woman, or speaking to clinicians dedicated to delaying death, Stephen bears a message that most do not want to hear: that death is not something to be denied or avoided but "befriended." He has even sometimes been called the "angel of death." His extraordinary claim is that "death is the cradle of your love of life."
We speak with Stephen Jenkinson, in a full-program conversation about life, death, and the Canadian culture.
(32:25) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
The social construction of mental illness: "Mental illness", diagnoses, and associated concepts are all social constructions, but the professions haven't yet recognized it
October 17, 2011
Michael Walker is a psychologist working to implement the recovery model within the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. He also teaches postmodern consultation (formerly known as postmodern therapies). Michael says that the mental health profession has largely missed out on the evolution of the postmodern perspective and linguistic paradigm now prevalent in philosophy, history, the social sciences, literature, and art.
In an article called The Social Construction of Mental Illness and its Implications for the Recovery Model [opens to PDF], Dr. Walker explains how, from the linguistic paradigm and postmodern perspective, we can see how language creates realities as opposed to "discovering" them. The paper suggests that what this means for the mental health profession is that "mental illness", diagnoses, and associated concepts are all social constructions.
We speak with Michael Walker in an interview first broadcast June 23, 2011.
(27:26) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Grieving in an online world: Online grieving, whether on Facebook or other social media, is becoming the new normal...but does it actually help?
October 17, 2011
After the campus shootings in the U.S. at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Northern Illinois University in 2008, hundreds of affected students turned to social media websites to share their grief and search for solace. A study of these students found that their online activities neither helped nor harmed their long-term psychological health.
The study gave a first-of-its-kind portrait of student reactions to shootings on their campuses. It also documented both the online and off-line activities they engaged in to memorialize and recover from these events.
The authors of the study-doctoral student Amanda Vicary and psychology professor R. Chris Fraley-were the first to study online psychological responses and grieving behaviours.
We speak with Amanda Vicary about the study, its findings, and its implications, in an interview first broadcast July 28, 2011.
(13:41) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
After the ruling, what's next?: The Insite decision could signal a fundamental change in the way Canadian society approaches and deals with addiction
October 6, 2011
The Supreme Court of Canada's decision of September 30, 2011 regarding the continuation of the Insite supervised injection site has been seen as a victory for harm reduction policies and provincial and individual rights. It has also been portrayed as a repudiation of the Harper government's focus on incarceration and punishment as an approach for dealing with drug-related social and health problems...a triumph of reason over ideology.
Now a larger question looms. What impacts might this decision have beyond the Vancouver supervised injection program-which is the only program of its kind in North America? It seems certain that ongoing ideological battles over harm reduction haven't ended. But is it possible that the court's decision reflects a fundamental change in the way Canadian society approaches and deals with addiction and its associated harms?
We look at the supervised injection program-and the court decision-with three guests.
Dr. Patricia Daly is s the chief medical health officer and the vice president for public health at Vancouver Coastal Health. She is also a clinical professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.
(13:29) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Bernard M. Dickens is a member of the English Bar and the Ontario Bar, and professor emeritus of health law and policy in the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto. He also chairs the ethics advisory committee of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
(14:35) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
James Boxshall is the acting executive director of AIDS Vancouver Island, a community-based AIDS service organization founded in 1986. AVI has offices in Greater Victoria, Nanaimo, the Comox Valley, and Campbell River.
(11:03) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
september 2011
Preserving restorative justice: Advocates fear the federal government's strong emphasis on incarceration and punishment will push healing to the side
September 29, 2011
The federal government's emphasis on incarceration and punishment in response to crime has created concern that restorative justice approaches are being pushed to the background. The government describes restorative justice as "one way to respond to a criminal act" but a former federal ombudsman for victims of crime says "In reality, there's no interest from this government (in restorative justice)." What does this mean for the future of restorative justice in Canada?
We speak with three people who have experienced-and studied-restorative justice.
