Projects
Distributions
We are aiming to carry out monthly distributions with care packages containing essentials (high-nutrient snack bars, weather-appropriate clothes, water bottles, feminine hygiene products) in the DTES. However, in addition to these care package basics, we have reached out to our contact at the Canadian Mental Health Association to hopefully attain a professional partnership to carry out future distributions with the addition of life-saving naloxone kits.
Naloxone kits are currently available to be accessed in pharmacies across the city. Individuals at risk of opioid overdose and those who maintain frequent contact (e.g. healthcare workers, family members) with opioid addicts can acquire a take-home Naloxone kit after a short risk-assessment survey conducted by a pharmaceutical professional.
We hope to bring mental health and pharmaceutical professionals for the direct community outreach aspect of our distributions. The feat of reaching out to a professional can be challenging for individuals with present mental health and opioid abuse issues, often delaying getting the help they need before it’s too late. Assisted by trained healthcare professionals, we intend to distribute essential naloxone kits with instructions for usage along with rudimentary care packages. Overdose prevention is essential for survival in the Downtown Eastside.
Fundraisers
Along with raising funds for the administrative needs of our organization, we would like to collaborate with Vancouver’s existing support systems (e.g. rehabilitation resources, shelters, charities) to raise money on their behalf.
Publicly funded rehabilitation centers often do not have the capacity nor resources to support the large influx of public patients in need of support. According to Freedom from Addiction, a drug addiction recovery center in Toronto, these long waitlists stem from a lack of public funding from the government, with only 7% of federal healthcare funding being directed toward public rehabilitation programs.
The Catalyst Foundation plans to assist with these financial challenges for addicts seeking public treatment in Vancouver through collaborative fundraisers.
Journalism
The presence of stigma surrounding the opioid crisis in our city stifles progress and prevents individuals afflicted with opioid addiction from reaching out and getting the help they need. Stigma is a systemic issue, developed from outdated social beliefs that prevail in our community despite social reform. According to Business Insider Vancouver, public opinion on opioid addiction remains mixed, with many Vancouver residents frustrated due to frequent exposure of public drug use and encampments in public parks (Bennett).
In the face of the changing social climate surrounding social issues, journalism prevails as a voice for representing the disadvantaged and spreading awareness about the systemic injustices of prejudiced systems.
Our journalism department, the Catalyst Journal is a platform for our journalism team to spread advocacy for change with a focus on Vancouver’s opioid epidemic. We hope to spread awareness about the systemic disadvantages individuals face on the basis of discrimination within the medical, social, and financial programs present within our city.
Destigmatizing the attitudes towards the epidemic within Vancouver will take the work of everyone within the community; the responsibility falls on the collective rather than a single individual. Our journalistic effort is the step forward we are taking as students to de-establish the stigma present within our community and educate our peers, contributing towards a more supportive, stigma-free Vancouver environment.
Community Outreach
An imperative to transforming the stigmatized attitudes of our community is direct outreach. Once we have developed our standing as a non-profit through our other efforts, we plan on having educational outreach events at community centers, secondary schools, and libraries. At these events, we want to develop a supportive community effort towards combating the opioid crisis. We intend on further educating our community on the systemic impact of the opioid crisis and inviting other non-profits to spread awareness about their goals as well.
The purpose of these events is distinctive from the “Say No To Drugs” talks students periodically receive in educational institutions throughout K-12. Those presentations often have the goal of steering students away from drugs, and often feature fear-mongering statistics on the effects of the opioid crisis on young people and teenagers alike.
While the talks don’t have malicious intent, they can sometimes have the opposite effect in efforts towards destigmatizing drug use and the opioid crisis. Spreading awareness on the effects of abuse and using numbers to deter students away from trying opioids is effective in its own right. However, the students that are already afflicted with substance abuse issues and potentially even opioid addiction may feel discouraged from seeking help due to the present demonization of their condition.
We have to stop treating the opioid epidemic as if it's some sort of distant issue of the future that can be resolved by anti-drug campaigns. We are living in the present. The opioid crisis is ravaging our city and we must take a step to a clear path forward.
Our outreach events will feature informative talks and panels with mental health workers and professionals with experience working in the city, workshops, and even volunteer outreach opportunities for any prospective students looking to join our cause.
Once again, the purpose of these events would not be to fear-monger; it would be to educate. Driving the community forward in dismantling these attitudes towards opioid addiction and users through education is one of the first steps we have to take towards building a healthier Vancouver.
Collaborations
Vancouver is a city with a population of innovative future-minded young people ready to make a change. There are many Metro Vancouver based charities and student-led non profits that share a common goal with our effort towards assisting the DTES. The mission to maintain food security and distribute essentials in the DTES is no small feat. It is a deeply rooted systemic issue that needs to be addressed through social reform.
We plan on collaborating with local student-led non-profits in the Vancouver area to cover more ground in social impact and aiding the DTES. Vancouver’s DTES is truly an all-hands-on-deck situation, and connecting with other non-profits working towards our shared goal will allow us to further strengthen the student community dedicated to bettering our city.
Want to collaborate? Email [email protected] or DM @thecatalystfdn on Instagram.