STIGMA People who have been diagnosed with mental illnesses (i.e., depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, and developmental disorders) often have to live nearly in silence about their illnesses. They are afraid to talk to other people about their mental illnesses simply because they may be avoided or even worse, the subject of discriminatory practices. People are often perceived and treated differently if they have mental illnesses and are not afforded similar opportunities in life simply because of these mental illnesses. For instance, some employers will not hire people if they have knowledge about the applicants' mental illnesses. Others who rent may deny housing privileges to people due to their mental illnesses. While others may simply AVOID any contact with people if they perceive mental illness is behind a person's behaviour (i.e., talking to oneself, erratic behaviour, and delusional speech). Ultimately, some people find it difficult to maintain a positive self image when faced with the challenges and it "hurts". The stigma of mental illness involves both a private (self thinking) component and a public component. A researcher by the name of Patrick Corrigan: (http://www.iit.edu/psych/faculty/patrick_corrigan.shtml) has written about the stigma of mental illness and provides an easy description of it.
Art by Sinead St. John
Art by Autum Guthrie
Imagine for a moment… …A world in which most adults treat young people with respect. …A world in which a place is made for young people to be active members in all levels of government, schools and other social institutions. …A world in which adults value young people for their ability to be more joyful, spontaneous, exuberant, uninhibited, open hearted, curious, creative, imaginative, enthusiastic, playful, open minded, and loving. Finding that a bit hard? Adultism, the word for youth oppression, is barely known in our culture. Most adults don’t like to admit they often behave badly toward younger people. The problem with adultism is that it ignores, silences, neglects, and punishes children and youth simply because they are not adults. Every young person experiences adultism from the day they are born until the day the world around them recognizes them as an adult. Every adult was a kid once and suffered from adultism, so it’s an oppression that gets passed from generation to generation. Adultism is the addiction to the attitudes, ideas, beliefs, and actions of adults. It is a major concept in the organization of society. Adultism prevails in every sector, including government, education, social services, and families. Its defeat is often seen as a bad thing, as adults are generally only capable of seeing their own abilities as those that are truly needed to the function and wellbeing of our world. Adultism is bad for young people, bad for adults, and bad for society. It’s even worse than racism and sexism because it hits everyone from the first day of life. The worst thing about an “ism” is that its victims start seeing themselves as flawed. “Internalized oppression” is what happens when the way people treat you becomes the way you think about yourself. Most of us start out full of self-confidence and believe we are special, strong, and smart and can solve any problem. But after years of adults pointing out our failures we start feeling as afraid and discouraged as they feel. Adultism is a part of the structure of society and its institutions, including families, schools, churches and the government. Because of the long history of adultism and its relentless nature in our societies, essentially all people suffer this oppression. Written by Penny Rogers The resulting internalized oppression and distress patterns are severe.
For example, adultism is expressed by treating the young people as weak, helpless and less intelligent than adults. Most of us are at least familiar with the major “isms” of our social life: racism, sexism, and classism. Many of us seek to understand the impact of these oppressions and at minimum try not to perpetuate them. But there is one group whose oppression we seem to bind to, that of young people. Ask an ordinary person on the street what the term for youth oppression is, and he or she will most likely give you a blank stare, even though it is the one oppression that hits all of us early and hard and keeps on hitting until we cross that mighty stream into adulthood and begin to oppress the younger ones behind us. And by then, we have internalized the message, “I am not good enough.” Adolescents who have been consistently allowed and encouraged to think for themselves, to express their authentic natures, to learn at their own pace, and to explore the world with encouragement from supportive adults who have been careful to avoid passing along their own fears and prejudices. Empowered adolescents tend to have big ideas and don’t accept that their dreams are naïve. They tend to be comfortable talking with adults because they assume they’ll be respected for what they have say. They have their own brilliant and innovative notions about how to live a fulfilling life because they have had minimal “molding” by their parents and other adults. They act as “bullshit” detectors for the adults around them, keeping us all more honest. And they don’t spend hours and hours in therapy as adults, trying to rediscover their essential nature as so many of us have. We need empowered teenagers! There is a common belief and assumption that age confers wisdom, but I know a lot of stupid adults and a lot of smart young people. And being the recipient of adultist attitudes and behaviours doesn’t end at the age of majority. Adultism is something we work at changing in ourselves, just like we have worked to change our unconscious racism and sexism. I’m still working on mine. How about you?