Manjit and Suman Virk's eldest child Reena was swarmed and killed by her peers under a bridge in Victoria, British Columbia in 1997. She was 14 years old. Reena Virk had been repeatedly hit, punched and kicked, burned with cigarettes, and apparently attempts were made to set her hair on fire. It is believed that she died after one of the group forced Reena's head under water and held it there until she stopped struggling.
Anne Marie Hagan was a 19-year-old nursing student home on summer holidays when she saw her father murdered with an axe right before her eyes. Thomas Hagan was murdered in 1979 in the village of Kingman's Cove, Newfoundland, by his neighbour. Anne Marie tried to stop the attacker, but he turned the axe on her as well.
Both Manjit Virk and Anne Marie Hagan eventually came into direct contact with the killers of their loved ones-and became, over time, articulate and passionate leaders in the field of restorative justice.
Evelyn Zellerer holds a PhD in criminology, is a restorative facilitator, consultant, and speaker, as well as a part-time instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Evelyn makes it clear that "restorative justice is not soft on crime." She has seen that restorative justice offers much greater creativity in determining what needs to happen for amends and making things right-even with serious crimes like assault and murder.
We speak with Manjit Virk, Anne Marie Hagan, and Evelyn Zellerer.
(34:15) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Anne Marie Hagan (left) and Manjit Virk (R). Manjit Virk's image by Rafe Arnott/Metro Vancouver News.
Saying not yes in my back yard: An online YIMBY toolkit from Vancouver's Pivot Legal Society may be coming soon to a neighbourhood near you
September 29, 2011
NIMBY is an acronym for "not in my backyard" used to describe a person who objects to something they perceive as unpleasant or potentially dangerous in their own neighborhood. YIMBY-"yes, in my backyard"- is a lesser known antonym to NIMBY. The term YIMBY first emerged in the late 1980s and is used to describe people who understand the value of addressing homelessness, addictions, and mental illness in a proactive and positive way and are active in welcoming new projects and people into their neighbourhoods.
Vancouver's Pivot Legal Society has just launched a Yes, in my backyard! toolkit [opens to PDF] for people who want to welcome potentially controversial projects, including homeless shelters, to their neighbourhoods.
We speak with Darcie Bennett, campaigns director with Pivot Legal Society.
(10:09) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: The Pivot YIMBY launch in an East Vancouver home.
A unique invitation goes out: As Nanaimo social housing projects experience predictable, continuing opposition, citizens are invited down to the 7-10 Club
September 22, 2011
The City of Nanaimo's 2008 homelessness action plan [opens to PDF] estimated there were anywhere from two to three hundred individuals sleeping outside or in their vehicles or makeshift shelters-and hundreds more living in unsafe or unstable conditions and vulnerable to losing their housing and becoming homeless. The situation had generated considerable concern for Nanaimo residents, government agencies, service providers and elected officials and led to a general recognition of the need for a collective response.
But now that social housing projects to house homeless and vulnerably housed people in various parts of the city are being announced, neighbourhood groups have been protesting the plans and fearing negative impacts. City politicians acknowledge that the housing strategy has become a contentious political issue.
We speak with Gord Fuller of the Nanaimo 7-10 Club , who has invited anyone concerned about social housing to come down to the Club and meet some of the people who might end up living in the housing projects.
(12:47) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Gord Fuller and Katie Durvin at "Voices from the Streets" rally on April 7, 2009.
Is new housing a 'nightmare'? Opponents to a new housing project for teenaged girls say it must be located outside the Downtown Eastside, away from pimps and predators
September 22, 2011
Atira Women's Resource Society has opened an 18-unit single room accommodation facility for young women in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. The Society says it is responding to an urgent need for low barrier supportive housing for girls and young women who are homeless or in unsafe conditions.
But opposition to the move has been fierce and considerable. Most of the concern seems to focus on the location-and use of a building in the Downtown Eastside. But other concerns have been expressed about the process that led to the project's opening-and plans for the way it will operate.
