Impact producing & consulting

The World is Bright - mental health in immigrant communities

The World is Bright is an intimate film about the 10-year journey of two Chinese parents to understand their son's suicide in Canada. This campaign is trying to break down the cultural stigma against mental health and illness in immigrant communities, and address racism and prejudice in mental health care to create something called cultural competence.

• creating safe spaces across the country for immigrants to ask questions about mental illness and mental health

• providing tools that help shift immigrant attitudes to make them more comfortable to seek or offer help

(At one public library screening, many audience members challenged the notion on whether their community needed any mental health support. We used examples from the film to gently highlight how these issues can be hidden, and our expert panelists directly addressed the challenge with a more nuanced definition of mental health challenges. At the end of this screening, some of the more antagonistic voices had changed their minds and requested additional mental health support materials, and some sent emails to the organizer apologizing for their misguided questions. We are shifting attitudes in a big way!)

• build cultural competence and examine systemic racism in mental health or settlement service providers

• cultivate partnerships between different sectors and organizations to collaboratively address these issues

• Best efforts are made to connect all the various NGOs, government agencies, and private orgs so they can continue to cultivate their relationships after the event

(At an earlier screening, the City of Richmond invited city employees and other service providers to symposium screening. During the Q&A, audience members began answering each other's questions based on their respective expertise in mental health or settlement sectors. Many of these organizations then worked together with each other and with SMI to bring the film to their own communities. The following event and planning thereof was the meeting place for Immigrant Services Society of BC (who refers clients to mental health practitioners) and the Primary Care Network of Vancouver Coastal Health (who have culturally competent clinical counselors and have the capacity to take on referred clients). It was also the meeting place for Dr. Jaswant Guzder, a professor and academic of Transcultural Psychiatry at McGill University to meet and exchange ideas with the Division Manager of Settlement Services at Immigrant Services Society of BC, allowing the latter to learn from Dr. Guzder's policy recommendations and for Dr. Guzder to learn about the practical on-the-ground challenges to implement those policy recommendations.)

• The director of the hospital Shi-Meng was institutionalized at gave a heartfelt apology for the actions and inaction of his staff

• Dozens of letters, videos and voice recordings were delivered to Shi’Meng’s parents as a care package after the premiere of this film

• Politician Jane Thornthwaite advocated for the improvement of sensitivities of authorities that deal with immigrants and international students in the Legislative assembly

Conviction - stopping the flow of people into prisons

Working collaboratively with system impacted women, the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, and Senator Kim Pate, this campaign engaged the broad public in conversations about the harmful, ineffective, and costly impact of prisons; supported initiatives and organizations that focused on human rights of prisoners, eliminating mandatory sentencing, and ultimately decarceration – radically reducing the number of people in prison; and educated audiences on the work of Senator Kim Pate.

• Held a screening of the film for the Office of the Correctional Investigator

• Hired system impacted, lived experience women to work on campaign

• 46 cross-sectoral partners convened from academic, non-profit, political, corporate, grass roots and media sectors

• Developed website to continue to engage audiences after screenings

• 70.34% surveys showed an increase in knowledge about decarceration after seeing the film

• 24.87% showed an increase in support of decarceration after seeing the film

• 96% people would take action on the issues raised, including

  • write a letter to a government official (43.65%)

  • donate or volunteer (48.43%), host a screening (17.29%)

  • share on social media (53.21%)

Good Pitch Vancouver

KLABONA KEEPERS

From 2006 to 2018 the Klabona Keepers have blockaded roads, shut down camps, and created such immense public pressure that not one, but two massive mining companies have pulled their mining operations from the region.  This is the story of a community protecting their land.

• $113,000 raised at Good Pitch Vancouver for impact campaign

• Klappan Land Plan signed by BC government protecting the Sacred Headwaters until 2039