Written by Penny Rogers Art by Zodiac Zombie
When people think of human rights issues or offences, they may immediately think of people who are discriminated against or harassed because of gender, ethnic or religious identity, or sexual orientation. But what about people suffering from mental illness or addiction? Do people with mental illness or addiction face barriers when it comes to finding housing, employment, or accessing services? People with mental health disabilities and addictions are covered under the ground of “disability� in the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code). They are protected against discrimination and harassment in the areas of employment, housing, goods, services and facilities, contracts, and membership in trade, union or occupational associations. This includes people who have a disability, had a disability in the past, or are believed to have or have had a disability. The Ontario Human Rights Commission is conducting research and developing a policy that will explain the human rights protections for people with mental health disabilities (also called mental illness or psychiatric disabilities) and addictions. They want people who have a past or present mental health issue or addiction, OR their friends or family members, to complete surveys for their research into this issue. If this describes you, then click on the link, and tell them what you have to say! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OHRCmentalhealthsurvey for people to fill out about themselves https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OHRCmentalhealthsurvey2 for people to fill out about someone they care about Posted by Andrea
18 & OVER • • • • • • •
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Summary of Age-Based Legal Milestones For Youth in Ontario, Canada •
You are considered an adult under the:
appoint or be appointed as a substitute decision-maker with respect to property matters [Substitute Decisions Act]
quit school [Education Act] You are no longer entitled to financial support Criminal Code of Canada (i.e. your parents will not be notified if from your parents unless you are in school full time [Family Law Act] you are charged) • You are entitled to receive full minimum wage [Employment Standards Age of Majority and Accountability Act (i.e. you can sue or be Act] sued in your own name) • You are protected from age discrimination under the Ontario Human Ontario Election Act and Canada Elections Act (i.e. you can Rights Code. vote) For example: Education Act (i.e. you can appeal a suspension or expulsion • an employer should not refuse to hire you for a job simply because they without your parents’ involvement) think a person your age can not handle the responsibilities of the job Children’s Law Reform Act (i.e. your parent’s custody and access • a landlord can not refuse to rent you an apartment because they think orders about you can no longer be enforced) youth can not reliably pay the rent A court can no longer make child protection orders for you and • a doctor or counsellor can not refuse to treat you based on your age any existing child protection orders automatically end unless continued care and maintenance for you is approved by a Chil• You can serve on a board of directors of a corporation [Business Corporadren’s Aid Society [Child and Family Services Act] tions Act, Ontario Corporations Act] apply for social assistance without having to show special cirYou can also: cumstances (as described on page 9) [Ontario Works Act] • change your name [Change of Name Act]
Frequently Asked Questions
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enter into contracts [Common Law, Sale of Goods Act]
What is Discrimination?
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make a will [Succession Law Reform Act]
Discrimination is when a person is treated unfairly, harassed or denied something because of the group they belong to, or because they have a certain characteristic. Under the Human Rights Code, it is against the law to discriminate against someone because of any one or more of the following characteristics (these characteristics are called protected grounds):
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get married [Marriage Act]
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see a restricted movie [Film Classification Act]
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buy a lottery ticket [Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act]
• race (including colour, ancestry or place of origin) • political or religious beliefs • marital or family status (including being married or single, being a parent, or simply who you’re related to) • physical or mental disability • sex (being female, male or transgendered; pregnancy; breast-feeding in public) • sexual orientation (being lesbian, gay, heterosexuality or bisexual) • age (where a person is between 19 and 65 years of age) • a criminal record unrelated to their employment
19 & OVER You can: •
Buy alcohol [Liquor Licence Act]
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Buy tobacco [Tobacco Control Act]
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Apply for the GST credit [Income Tax Act]
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Be on gaming premises and take part in gaming activities (i.e. casinos, racetracks) [Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act]
NON AGE-BASED MILESTONES (i.e. it does not matter how old you are) •
You have a right to see your Ontario School Record [Education Act]
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You have a right to attend school in the school board district where your parents live. If you are living on your own, you have a right to attend school in the school board district where you live. [Education Act]
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You can drink alcohol in a non-public space if it is supplied by your parents [Liquor Licence Act]
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You can consent to health care treatment according to your ability to understand the treatment you are seeking and not based on your age [Health Care Consent Act]
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Single parents of any age are eligible for social assistance, if needed [Ontario Works Act]
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Parents, married or common-law persons of any age can claim the GST refund credit [Income Tax Act]
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Married persons or those in the military can make a will at any age [Succession Law Reform Act]
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The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects you from laws that discriminate against you based on age
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The Canada Human Rights Act protects you from age discrimination in working for and receiving services from federal agencies, such as Canada Post, national airlines, chartered banks, First Nations employers and telephone companies.
