2010 is Already Looking Like Another Amazing Year:

• Canada Post has come on board as our National Sponsor

• Workshop and Show for UVIC School of Nursing at UVIC January 4

• The new SMH Victoria Program starts on January 22.

• Performance for the National Residential School Healing Conference in Chilliwack January 21

• SMH Workshop and Performance for the Canadian Air Force at CFB Comox January 25

• SMH Workshop and Performance for the Canadian Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs at CFB Halifax date tba

• We are doing Workshops for UBC School of Medicine in February. These workshops will be streamed live to UVIC and University of the North. SMH is an official part of the 2010 2nd Year Medical School Program, Brain and Behaviour Block at all three Universities

• The new SMH Montreal Program starts in late February

• The new combined SMH Abbotsford and Chilliwack Program starts in February, date tba

• The new SMH PACE (Prostitution Alternatives Counselling and Education Society) Program starts March 3 in Vancouver

• SMH is waiting for the green light to bring an SMH Pre-Release Program into William Head Prison in Victoria in the Spring

• SMH is working with the CFB Esquimalt Military Family Resource Centre and the Royal Canadian Legion to bring workshops and shows to their Island facilities

• SMH Victoria Debut Show in late April or early May. Venue and date to be announced

• SMH Vancouver Debut Show at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage May 31st

• We hope to have SMH Days on Campus at UBC, UFV, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Community and Douglas College, UVIC and Camosun College in addition to Dalhousie University Halifax, McGill University Montreal, Ryerson University and University of Toronto in October

• We are planning the Second Annual SMH Island Comedy Festival in Sidney in early fall, with SMH Comics plus the Legendary Mike MacDonald and Friends. Mike, who has Bi-Polar Disorder, now lives in Los Angeles. He just returned from entertaining the Troops in Afghanistan

2009 Was a Busy Year for Stand Up For Mental Health. Here are Some of the Highlights:

• SMH Day at the BC Legislature in March, a bi-partisan sponsored reception and performance

• SMH Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in May, an all-party sponsored reception and performance

• New SMH Halifax Program starts

• SMH Comics do 4 shows on 3 University of Alabama campuses in January

• SMH Vancouver 2009 Debut Show at the Stanley Theatre in April , Vancouver

• Workshop for 2nd Year Medical Students at University of British Columbia in April, Vancouver

• SMH Show for Canadian Navy at CFB Esquimalt in June, Victoria

• Canadian Mental Health Association BC Healthy Minds-Healthy Campuses Conference Show at University of Victoria in June

• The First Annual SMH Island Comedy Festival in August at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney

• BBC Radio in London interviewed us twice in September

• SMH Days on Campus – Lunch and Evening Shows at University of Victoria , Camosun College, University of British Columbia and University of the Fraser Valley Abbotsford and Chilliwack Campuses during MIAW, October

• Mental Health Commission of Canada Into the Light Conference Performance in Vancouver, November

• Workshop and Performance for the Department of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Operational Stress Injury Clinic in Vancouver, November

• SMH becomes a member of the British Columbia CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) Committee, co-chaired by the RCMP and CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association). The Committee mandate is to facilitate the standardization of training and practices used by the RCMP, all law enforcement, the Military and Corrections Canada, in dealing with people with mental illness

• Shows for Corrections Canada, United Way, the Psychiatric Nurses Union, the Hospital Employees Union and others

For further information Contact Pat Bayes:
Executive Director
Tel.604.707.0483 Fax: 604-677-4789
Email: pat@standupformentalhealth.com

Stand Up For Mental Health (SMH) 2008-2009 Update

It has been an extremely busy year for SMH. Never has there been a greater need for our message of hope and empowerment.

We continue to run our BC programs in Vancouver, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Campbell River and Courtney. Victoria starts in 2009. We also have programs in Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Fort Frances, Guelph and a new program in Halifax. We partner with mental healthcare agencies, health authorities and others in each city to run the programs. We are also in discussions with Alberta Métis Nation and the Inuit government of Nunatsiavut. Wide-spread and very positive media coverage has helped spread growing public awareness of SMH. There is a growing demand for our programs.

There are long waiting lists to get into each of these programs, and finding the funding to keep each of them going continues to be a challenge.

