Is this email not displaying correctly?
Click here to read in browser ([link removed])


** June 2022 News & Notes
------------------------------------------------------------


** Here's what's going on at CAI
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
* Recognizing National Indigenous People's Day
* Community Action Team Convening Summary
* Community Learning Opportunities, External Grants, Jobs & Events
* Articles & Media

------------------------------------------------------------


** Recognizing National Indigenous People's Day
------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, June 21st is National Indigenous People’s Day ([link removed]) . It is an opportunity to learn about, celebrate, and participate in the diverse traditions, cultures and histories of First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples. It is also an invitation to learn and reflect on our collective history in Canada, and to continue the vital work of reconciliation and recognize every Canadian’s responsibility to this work.

Just over one year has passed since the announcement of the 215 unmarked graves in Kamloops by Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, which catalyzed the continued search of former residential schools for unmarked graves across Canada. We hear the usage of the word “discovery”, but Indigenous people have known and spoken about these unmarked graves long before the findings of 2021.

Although National Indigenous People’s Day is a day for celebration, we must also bear witness to the injustices and horrors of the past and recognize and challenge the ongoing injustices that Indigenous people face today.

Reconciliation is an ongoing individual and collective process. Today, along with celebrating, we encourage you to commit to read and renew your commitment to the 94 Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action ([link removed]) .
------------------------------------------------------------


** Community Action Team Convening Summary
------------------------------------------------------------

CAI hosted a CAT Network Convening on May 30, 2022. The Honourable Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions for BC opened the event. Twenty-six representatives from CATs across the province attended the event to network, share accomplishments and lessons learned, and co-design a community of practice. People learned about community-specific solutions, shared resources, described successes and challenges, and provided input to shape a community of practice for the CAT coordinators.

We have published a summary of event highlights, including what we've learned, shared, and how we connected. Read the summary here ([link removed]) .
------------------------------------------------------------


** Community Learning Opportunities, External Grants, Jobs & Events
------------------------------------------------------------
Compassion in Action Community Conference - Grand Forks
The "Compassion in Action Community Conference” is taking place on Friday, June 24th and Saturday, June 25th in Grand Forks. This free two-day conference will provide education about substance use treatment, mental health care, public healthcare, and local supports for families.

Learn from local and provincial healthcare experts, local social service workers, municipal leaders, and peers (people with lived and living experience).

Visit the EventBrite page to learn more and to register. ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
CMHA Scholarship/Bursary Opportunity
Are you pursuing post-secondary education with lived or living experience of mental illness? Canadian Mental Health Association BC’s ([link removed]) annual scholarships and bursaries application period is now open!

Several awards are available each year to BC post-secondary students who live with mental illness or addiction. Apply for a scholarship or bursary by July 17, 2022.

To learn more and apply, visit the CMHA website ([link removed]) .
------------------------------------------------------------
Vantage Point Workforce Survey
Participate in research about BC's not-for-profit workforce! The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training is currently funding a Sector Labour Market Partnership project about the composition and conditions of BC’s not-for-profit workforce. As part of BC's not-for-profit community, you are invited to share your input and experiences. Register your interest to participate ([link removed]) in this effort to support sustainable sector-wide workforce solutions.

This project is a partnership between SPARC BC ([link removed]) and Vantage Point ([link removed]) . It aims to describe the composition of British Columbia’s not-for-profit sector and to identify its workforce needs and challenges, including compensation, labour mobility and barriers to under-represented groups.
------------------------------------------------------------
Establishing a Peer Support Program – free interactive webinar series
Pacific AIDS Network ([link removed]) is partnering with Luminate Wellness ([link removed]) to host a series of free webinars for PAN members and allies. This workshop series will focus on integrating peer support work into community-based organizations.


You can choose to attend one or more of the following sessions:
* September 15 – Session 1: What is Peer Support
* September 22 – Session 2: Hiring and Supervision
* September 29 – Session 3: Including People with Lived Experiences in all Aspects of Your Organization and Governance
* October 6 – Session 4: The Importance of Ongoing Training

Visit the PAN website to learn more and to register. ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
New Toolkit Exploring Climate Change and Mental Health
Climate anxiety can take a toll on mental health and worsen existing mental health conditions among people who are anxious about climate change.

UBC graduate student Natania Abebe, a registered nurse and mental health advocate, worked with other students and faculty experts at UBC to create a resource toolkit that can help educators and the general public when navigating climate change issues. This toolkit is designed to empower students to think critically about the structural and socio-political inequities that affect them while centering climate change and mental health through embedded reflective exercises.
You can download the toolkit here. ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


** Articles & Media
------------------------------------------------------------
Article: Local Advocate Critical of Federal Drug Decriminalization Plan ([link removed])
"It’s still seen as a moral issue and people who take drugs are bad people, it’s just not the case, they’re our neighbours, they’re our friends, they’re people we went to school with and our loved ones.”

Diana Daghofer, the Co-Chair of the Trail Community Action Team, said the federal plan to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs in BC falls far short.

Roundtable Summary: Safe Supply Roundtable - Beyond Medical Models ([link removed])
This Moms Stop the Harm ([link removed]) round table took place on March 10, 2022 with Minister Bennett, Deputy Minister Stephen Lukas and an expert panel led by people who use drugs, as well as observers from Health Canada, MSTH and other national organizations in attendance. The focus of the meeting was to explore models for non-medicalized safe supply. A summary of this meeting's highlights is available on the MSTH website.

Video: Bringing Awareness To Stigma/Anti-Stigma 2022 - KANDU ([link removed])
Knowledging All Nations and Developing Unity (formerly known as the Kelowna Area Network of Drug Users) has published a video challenging the stigma of drug use and highlighting the resilience of Indigenous peers in the Kelowna Area.

============================================================
Community Action Initiative | 1183 Melville Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 2X5
** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
| ** caibc.ca ([link removed])
We recognize that we conduct our work on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations
You are receiving this email because you signed up for the CAI mailing list and/or have applied to CAI funding in the past.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.