When am I protected from discrimination and harassment? You are protected from discrimination and harassment when you’re: • at work • applying for a job • attending school or some other educational institution • looking for a place to live • renting or buying property • wanting to access a service or buy a product that is avail able to the public. Under the Code, the Human Rights Tribunal is responsible for accepting, mediating, resolving and adjudicating complaints of dis- crimination. Publicly funded clinic programs have been established to provide assistance and representation to individuals involved in complaints, and the Ministry of the Attorney General is responsible for developing and conducting education programs. (source for this sidebar item: Mahil, H. (2001). Mental Illness and Human Rights. Visions: BC’s Mental Health Journal, 1(13), 44-45). For more information: http://www.hrto.ca/hrto/?q=en/ node/18#What_is_discrimination_
For 24-hour, toll-free, confidential phone counselling, referral and information contact the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868
Misconceptions and Unfounded Directions We are taught from a young age to be unique. That life will flourish before us, if we are individuals and stand strong. And yet, as we get older more and more prejudices seem to appear when people are different. People tend to shy away from individuals who dye their hair colours other then blond and brown. We look at the person with the tattooed arms and presume they’re the tough guy (or the bad guy). Its all these incidental misconceptions that have somehow been programmed into us from being yourself, to look like everyone else, or else you’re a weirdo. Why? We wouldn’t judge people on the colour of their skin, why do we judge someone one how they choose to appear? Why does the norm have to be so twisted we can’t be accepting except on looks. This includes every ‘group’ (clique). For example, the person with the tube top, and mini skirt, the ‘slut’, could be a very intellectual individual, the person in patched up pants, the ‘punk’, could be one of the most kind hearted artists you ever meet, the man/women in uniform, the ‘police’, could actually be the person cutting you a break because they remember being a kid too. I’m not saying that all stereotypes aren’t true, I’m just trying to instil that there can be more to a person. When we let ourselves become folly to the pre(mis)conceptions that we allow ourselves to take in, we are setting ourselves back from greatness. I say let yourself be you, and fuck anyone who can’t accept that. If the world was filled with everyone just acting the same it would be so very dull. Employers; hire someone you normally wouldn’t because of their looks, just because they dress a little bit differently than yourselves doesn’t mean they aren’t great people, and will not work hard for you. To everyone reading, talk to someone who normally isn’t who you would gravitate to. Don’t pass up the opportunity to become acquainted with someone different just because you think you already know them. I guarantee that you don’t. If we don’t give each other the chances we deserve we’re being nothing better than the ignorance we try to dispel. Personally I find that hypocritical, and stupid. I’m not saying don’t trust your gut, I’m saying do something different, make yourself that better person. I know it sounds corny, but be that change. Indulge yourself in the weird things. And that could be anything from volunteering to saying hello to people. When we’re young we don’t know the different groups, or understand anything about how people dress, or how income effects your social status. We just want to play hide and seek and run around the park. There isn’t a reason why just having fun together, and being who you are can’t be the same as you get older. Tag your it!
Written by Breila von Holstien-Rathlou
It’s not that I don’t possess it: The other day I was out to dinner with another artist and a few business men. This artist and I got into an argument with the rest of the table. We insisted that the number 0 was a false concept and in fact did not exist. You can research this as much as you feel the need but it stems from the old math traditions that assumed everything stemmed from one great thing. One is the root of all and separation is an illusion. The fundamental working of consciousness can be altered by changing this one simple fact in the minds eye. To further push this argument, the business men placed an empty cup in front of me and asked “How many straws are in the cup?”, to which I responded, “To which straws do you refer”. Zero is founded in an imaginary land of possibility. There was a possibility of straws to be in that cup, which is recognized by the answer “There are no straws in this cup” But to accept the literal facts of this existence the answer is “which straws?” as there was no straw present to assume the role of straw in the cup. So they grabbed 2 straws and placed them next to the cup and asked “how many of these straws are in that cup?” to which I said “the straws are not in the cup”. To assume the straws could be in the cup but are not is again running with a false reality that is not actually happening. All numbers are invented as a way to describe shapes. Be it angles and measurements. Shapes are infinite with their details and thus math became infinite with it`s complexity. Language evolved to describe these numbers. You can see early written language doubled as both a counting system an alphabet. So pure are shapes in their existence. You can not have a negative shape. You can not reduce a shape to less sides than one, a circle, or you can expand the amount of sides to such an extent that it becomes a circle. And greatest of all, there is no 2 sided shape. Shapes jump from 1 to 3. Their is no 2. 2 is the original sin. It has to be assumed it exist in order to make 3, but nowhere does it. 2 is the act of 1 breaking. But it is all a trick veiling that we are all one and all is one. Infinity with countless divisions but nowhere can nothing be found. Written by Chris Towle