We speak with Janice Abbott, CEO of Atira Women's Resource Society.
(9:08) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image of Janice Abbott from the Vancouver Observer.
Advocates praise sex trade strategy: PACE Society is pleased that the City of Vancouver has finally taken steps toward a sex trade policy
September 22, 2011
A new strategy on the sex trade developed by the City of Vancouver [opens to PDF] is intended to provide a comprehensive framework and action plan to address sexual exploitation and the negative effects of sex work. The strategy is considered to be part of Vancouver's Urban Health Initiative, which works to take a comprehensive approach to difficult social issues including homelessness, drug addiction and mental illness.
PACE Society--which is a sex worker led and driven organization offering low-barrier programming, support and safe respite for survival sex workers in Vancouver--has given its tentative support to the strategy, despite reservations about enforcement plans.
We speak with PACE Society board member Ellexis Boyle.
(14:00) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Kerry Porth, executive director of PACE Society, in a PSA produced by Intersections Media.
Walking at VIU for the AIDS cause: National event raises funds to provide support and services for Canadians living with HIV/AIDS in their communities
September 15, 2011
The Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life is a national awareness and fundraising event that takes place every year in communities across Canada. Funds raised support direct programs and services for Canadians living with HIV/AIDS in their communities. On Thursday September 22, AIDS Vancouver Island will hold its Nanaimo and area AIDS Walk at Vancouver Island University.
As many as 68,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. One third of them don't even know it. There is no cure and no vaccine to prevent new infections. Women make up a growing proportion of people living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS in Canada.
While all women are potentially at risk for HIV infection, women who belong to socially and economically marginalized populations face a number of inter-connecting determinants of health such as racism, (un)employment, homelessness, stigma and poverty.
We speak with Claire Dineen of AIDS Vancouver Island and with Katya MacDonald, who is women's representative with the Vancouver Island University Students' Union.
(12:57) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Too many patients are restrained: A recent study confirms that one in four psychiatric patients in Ontario was restrained or isolated while in treatment
September 15, 2011
The use of control interventions, including physical and mechanical restraints, acute control medications and seclusion, is understood to be a method of last resort in care facilities and hospitals. However, according to a new analysis [opens to PDF] from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), nearly one in four (24%) individuals admitted to a designated mental health bed in Ontario experienced at least one type of control intervention during their hospitalization.
Patients admitted to a general hospital, as opposed to a psychiatric hospital, were actually more likely to experience the use of restraint(s).
We speak with Ian Joiner, who is manager of rehabilitation and mental health at the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
(12:30) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image from the CTV news video: Report: Too many mental health patients restrained
Author makes third Great Lake Walk: Andy Sibbald will walk to benefit Columbian Centre Society and its mental health programs
September 15, 2011
Andy Sibbald is a Nanaimo author with an interest in the Canadian arctic, mental health, addictions and satire. He's been working on a trilogy of books for teens called Ishigaq. Andy is also working on a book called The Trubble with Normall that is about a man who struggles with mental health and addictions issues throughout his life.
The Great Lake Walk and Ultramarathon is a 56 kilometre walk or run around Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It takes place each September; the next walk is Saturday September 17th. Andy plans to participate, for the third time, in the Great Lake Walk, and he while he walks he raises funds for Columbian Centre Society.
We speak with Andy Sibbald.
(15:16) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Soles remembering souls: Nanaimo musician SirReal will rap about loss this Sunday September 11th as he pays tribute to his brother, Nick
September 8, 2011
The subject of suicide is no longer something that people keep hidden in the dark, ashamed to talk about. There are many conversations going on and people are learning to reach out to others and to look for help themselves. Suicide is now a topic that people want to know more about, from learning how to recognize the signs of suicidal behaviour in others to learning about how to help.
