We begin this month with a day to reflect on Canada’s colonial history as we strive collectively to learn from our past and do better in the future. We need to honour, respect, and show gratitude to the Indigenous peoples of this land we now all call home. We need to acknowledge the atrocities and injustices of the past and present. Below, you’ll find some actions you can take on Canada Day and beyond, along with the full July event list for Metro Vancouver including pride events, music, arts performances and much more:
Each year, Megaphone Magazine’s low-income vendors take part in the Hope in Shadows photography contest. Using single-use film cameras, vendors capture images of their communities and submit them for a chance to be featured in the annual Hope in Shadows calendar. Voting is now open for this year’s calendar cover!
Hope in Shadows Calendar
Megaphone received over 1,500 photos for this year’s contest, which a community jury narrowed down to just 30 finalists. These top 30 photographs showcase this year’s theme, Play and offer an intimate look into the lives of Megaphone vendors.
This project is rooted in creating space for people experiencing poverty to tell their own stories, through their own lens. Hope in Shadows shows the beauty, joy, friendship, and hope that exist alongside the hardship in the lives of people impacted by poverty.
The Shadows calendar is sold by Megaphone‘s low-income vendors on the streets of Vancouver and Victoria. Vendors buy each calendar for $10 and sell them for $20, keeping the profit.
About Megaphone
For over a decade the monthly magazine, published by professional journalists and designers, has been sharing stories that explore social justice, culture, politics, and independent arts in Vancouver and Victoria. It also serves as a platform for people experiencing poverty and homelessness to share their stories and creativity as writers, featured interviewees and more. Shop online now or find a vendor near you.
Miss604’s Rebecca Bollwitt is a proud contributor to the magazine, since April 2021, writing the Heartbeats column that shines a spotlight on non-profit organizations in the community and the amazing people behind them.
Hot days call for a cool beverage on a shady patio and John and I experienced just that over the weekend. Our friends at PATIO Vancouver – a collaboration of a bunch of local BIAs (Business Improvement Associations) – have put together a map of over 400 outdoor dining spaces in Vancouver. From Dunbar to the East Village, Cambie to the West End and Gastown, with all points in between – it’s your go-to guide for outdoor dining in the city. To celebrate, I have a giveaway! But first, more important info:
John and I spent the afternoon on the patio at Minami in Yaletown, thanks to PATIO Vancouver and the Yaletown BIA. In the back courtyard, off the main street, covered by a lush green canopy, we sipped Nojitos (refreshing, non-alcoholic mojitos) to cool off.
For our meal, we sampled the day’s top offerings in the Minami Premium Zen multi-course menu that included our favourite: Aburi sushi for the second course. To top off the dining experience, two desserts: a coconut mango creme brulee and a yuzu raspberry semifreddo.
Stay Downtown, Get More Deals!
To compliment your patio experience, you can also find great deals on Downtown Vancouver hotels – hello, air conditioning – when you book through StayVancouverHotels.com using promo code PATIO. You will receive a $50 Visa PATIO gift card upon check-in. If you use your $50 Visa PATIO gift card at a participating PATIO restaurant, you will receive an additional $20 in value from the restaurant. Valid on stays from June 15 to July 31, 2021.
Giveaway
I have a $150 gift card for Minami to give away so you can have an epic (and cool) outdoor dining experience in Vancouver this summer. Here’s how you can enter to win:
You’ve probably seen this type of alpine ride on your Instagram, from the Rockies to the Alps, but did you know the Eagle Coaster at Cypress Mountain opens this summer? The single track ride will take off from the top of Eagle Express Quad Chair on Black Mountain and travel over 1,700 metres with 279 meters of vertical drop.
Eagle Coaster at Cypress Mountain
Control your own speed by using the brake and safely reach thrilling speeds of up to 40 km per hour as you wind down the alpine forest, with some pretty epic views. Cypress says it’s suitable for all ages and physical capabilities.
Austrian manufacturer Sunkid, who built the ride, has installed more than 50 similar coasters in locations around the world including The Pipe, which opened in 2016 at Revelstoke Mountain Resort.
“This activity positions perfectly within our planned vision for enhancing year round accessibility to our world class public recreation facilities,” stated Cypress Mountain Resort president Russell Chamberlain, who called the Coaster’s installation a “game-changing moment” for the resort. “The Mountain Coaster is the perfect centerpiece to build family focused recreational summer activity,” he said. [Source: North Shore News]
Your ticket includes the chair lift ride to get you to the top. Tickets are available now for $12-$29 with two ride packages available, with July 12th being the first day to book (as of time of publishing this post).
The #CHVCatchUp is a monthly series featuring the latest updates and news from Covenant House Vancouver. Miss604 is proud to be the Official Blog Partner of CHV to share and tell their stories.
Indigenous Peoples Day at CHV
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day for celebrating the heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. This year marked a significant milestone, the 25th anniversary of National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Indigenous youth are overrepresented among youth experiencing homelessness and make up 24% of the youth served at Covenant House Vancouver. To honour the day, CHV organized a special bannock taco lunch and salmon dinner for youth in all our programs.
A Youth Worker at Covenant House’s Crisis Program created a beautiful exhibit in the Pender building lobby highlighting the contributions of prominent Indigenous Peoples. It is both beautiful and so informative, youth and staff alike have enjoyed learning about the incredible contributions from Indigenous Peoples.
Supporting Indigenous Youth at CHV
The Spiritual Care Services Team makes sure that we welcome, support, and nurture youth of all faiths and traditions. As a result, they help youth to explore and develop their own spiritual, religious, and cultural identities. And, if a youth wishes, they connect them to safe and healthy spiritual, religious, or cultural communities.
The Spiritual Care Services Team provided medicines/smudge kits for several youth as well as medicines and smudge supplies for a Community Support Services kayak trip. Youth will have the opportunity to participate in medicines walk at Trillium Park on June 30th with Lori Snyder, a Metís herbalist, and educator.
If you would like to support youth at Covenant House Vancouver now is a great time as any gift you make before June 30th will be matched, allowing you the opportunity to have double the impact to help young people overcome homelessness.
A Youth Worker at Covenant House’s Crisis Program created a beautiful exhibit in the Pender building lobby
Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has been providing love and hope to youth experiencing homelessness. They are the premiere service provider of residential and outreach services for homeless and at-risk youth ages 16 to 24 in Vancouver.
