If cooking seems like more of a chore than a fun bonding activity with your children, you’re not alone. It’s difficult to prepare three healthy and balanced meals a day for yourself and your family. You have to find recipes, buy groceries, prepare the food, cook the meals and serve them. It’s enough to make …
September may not be the traditional New Year, but for most kids, it represents a new beginning. Some kids embrace the new school year and look forward to seeing old friends, getting new school supplies, and learning again. Unfortunately, for some students, September can be a major source of anxiety. A new school year doesn’t …
If we were forced to step away from our screens for a day, many of us would find it a challenge to get by. Today, we rely on our smartphones, televisions, tablets and computers to help us in almost every aspect of our lives, from work and education to entertainment and socializing. While digital technologies …
With the conversation on mental health more prominent today than ever before, we can see that anybody can be affected by mental illness or trauma. Some people, especially youth who are street-entrenched and facing homelessness, are particularly vulnerable, and a large portion of these youth have lived through numerous traumatic events in their lifetime. It’s …
The week leading up to BC Day is officially Pride Week in Vancouver, and for thousands of people within the LGBTQ+ community, it’s a time for celebration. However, instead of participating in the Pride Parade and connecting with support networks, many queer youths will be seeking out basic resources and support services during this time. …
When it comes to men’s health, the focus in recent years has been primarily on physical health and awareness of diseases like prostate and testicular cancer. However, it’s important we also recognize the importance of men’s mental health. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, over 3.4 million Canadian men and boys experience mental health …
Talking about money shouldn’t be as hard as it is. Instead of having open, candid discussions about finances, we often keep our fiscal concerns to ourselves and, in turn, let our questions go unanswered. As a Client Coordinator for Family Services of Greater Vancouver’s (FSGV) Financial Empowerment Program, Rocio Vasquez takes the opposite approach: she …
Canada has long been hailed as a cultural mosaic, home to people with a wide variety of diverse backgrounds. This Canada Multiculturalism Day, it’s important to recognize some of the ways we all benefit from multiculturalism on a daily basis: Multiculturalism makes us more creative Opening ourselves up to aspects of other cultures—whether it’s a …
Raising children comes with its fair share of challenges. Parenting teenagers, on the other hand, is a whole other ballgame. The daily struggles of maintaining a relationship with a teen can be enough to wear parents down, especially when every interaction results in conflict. But being a teenager isn’t easy: from fluctuating hormones, to navigating …
Making music and art may feel positive and life affirming for many people. But for youth who are street-involved or experiencing homelessness, creative expression is often described as vital to survival. Hundreds of Vancouver’s most vulnerable youth have found their haven in the EA Media Room at Directions Youth Services Centre. Lined with musical instruments, …
