The Connection Project

Self-Awareness & Expression - with Lilian Grace

TW: The conversations in this episode deal with mental health, mention of suicide and descriptions of physical disabilities. Please take care of your beautiful sacred self when taking part. Lilian Grace is a small-town poet from Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Her poems have been featured in Darling Magazine, and her book "The Vulnerable Truths Of An Anxious Mind [https://www.amazon.ca/Vulnerable-Truths-Anxious-Mind/dp/1738832821]" has been sold worldwide. Lilian was born with cerebral palsy, and at the age of twelve, she was diagnosed with clinical anxiety as well as insomnia. It was later discovered that she was also autistic. Lilian has since used her story to spread awareness of physical and mental disabilities. Lilian expresses her emotions deeply in her poetry in the hopes of inspiring others. She strives to create a "safe space" for her readers to share their experiences with their own mental health struggles. *Please support Lilian's incredible work by purchasing a copy of her book of poetry.

Youth Advocacy - with Ella Hale

TW: The conversations in this episode deal with mental health, suicide and other issues related to mental illness. Please take care of your beautiful sacred self when taking part. Ella Hale is a student at the University of Victoria studying Child and Youth Care. She graduated from the Camosun College Community, Family and Child Studies diploma program and headed to university to further her understanding of the systemic issues children and youth face. Ella struggled with mental illness for much of her teen years, specifically dealing with depression and anxiety. Through her struggles, she developed a deep connection to advocacy work and has fiercely worked to change the mental health system she stumbled through. Ella spoke at the Connection Project in 2020 and has continued to grow and create a new understanding of herself and the beautifully chaotic society we all live in. Folks can connect with Ella on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ella.hale/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D]

Kimmapiiyipitssini: “Giving Kindness to Others” - with Theresa Crow Spreading His Wings

TW: The conversations in this episode deal with Residential School, The 60's Scoop, Suicide, Sexual/Physical/Emotional Abuse, Substance Use, & Trauma. Please take care of your beautiful sacred self when taking part. In this episode, Theresa Crow Spreading His Wings [https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-crow-spreading-his-wings-8b9291264/] shares how mental health issues manifested in both her personal and work life due to trauma from the '60s scoop, the effects of growing up in harmful systems, and the healing process that took place through her participation in various learning and training experiences. Theresa's courage, kindness, and her willingness to uplift others serve as an inspiration to many as she incorporates humour, heart-work, and humanity into her journey. Theresa is a Blackfoot Indigenous Woman from the Blood Tribe (Kainaiwa), Treaty 7 Territory in Standoff, Alberta. She grew up in the Child Welfare System, as part of the 60’s Scoop. The heart-work of her healing journey has been rooted in being a mother and grandmother. Theresa is a Certified Cultivating Safe Space (CSS) Facilitator, Speaker, and Certified Mental Health First Aid for First Nation Co-Facilitator [https://www.mhfa.ca/en/users/theresa-crow-spreading-his-wings]. She is passionate and intentional about how to decolonize in her own healing journey and professional leadership. Growing and being curious is important in decolonizing and implementing the CSS Framework. She values the importance of understanding the history of Indigenous People and building authentic relationships to connect with the heart of a person. With over 19 years of experience in leadership and a passionate advocate for Indigenous People and inner-city communities, her professional development has focused on Leadership, Conflict Resolution, Trauma-Informed, Addictions, and Mental Health. Theresa works with youth who are at the highest risk of sexual exploitation, suicide, and involvement in the criminal justice system, drawing from her familiarity with the Child and Family Welfare System. Personal Mission Statement: “I am a fearless woman, sharing the Love of Creator unconditionally with others.” While walking in the Sweetgrass Teaching of Kindness rooted in the Blackfoot word, Kimmapiiyipitssini meaning: “Giving Kindness to Others”. Theresa values caring for her Spirit to live in an authentic and loving way of integrity and truth with a good dose of humour.

Surviving Samsara - with Kagan Goh

Originally from Singapore, Kagan Goh is a Vancouver-based multidisciplinary Mad Artist: award-winning filmmaker, published author, spoken word poet, playwright, actor, mental health advocate and activist. He was diagnosed with manic depression at the age of twenty-three in 1993. Kagan is a well-known spoken word artist, essayist and poet, a respected and established voice in Vancouver’s literary community for over two decades. He has been invited to perform at readings, festivals, and radio and has published in numerous anthologies, periodicals, and magazines. In 2012, Select Books in Singapore published his Poetic memoir, focused upon his relationship with his esteemed father, Who Let in the Sky? Kagan is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker with several releases, including the award-winning Mind Fuck (1996) and Stolen Memories (2012); his films have been broadcast on national television and gained entry into respected film festivals across Canada. In Kagan Goh’s follow-up memoir, Surviving Samsara, he recounts his struggles with manic depression, breaking the silence around mental illness. From an honest and personal perspective, Surviving Samsara traces Goh’s experiences as he wanders through the highs of mania, the terrors of psychosis, and the lows of depression. From the welfare office to the hospital ward and many places in between, Goh struggles to discern the difference between mental health breakdowns and spiritual breakthroughs. Facing his experiences with courage and authenticity, Goh shares memories of family altercations, pushed to the brink of living on the street, and psychiatrist visits. He explores his diagnosis of bipolar mood disorder not only as a medical condition but as a spiritual emergence—a vehicle for personal growth, healing and transcendence. Kagan Goh - Surviving Samsara [https://caitlin-press.com/our-books/surviving-samsara/] by CAITLIN PRESS “Samsara is defined as the ‘round of rebirth’ or ‘perpetual wandering’ … a continuous process of ever again and again being born, growing old, suffering and dying.” —Buddhist Dictionary by Nyanatiloka Mahathera

Anchoring Love - with William MacPherson

William MacPherson is a mental health advocate and activist who currently works as a peer support worker, and also has a position with the Salt Spring Mental Wellness Initiative, which he co-facilitates and is the coordinator for a series of Summits. He is the president of the Chu’an Society, an Arts Society focused on advocacy for marginalized community members. He built his community-building skillset through affiliation with hip-hop company King of the Dot Entertainment. He managed their Vancouver division, setting up and co-hosting rap battles, and managing their shows. He enjoys rapping and singing for the healing benefits of self-expression, with a focus on freestyle, a practice that helps him enter wu wei (flow states).   William MacPherson believes the responsibility for mental illness needs to primarily fall to communities and not allopathic medical systems. While diagnoses have utility, too often people feel reduced to their diagnosis. Do not confuse the map with the territory. The map is the diagnosis, which interprets a person’s experience through the lens of pathology. The territory is the universality of human experience refracted through the unique prism of the individual. Mental wellness is relational. It’s how we relate to ourselves, our family, our community, and our planet. It’s about building equity in our communities. It comes from inclusivity, creating spaces where we can realize our value is intrinsic and does not come from what we can produce or contribute. It is enhanced by human-to-human mutual support, not the hierarchical delineation of helper and helpee. Our mental health crises will begin to improve once we realize that the reductionist and holistic approaches to wellness are not in opposition, but synergistic.