Nanaimo resident Matt Dunae will rap about loss this Sunday September 11th as he pays tribute to his brother, Nick, who died by suicide in 2007. Matt, a musician who performs under the name SirReal, will join the annual Soles Remembering Souls event at Nanaimo's Port Theatre. Matt exemplifies strength and resilience with his devotion to family and community in both his actions and his lyrics.
We speak with Matt Dunae and with Heather Owen, from the Central Vancouver Island Crisis Society.
(13:56) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: SirReal (aka Matt Dunae) raps with heart about personal loss and social issues.
Nontoxic approach to treating cancer: A new book called "Fighting Cancer" presents an overview of the ‘Gorter model', the research behind it, and ways to strengthen natural immunity
September 8, 2011
The Gorter Model is described as an integrative, nontoxic approach to cancer treatment that mobilizes the immune system. It was developed by Robert Gorter, a medical doctor, who recovered from cancer by using nontoxic treatment and no chemotherapy or radiation. Gorter based his model on self-experience, extensive research, and decades of clinical practice.
Now Dr. Gorter and co-author Erik Peper, a professor from San Francisco State University, have written a book called "Fighting Cancer: Mobilize Your Immune System Using the Gorter Model." Fighting Cancer presents a clear overview of the Gorter model, the research behind it, and strategies for strengthening natural immunity.
We speak with Erik Peper.
(15:13) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Robert Gorter and Erik Peper putting the final touches to their book "Fighting Cancer"
Grassroots group set to open houses: Nanaimo Transitional Housing group opens two houses for homeless people in Nanaimo this week
September 1, 2011
The Victoria Human Exchange Society has been successfully assisting people in need of housing for 19 years-and now the organization's Nanaimo branch is opening two transitional houses, one for men and the other for women.
Community organizer and Nanaimo Transitional Housing chairperson Leanne Salter says the houses will provide shelter for up to six months to people who might come to Nanaimo and find that they are homeless, couch surfing, or unexpectedly without shelter. An on-site facilitator will assist with community service referrals and the search for stable housing. The transitional housing is drug and alcohol-free.
We speak with Leanne Salter.
(12:57) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Diane in her temporary VHES home, from a story in the Victoria News (January 12, 2007).
Suppressing schizophrenia: Mental health advocate Susan Inman says schizophrenia is invisible in Canada's new mental health strategy
September 1, 2011
In 2007, the Government of Canada established a group called the Mental Health Commission of Canada to develop a national mental health strategy. The commission, headed by Michael Kirby, is due to release its strategy document in early 2012. A draft copy of that strategy [opens to PDF], not intended to be available to the public, is currently being finalized.
Now mental health advocate and author Susan Inman is raising concerns about the strategy document, saying that the proposed plan represents decisions that are dangerous to the well being of people with schizophrenia.
Susan Inman's recent memoir, "After Her Brain Broke", describes her family's nine year journey to help her younger daughter recover from a catastrophic schizoaffective disorder. She speaks from the personal experiences of parent and care-giver.
We speak with Susan Inman.
(16:30) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
august 2011
A world without hate: Rais Bhuiyan forgave the man who tried to kill him in a hate crime, then campaigned to save him from the death penalty.
August 4, 2011
Ten days after the September 11th attacks in the U.S., Texan Mark Stroman entered the gas station where Rais Bhuiyan was working, asked "Where are you from?" and then shot him in the face. Rais, who is from Bangladesh, was one of three victims shot during Stroman's revenge attacks on "Arabs," and the only one to survive.
Rais Bhuiyan went on to forgive Mark Stroman for trying to kill him, and to campaign vigorously-and internationally-for Stroman's sentence to be commuted from death, to life without parole. Mark Stroman was executed in Texas on July 20th, 2011.
We speak with Rais Bhuiyan about his experiences and his work against hate crimes.
(16:57) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image of Rais Bhuiyan from worldwithouthate.org
july 2011
Arctic history makes waves in China: The history of the Arctic is retold, from an Inuit perspective, and the project creates interest at an international conference
July 28, 2011
A University of British Columbia research study was presented at a recent international conference in Shanghai, China. Fourth year sociology student April Dutheil shared her experiences with the Nanisiniq Arviat History Project at the Universitas 21 undergraduate conference-hosted by an international network of 23 research-intensive universities.
