Kendall Worth: Social isolation needs our attention 24/7
Kendall Worth on the need for a 24/7 centre where people can go when social isolation is getting them down.
Inclusion
Weekend video: The inclusion project
This weekend we feature a heartwarming and important short documentary about Tammy Parker and the life she carved out for herself in Wolfville, bringing joy wherever she went. It illustrates how inclusion benefits an entire community.
34 new abuse cases in NS institutions, Freedom of Information response reveals
Abuse at institutions for people living with intellectual disabilities continues to affect way too many many residents, a recent Freedom of Information request reveals. The institutions are regulated by the Department of Community Services.
Meanwhile, legislation to ensure that vulnerable residents are protected against abuse and incidents properly investigated is not effective, advocates say.
Weekend video: Masculins, by Stephanie Young
This weekend we feature Masculins, a wonderful short documentary by filmmaker Stephanie Young that portrays three individuals who identify mostly as females but also have distinct masculine identities. Also, a few words on how much I enjoy curating Weekend Videos.
All alone. Kendall Worth on the roots of isolation
Frequent contributor Kendall Worth tackles the serious topic of social isolation. He looks at causes for isolation other than poverty, and particularly puts alcoholism under the loop. But poverty can certainly add to the problem, Kendall explains. He ends with a list of suggestions anybody can try, from joining a book club to becoming an activist.
Weekend video: Map of me
“I think it’s because my heart is so stressed, you know. From not being seen. Like I actually think it’s kind of broken.” Map of me is a wonderful dramatized documentary about Jamie, a young woman who lives with mental health problems and ends up in jail, and Sarah, her twin sister who tries to understand how it happened and wonders how they drifted apart. Check it out!
I am made to feel like I am a troublemaker. Fighting for your child at the Nova Scotia Hospital
The recent allegations of abuse against Matthew Meisner, a resident of Emerald Hall at the Nova Scotia Hospital, have been widely reported, including by the NS Advocate. We went back and talked with Matthew’s mother to learn more about the string of incidents that keep her awake at night, and how she finds the strength to continue on when most everybody she deals with just wants her to go away.
Pregnancies don’t wait. Doula support withheld from pregnant inmates at Nova Institution
Women incarcerated in the Nova Institution for Women in Truro have not had access to volunteer doula services since June of this year. As a result women may well be at risk of losing their babies, says the coordinator of the partnership that used to provide the doula services.
Lives on welfare: I wanted to be treated like everyone else
For this installment of Lives on Welfare we publish a letter by a middle-aged man who is on social assistance and lives with Crohn’s disease. He relates two experiences with Community Services while he was pursuing an education. His first story is about a tutor he didn’t need, the second one is about the computer he did need.
Book review: Living Treaties. Narrating Mi’kmaw Treaty Relations
We know the friendship treaties between the Mi’kmaq and the Crown are important, but if you’re at all like me that’s probably where your knowledge ends. Now there is an excellent book that shows how treaty relationships have remained a vital part of the collective memory of the Mi’kmaq through time, and how and why the Mi’kmaw interpretation has slowly gained traction. That didn’t just happen, it took a lot of skillful and fearless effort.