Our performances throughout the year help change the public’s perception of members of the community who have a mental illness. Using humour has been an extremely successful and cost-effective weapon in the battle against public prejudice, stigma and discrimination. Laughter Educates. Laughter Empowers. Laughter Heals.

• SMH is working with Vancouver’s UBC Faculty of Medicine and Drs. Kerry Jang and Jehannine Austin, Professors of Psychiatry, to bring a hybrid form of our SMH Program to Medical Students and Faculty in order to help them gain a greater understanding of and empathy for, people with mental illness. This program will be streamed to U Vic in Victoria (Dr. John Anderson) and the University of the North in Prince George.

• Dr. John Anderson has just confirmed that SMH will be part of the 2010 DPAS Curriculum for the U Vic Medical Faculty. We are working out the details.

• We are discussing how U Vic and UBC Medical students might also provide some counseling and support for SMH Comics as part of a practicum of sorts, under proper supervision. Because of the drastic cuts to healthcare budgets, there is a great lack of services for mental health consumers in general, and our comics would really benefit.

• We are planning to have SMH Days on all campuses (including UFV) this year. We will perform live for all students, faculty and staff at lunchtimes, and do an evening performance that will be open to the general public. We hope that this will become an annual event that students look forward to, help plan and run. We are trying to coordinate it with Mental Illness Awareness week in October.

• We are also in discussions with the University of the Fraser Valley. John Hogg, Acting Chair of the Social Work and Human Services Dept. is interested in this hybrid program, and how we might adapt it to meet the needs of UFV students and faculty.

• We are talking with Antioch University in Seattle about bringing an SMH Day to their campus later this spring. Laughter crosses all social, economic, cultural and geographical borders!

• SMH Goes to Harvard!!! Yes, it’s true. David will be screening the CBC Passionate Eye documentary about SMH, “Cracking Up” at Harvard Medical School. He will also discuss the SMH Program.

• Coquitlam School District 43 is thinking of having SMH perform in High Schools in the District, featuring our younger comics. Robbie Engelquist has a great new Rap on Schizophrenia.

• We are proud to be partnering with VIHA (the Vancouver Island Health Authority), the Royal Jubilee Hospital and the Victoria BCSS (BC Schizophrenia Society) to start a Victoria SMH program in late 2009. Alan Campbell, Head of Mental Health and Addictions for VIHA, Dr. Rivian Weinerman, Head of Mental Health and Addictions for Royal Jubilee Hospital and Hazel Meredith, Executive Director of Victoria BCSS are all strong SMH allies. Again, finding the funding for the program is the challenge.

• Thanks to the enthusiastic support of City of Abbotsford Social Planner Don Luymes, SMH recently took a delegation to ASDAC, the Abbotsford Social Advisory Council who reports directly to City Hall. We discussed finding ways to work directly with the City to not only keep the Abbotsford SMH Program going, but to make it a vibrant and active participant in Abbotsford community life. At this meeting we were invited to perform for the opening of a big City of Abbotsford Community Forum on homelessness and mental illness in May.

• SMH had a very productive meeting in mid-December with new Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz and Karen Stanton, Manager of Development Services to build the same kind of relationship, and help keep our Chilliwack program going. We are already exploring ways to work together.

• We continue our partnership with the Creative Centre Society and Executive Director Jennifer Ridgeway and her team, for both of our Abbotsford and Chilliwack SMH Programs.

• UBC Dr. Kerry Jang is a tireless public advocate for people with mental illness, and has just been elected to Vancouver City Council. We look forward to working with him to bring SMH’s message of hope and empowerment to City Hall and the citizens of Vancouver. We applaud the Council’s plan to appoint a Mental Health Advocate for the City of Vancouver.

• We are in discussion with Vancouver Coastal Health about a new OSI (Occupational Stress Injury) Clinic at UBC Hospital in Vancouver. The Clinic is for Canadian Armed Forces veterans, those still serving - particularly those returning from Afghanistan with PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, Depression and other mental health issues, the RCMP, and all of their families. We hope to develop a special SMH program to meet their needs. We also look forward to working with VCH and Lorna Howes on other projects.

• The courage and brutal honesty that are reflected in the Vancouver Police Department’s “Lost in Transition Report”, underscore the inextricable link between homelessness, mental illness and addiction. This 2008 land-mark report (authored by Fiona-Bates Wilson) inspired SMH to approach VPD to see how we might work together to change the dynamics of this critical situation.