The archival project began after a UBC social work professor was approached by Inuit elders from Arviat, Nunavut, who asked for help in passing on their experiences to a younger generation. A plan grew to document the experience and history of colonization-from the Inuit point of view.
We speak with April Dutheil about the research project.
(13:59) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: April Dutheil at Universitas 21 in Shanghai.
Living a self-propelled lifestyle: As bicycling moves into the mainstream, it provides transportation, exercise, and recreation. But is it an identity?
July 28, 2011
The bike lifestyle seems to have moved into the mainstream. Whether the surge in interest is related to the economy, the environment, or the ‘times', it's being noticed.
A recent article by Elizabeth Hurst in Momentum Magazine asks us to consider whether cyclists across North America have one way to describe how they lead their lives. Or is the experience as unique as each individual cyclist? In other words, does the bike lifestyle constitute an identity?
We speak with Elizabeth O. Hurst, who is a freelance writer or, as she puts it, "a modern day cowboy."
(13:35) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Grieving in an online world: Online grieving, whether on Facebook or other social media, is becoming the new normal...but does it actually help?
July 28, 2011
After the campus shootings in the U.S. at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Northern Illinois University in 2008, hundreds of affected students turned to social media websites to share their grief and search for solace. A study of these students found that their online activities neither helped nor harmed their long-term psychological health.
The study gave a first-of-its-kind portrait of student reactions to shootings on their campuses. It also documented both the online and off-line activities they engaged in to memorialize and recover from these events.
The authors of the study-doctoral student Amanda Vicary and psychology professor R. Chris Fraley-were the first to study online psychological responses and grieving behaviours.
We speak with Amanda Vicary about the study, its findings, and its implications.
(13:41) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Social enterprises hold promise: Small social enterprises exist, and even thrive, but do they really help to prevent the highs and lows of unstable funding?
July 21, 2011
Social enterprises are business ventures operated by non-profit societies, charities, or co-operatives. The businesses sell goods or provide services in the market for the purpose of creating a blended return on investment, both financial and social. Their profits are returned to the business or to a social purpose, rather than maximizing profits to shareholders.
How do social enterprises work? How can small or struggling nonprofits develop their own business ventures?
We speak with Michele Cherot of The Right Stuff program in Trail, B.C., with Jim Eagles, a volunteer at Literacy Central Vancouver Island in Nanaimo, B.C., and with David LePage, program manager at Enterprising Non Profits.
(15:33) Michele Cherot and Jim Eagles LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
(13:42) David LePage LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Death with dignity back in focus: Russel Ogden--and the Farewell Foundation--prepare plans for Canada's first facility to offer legal assisted suicide
July 21, 2011
Last November, sociology professor Russel Ogden offered to accompany a small group of Canadians to Switzerland's Dignitas centre and to act as a witness to the assisted suicide of a severely ill family member. When he saw the effects of Canada's criminal code on the family and their loved one, the social scientist became a legal activist. Russel Ogden and several associates formed an organization called the Farewell Foundation, which believes its members should have the right to receive assistance to end their lives, and that members should have the right to provide assistance.
The Farewell Foundation--which the province of British Columbia has refused to incorporate--proposes to establish a free-standing, rigorously supervised B.C. facility [opens to PDF] operating exactly like the Dignitas centre, where people who request assistance can come to commit legal, carefully scrutinized suicide.
We speak with Russel Ogden.
(13:42) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Kay Carter, 89, Lee Carter, 63, in Dignitas clinic in Zurich, Switzerland. They are about to sign forms at the table. Kay died on Jan. 15, 2010.
