For young people who are navigating life’s large and small challenges — from colds to relationships, from anxiety to job hunting Foundry makes a difference by doing things differently. Created with and for young people, everyone is welcome at Foundry. We empower young people to lead healthy lives, forge new abilities, and shape their own vision for who they want to be. Whether online or offline, we make it easy for young people to find the tools, resources and skills they need for wellness.

As part of this, we believe in the power of stories to create connections, inspire hope, and encourage others to reach out for help.

We are looking for young people across BC who want to join us in sharing their story to show the many ways that young people can reach out for support, overcome challenges and work towards wellness in their lives.

If this is you, please contact us at Kaleigh.McLeod@cw.bc.ca for more information about how to get involved.

In addition to helping inspire young people across BC, you’ll have the chance to work with our incredible storytelling team, Peter Mothe and Connor McCracken, who will help capture and share your story in a way that works best for you.

 

Peter Mothe

Peter Mothe is a journalist, writer, and artist from Argentina who currently lives and works in Vancouver.

His past work has focused on a wide range of topics, including health, indigenous issues, marginal­ized communities, politics and sports, and has been published by VICE News, The Globe and Mail, CBC Indigenous and the Georgia Straight, among others.

Peter is excited to join the Foundry team as a writer. He hopes his storytelling will help reduce the stigma that still surrounds mental health. Ultimately, his goal is to tell stories that shed light on this often ignored issue and empower more young people to share their own mental health journeys.

To learn more about Peter and his work go to https://petermothe.com/

 

Connor McCracken

Connor McCracken is a photographer and design student studying at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC.

In 2016, Connor created a mental health project called Project Pilgrim. This project involved interviewing over 350 people from around the world about mental health and photographing them. This project reached its climax in May, 2016 when Connor hiked the 1000km Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain where he interviewed and photographed pilgrims from around the world. To date, the project has reached over 1.3 million people.

Connor is excited to continue telling the stories of those who have and who are struggling with mental health issues.

To learn more about Connor and his work go to www.cmccracken.co or projectpilgrim.org.

 

Before deciding whether to share your story, here some things to think about.

Where will my story be shared?

  • Foundry website
  • Foundry social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
  • Print (i.e. possibly a Foundry photobook)

 

Your health and well-being come first.

Sharing your story is an inspiring, courageous and powerful tool. It’s also meant to be a positive experience for you. Remember to put your health and well-being first throughout the process.
Check in with yourself to make sure you’re in a safe and comfortable space to share your story, especially if it’s your first time. Make sure you’re supported throughout. Sharing your story can be an emotional experience – having support helps make it a safe one too.
What could happen if I share my story?

  • Your story may inspire someone to reach out for help that otherwise would not have.
  • Your story may garner supportive comments and be shared widely.
  • Your story may be accessible to people you may not want to see it.
  • We can make the story anonymous by using a different name and/or by not showing your face in the photo.
  • People may write unsupportive comments about your story on social media.
  • While we hope that everyone will be respectful and supportive of these stories, the reality is that’s not always the case. We have a social media policy and procedures in place to ensure any unsupportive comments are responded to and/or deleted in a timely manner.  If you wish to see our policy please just ask.
  • If you change your mind at any point in the process, contact us and we will not post your story or will be happy to take it down if already posted.