• Former VPD Deputy Chief Bob Rich is now head of the Abbotsford PD. He saw SMH perform at a conference, and was impressed. He heads the BC Municipal Police Chiefs Committee and we hope to perform for them this year.

• SMH is well aware of the high percentage of people with a mental illness in our prisons. Dr. Linda Healey, Director of the Corrections Canada Pacific Psychiatric Treatment Facility was impressed with our performance for Corrections Canada Officers last year. We recently met to discuss developing an SMH Pre-Release Program for inmates. We cannot think of a better place to bring our message of hope and empowerment.

• SMH has also started talks with Ferndale Institution and Deputy Warden Tony Baldo about developing a Pre-Release Program for inmates. We recently spent the day at Ferndale giving presentations and performing during their innovative Community Forum. Many inmates and corrections officers told us that they were looking forward to SMH bringing the program to Ferndale.

• BC. MPs Libby and Don Davies are co-sponsoring a non-partisan Stand Up For Mental Health Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 12. Senator Larry Campbell is co-sponsoring from the Senate, we hope Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq will co-sponsor for the Conservatives, and will confirm BLOC and Liberal co-sponsors soon. MLA Jenny Kwan co-sponsored a wonderfully successful non-partisan Stand Up For Mental Health Day in the BC Legislature in Victoria on March 3, along with Health Minister George Abbott. We will perform live at both events and do some serious (and humourous) lobbying.

• MLA Adrian Dix surprised SMH with a $1,000 cheque-a personal donation from his recent MLA pay-raise.

• SMH is also in discussion with the Mental Health Commission of Canada about working together on their innovative new National Anti-Stigma Campaign. We are in discussions with Mike Pietrus about several of the pilot programs that we have outlined above.

• SMH has been Guest Speaker at Rotary Clubs across the Lower Mainland and in Greater Victoria the past 11 months. We have shared our commitment to breaking down the prejudice, stigma and discrimination that surround mental illness, using laughter. Rotary has been a very receptive audience. We are discussing how to work together with Rotaract at U Vic, and hope that this partnership will grow to include Rotary in general.

• SMH is currently planning an SMH/ Mary Winspear Centre Comedy Festival at the beautiful Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney by the Sea on the Island on August 29. We will do matinee and evening performances with SMH Alumni comics from various Island and Lower mainland programs. We also hope to bring some big name comedy and musical talent. With the enthusiastic support of MWC General Manager Ian Hennigar, this promises to become an annual event.

• We are also planning an SMH/ Star98.3 FM/Country 107.1FM Valley Comedy Festival in Chilliwack in mid August. Again, we will do matinee and evening performances with SMH Alumni comics from various Island and Lower mainland programs. We also hope to bring in some big name comedy and musical talent. Valley Radio’s Teresa Laynes and Mel Green want to make this an annual must-go-to Fraser Valley event.

• SMH hopes that both of these Comedy Festivals will become annual events. They will help fund all of our programs in the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, and on the Island. Because of the economic downturn, most of our traditional funders (health authorities and mental healthcare agencies) have had their budgets slashed or frozen. We have to find creative ways to keep SMH going. We are looking for suitable sponsors and donors for both of these events.

• “Cracking Up” the CBC Passionate Eye Documentary about SMH recently won a prestigious VOICE Award in Los Angeles. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Voice Awards honours writers and producers who incorporate dignified, respectful, and accurate portrayals of individuals with mental health problems into film and television productions.

• Everyone told us that we would never succeed, including the Canada Council. We are proud to say that we recently received a Canada Council for the Arts Community Collaboration Theatre Grant.

• SMH supporter Dr. John Anderson of U Vic Faculty of Medicine has suggested a province-wide tour of our SMH Show, during the period of the Olympics, on behalf of the BC Ministry of Health, and we love the idea. How about a national tour?

Please don’t hesitate to contact me for more information, to support SMH with a donation, or with comments or ideas.

Pat Bayes,
Administration, PR and Program Coordinator
Tel. 604-707-0483 Email pat@standupformentalhealth.com
Visit www.standupformentalhealth.com

Stand Up For Mental Health
3633 Triumph Street
Vancouver
British Columbia V5K 1V4
Canada