Unique, soul-stirring, entrancing: Eric Harper's musical journey began in Portugal, continued in Europe and L.A. and then led to Vancouver Island
July 14, 2011
Award-winning musician and performer Eric Harper's musical education began in Portugal and then continued in Europe and the U.S. He has performed all over the world in many countries including Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, France, China, Israel, the U.S. and Canada. He recently appeared at a fundraiser for the nonprofit Columbian Centre Society, joining several other performers in support of programs for people experiencing mental illness.
We speak with Eric Harper about his music and experiences.
(14:54) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
"The walls are alive" in Toronto: A patient-built wall in Toronto stands as a monument and an emotional manuscript, and stars in a play during Mad Pride week
July 14, 2011
In 1860, patients at an Ontario psychiatric hospital worked to build a brick wall that would conceal them and their lives from the surrounding world for more than one hundred years. The wall still exists as both a monument and emotional manuscript to the lives lived at what then was called an ‘asylum'. This week, during Toronto Mad Pride, The Friendly Spike Theatre Band performs "The Walls are Alive" at the outdoor site of the patient-built wall.
We speak with Ruth Ruth Stackhouse about the wall, the play, and Mad Pride.
(13:16) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
"A country full of opportunities": Aden Ahmed settles into life in Nanaimo, far away from his Somalian origins, in a "country full of opportunities"
July 14, 2011
Aden Ahmed is the second student brought to Nanaimo through the World University Service of Canada Student Refugee Program, which has helped more than 1,000 young men and women pursue education and resettle in this country as permanent residents. He has just completed a year in business studies at Vancouver Island University. VIU students have contributed financially to make Aden's education there possible.
We speak with Aden Ahmed and with Michelle Manks of World University Service of Canada's Student Refugee Program.
(13:59) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Using art to express and heal yourself: Mehdi Naïmi says that good art therapy empowers people, strengthens relationships, brings peace of heart and joy to life
July 7, 2011
Long before there was "art therapy," artists explained themselves with their inner images as references to reality [Wikipedia]. Now considered a mental health discipline, art therapy combines the creative process and psychotherapy, facilitating self-exploration and understanding. Using imagery, colour, and shape as part of this creative therapeutic process, thoughts and feelings may be expressed that would otherwise be difficult to articulate.
We speak with Mehdi Naïmi about his therapy practice and experiences .
(12:18) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
The enjoyment of "doing art": Anne Turner's journey with art continues, as she opens a show at Studio 366 and turns herself ‘inside out'
July 7, 2011
Anne Turner became involved with art therapy in 2003 at Other Hand Studio in Parksville, B.C. Anne is an artist because she says she enjoys "doing art." But Anne also uses art to help her combat severe anxiety and depression. Over the years she has moved from collages to painting with oils to chalk pastel work. She's just launched a show of her work at Studio 366 in Nanaimo.
We speak with Anne Turner about her art and her experience.
(13:17) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Just 7,000 miles away from home: Patricia and Renato continue to share their cross-cultural experiences from Nanaimo in online blogs
July 7, 2011
Patrícia Melo and Renato Coelho left Brazil for Nanaimo last year to attend Vancouver Island University. The couple, who are former journalists, are sharing stories about what they've been experiencing in their new culture. Their blogs, Just married, just enrolled! (in English) and Canada: There we go! (in Portuguese), track the experience of daily life in Nanaimo-which is predictably rather different than what Patrícia and Renato left behind in Sao Paulo, a city of more than 10 million people.
We speak with Patrícia Melo and Renato Coelho in an interview from earlier this year.
(15:03) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
june 2011
A network for community activism: Eric Nordal launches SocialCoast.org to create an activist alliance that could help social, anti-poverty groups connect
June 30, 2011
Eric Nordal has launched a Victoria-based online gathering place for community groups and organizations to share ideas and resources with one another, as well as collaborate on campaigns and events. He says that various social movements that "seem very separate are actually connected in a lot of ways."
We speak with Eric Nordal about SocialCoast.org.
(9:11) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Eric Nordal, on his boat at the Canoe Club Marina. By Adrian Lam/Victoria Times Colonist
Healing through expression: Marika Swan's work with Redwire Native Youth Media has shown her the importance of healing through expression
June 30, 2011
Marika Swan is a Tla-o-qui-aht woman who was born out in the wilds of the west coast. Marika says she believes in a deeply profound relationship with the land that she comes from and a responsibility to its survival, health, and freedom. Marika is an artist who has also worked with Redwire Native Youth Media Society for the past five years.
We speak with Marika Swan about healing through expression.
(11:37) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image of Marika Swan from her website.
Musician traveller back on the road: Simon Walls has resumed his cross-Canada pilgrimage, a journey focused on music, meditation, and meaning
June 30, 2011
After a winter's pause, singer-songwriter Simon Walls has resumed his cross-Canada walk, setting out from Toronto at the end of May, and heading for Canada's eastern coast. Simon has been blogging about his pilgrimage, his music, and his experiences online. The coast-to-coast trek developed in the aftermath of a friend's suicide-and a similar pilgrimage across Spain.
We speak with Simon Walls about his music and experiences.
(12:22) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image of Simon Walls from his website.
In the mental health holding cell: Multiple fingers point to a 'debacle' unfolding at the psychiatric emergency service in Victoria, B.C.
June 23, 2011
The Archie Courtnall Centre [opens to PDF], also known as the Psychiatric Emergency Service (PES), is connected to the ER at Victoria's Royal Jubilee Hospital. Two years after its opening, the number of patients trying to access services at PES was overwhelming what was available. The clinical director resigned, saying the PES had "become the default processing centre for addicted individuals seeking treatment" due to lack of detox beds in the region.
Now, in 2011, the PES centre is again overloaded with patients, this time reportedly due to losses of inpatient beds for mentally ill adults. A consulting psychiatrist with Victoria Mental Health Services calls the situation a debacle-and says that administration and the Vancouver Island Health Authority are refusing to take responsibility for their role in it.
Tara Levis is a young woman who recently detailed her experience at PES in the Victoria Times Colonist. She is now a voluntary inpatient receiving psychiatric services-and she is blogging about her experiences at Recovery from Mental Illness through Bibliotherapy.
We speak with Tara Levis.
(12:21) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
The social construction of mental illness: "Mental illness", diagnoses, and associated concepts are all social constructions, but the professions haven't yet recognized it
June 23, 2011
Michael Walker is a psychologist working to implement the recovery model within the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. He also teaches postmodern consultation (formerly known as postmodern therapies). Michael says that the mental health profession has largely missed out on the evolution of the postmodern perspective and linguistic paradigm now prevalent in philosophy, history, the social sciences, literature, and art.
In an article called The Social Construction of Mental Illness and its Implications for the Recovery Model [opens to PDF], Dr. Walker explains how, from the linguistic paradigm and postmodern perspective, we can see how language creates realities as opposed to "discovering" them. The paper suggests that what this means for the mental health profession is that "mental illness", diagnoses, and associated concepts are all social constructions.
We speak with Michael Walker.
(27:26) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
From old school to new school: Consensus about the value of recovery-based health systems and programs grows, but how are they best implemented?
June 16, 2011
The goal of many mental health services and treatments is now recovery. This wasn't always the case. In the past, mental health professionals told people with mental illness and their families that most illnesses got worse over time. People were told to lower their expectations. But now recovery is the goal-and it can mean anything from the complete absence of the symptoms of mental illness to living a full life in the community while learning to live with ongoing symptoms. [Source: Canadian Mental Health Association]
What is the "recovery model" and how does it differ from old school approaches? And how can a recovery model be implemented?
We speak with Chris Summerville, who is CEO of the Canadian Schizophrenia Society, and with Michael Walker, a psychologist who is working to implement the recovery model within the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.
(11:14) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3 Chris Summerville on what the "recovery model" is.
(17:39) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3 Michael Walker on implementing a "recovery model".
RELATED ▪ Out of the Shadows at Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada [a report from the Canadian Senate]
▪ Toward Recovery and Well-Being: A Framework for a Mental Health Strategy for Canada [a report from the Mental Health Commission of Canada; opens to PDF]
▪ The Social Construction of Mental Illness and Its Implications for the Recovery Model by Michael Walker [opens to PDF]
▪ Putting the Recovery Model Into Practice by Michael Compton
Writing for the health of it: From the two-minute miracle to writing your memoirs-expressive writing holds the promise of health benefits
June 16, 2011
Life Writing is an organic process-living and vital-with interrelated functions. In simple terms, it's anything you write about your life. Life Writing's genres and practices include autobiography, biography, memoir, diaries, letters, testimonies, autoethnography, personal essays and digital forms such as blogs and email [source: Wikipedia].
But what are the benefits of writing about your life...your experiences...your emotions...your thoughts? Author and life writer Sharon Lippincott says that results from three decades of research are clear: expressive writing is good for you, however you go about it. And research by Chad Burton and Laura King [opens to PDF] found that-amazingly-health benefits follow from just two minutes of written expression.
The challenge lies in finding a way to reap the maximum benefits within the bounds of your available time and interest, according to Sharon Lippincott.
We speak with Sharon Lippincott.
(11:08) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Stigma awareness, art to travel: Nanaimo artist and activist Wallace Malay will present about art, mental illness, and stigma at New York conference
June 9, 2011
A conference for organizing resistance against psychiatry will be held June 20-21, 2011 at the City University of New York. PsychOUT provides a forum for psychiatric survivors, mad people, activists, radical professionals, artists, scholars and students from around the world to share experiences of organizing against psychiatry. Collective resistance against the theories and interventions of institutional psychiatry has intensified over recent years.
Nanaimo artist and activist Wallace Malay has been invited to the PsychOUT conference to present about art, mental illness, and stigma. He also plans to share his impressions of the mental health services offered on Vancouver Island and in the province of B.C.
We speak with Wallace Malay.
(12:15) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Wallace Malay and his painting, "Stigma", which will accompany him to New York.
Mental health, citizenship, inclusion: Austin Mardon, Order of Canada recipient, is about to receive an honourary degree for his mental health awareness work
June 9, 2011
In 1986, 24-year-old Austin Mardon was a junior field member with an international meteorite recovery expedition 170 miles from the South Pole. While his findings contributed to the advancement of science, the extreme hardships of the expedition left him mentally and physically disabled. Austin was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Since then, Austin has bravely survived many setbacks by evoking an indomitable will to make a contribution. He is recognized as a leader in advancing understanding and support for people with mental illness.
Dr. Mardon has a graduate degree in Geography, two Master's Degrees in Geography and an Ph.D. in Political Geography. On June 10th, in Edmonton, he will receive an honourary degree from the University of Alberta.
We speak with Austin Mardon.
(14:30) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Image: Austin Mardon receives an Order of Canada from Governor General Michaelle Jean.
BC MLAs challenged to live on $610: Raise the Rates says MLAs accepting the challenge would be engaging in real action research and gain understanding
June 9, 2011
Anti-poverty activists are challenging British Columbia's elected provincial MLAs to take a challenge and live on $610 a month-the amount they expect many individuals living on welfare payments to get by with. But they're only suggesting the well-paid politicians live for one month on an amount that is described by Jean Swanson as "keeping people in dire, dire poverty."
The coalition wants welfare rates increased to the equivalent of what they were in 1986. The $700 a month a person might have received in 1986 would amount to about $1,300 today, over double the current rate. The group also wants inflation taken into consideration when rates are set.
We speak with Raise the Rates coalition member Jean Swanson, who is also coordinator of the Carnegie Community Action Project.
(10:20) LISTEN OR SAVE MP3
Campaign to connect the dots: Jean Oliver is working to highlight the gaps in mental health services by organizing an event that will 'connect the dots'
June 2, 2011