Changing my faith
The books that contain these messages are the Torah, The New Testament, the Psalms and then the final testament known as the Holy Qur’an, which has been proven to have no alterations what so ever since By Jamie Abdullah Zucchiatti its revelation to Muhammad (peace be upon him) from the Angel Gabriel. It was the night I had the This story begins when I was 12 years of age when I conversation with my friend Luke that the immortal began my pursuit for inner peace and happiness. At spark of Islam was ignited in my heart. I immediately the time I knew a number of really nice Christians and that was influence enough for me to become a Christian went off to research Islam often spending 8 hours at which meant I attended church service every Sunday and a time online finding things out. Ironically on Islamic New Year Friday Dec 18 2009 I converted to Islam at read the Bible fairly often. I only remained Christian a Local Mosque called Masjid e Aisha by reciting “La for a few years due to very negative experiences with a ilaha il Allah wa ash adu local Church, a conflict with the anna Muhammadan rasull fundamentals of Christianity Allah” in Arabic which also had a hand in it. I simply means I bear witness there could not believe that God is none worthy of worship could sacrifice his own son for except Allah and I bear all people who were willing witness that Muhammad to believe that, and I asked was final his Messenger. myself, “doesn’t that mean I This declaration of faith can do whatever I want because is known as the Shahada. my sins have already been This December it will be paid for?” I also thought to a full year since I have myself, “crucifixion of all the embraced Islam as my methods?” After that I lived religion and way of life and my teen years doing whatever have kept a strong faith my heart told me which often throughout the year and enough got me in to a lot of pray that it will remain trouble, often with school, Strong until the day my and sometimes with the law. soul is taken. In this time I Shortly before turning 20 I have grown and learned so visited my friend Luke, where much, Its really amazing I I made a Muslim joke and he have a renewed faith in God did not laugh and he told me and humanity. Knowing “I am Muslim”. I immediately Islam now there is no way found it funny he said that I could be tempted to give and thought to myself “he is up my religion for even the crazy”. I didn’t know much sum of $7,000,000,000.25. about Islam and wanted to I would like to thank my family and friends for understand his reasoning so I began to ask questions supporting me through this change as well as Farooq and initiated dialogue about Islam. By asking I soon Ahmed and Muhammad Sayed from the Muslim learned about what Islam taught, such as that Allah (God) sent messengers to the earth that told us that there society of Guelph for welcoming me to Islam and arranging my shahada ceremony. is only one God worthy of worship and that on the final I would also like to thank Breila von Holsteinday all of mankind will be accountable for his own sins Rathlou for approaching me with the opportunity to and will either be rewarded or punished for their deeds. share this story with the readers of her magazine . If Some of these messengers have familiar names such as Moses, Abraham, and Noah, John the Baptist, Jesus and anyone reading this is curious or has any questions regarding Islam I encourage them to contact the finally Muhammad peace and blessings be upon them all. Islam teaches that they all brought down the message Muslim society of Guelph located at 44 Marlborough Road. Here is also the number and mailing address at different times for people to follow and apply to their Guelph, ON N1E 3X2 (519) 767-0097. daily lives.
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Art Group 3:00-4:00 pm
Monday
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CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Art Group 3:00-4:00 pm
Healthy Relationships 3:00-4:00 pm
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Tuesday
Anxiety & Depression 3:00-4:00 pm
Anxiety & Depression 3:00-4:00 pm
Anxiety & Depression 3:00-4:00 pm
Mental Health & Addictions 3:00-4:00 pm ADD/ADHD Workgroup 6:00-7:00 pm
Mental Health & Addictions 3:00-4:00 pm ADD/ADHD Workgroup 6:00-7:00 pm
Wednesday
Mental Health & Addictions 3:00-4:00 pm ADD/ADHD Workgroup 6:00-7:00 pm
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Mental Health & Addictions 3:00-4:00 pm ADD/ADHD Workgroup 6:00-7:00 pm
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15 SITE CLOSED AT 3:00PM FOR GALA (Bus leaves at 3:15 pm) Celebrating Relationships Gala 4:00-10:00 pm
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Self Esteem 3:00-4:00 pm
Facilitator Training 2:00-4:00pm
Self Esteem 3:00-4:00 pm
Thursday
Self Esteem 3:00-4:00 pm
Advocacy “Human Rights and Mental Health” 1:30- 3:30 pm Fun and Games 3:30 – 5:00 pm 30
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Wellington Dufferin Self Help Peer Support –December 2010
Anxiety & Depression 3:00-4:00 pm
Guelph: 147 Wyndham St. N. Unit 207 Guelph, ON N1H 4E9 519-763-4014 heeleya@self-help.ca OPEN: Monday to Thursday 1:00-5:00 pm
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I fight like a girl who refuses to be a victim. I fight like a girl who’s tired of being IGNORED and HUMOURED and BEATEN and RAPED . I fight like a girl who’s sick of not being taken seriously. I fight like a girl who’s been pushed too far. I fight like a girl who offers and demands respect. I fight like a girl who has a lifetime of ANGER and STRENGTH and PRIDE
I fight like a girl who knows that YOU ONLY HAVE AS MUCH POWER
I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL
AS I GRANT YOU.
I fight like a girl who will never allow you to take more than I offer. I fight like a girl who fights back. So next time you think you can distract yourself from you insecurities by victimizing a girl,
Pent up in her girly body. I fight like a girl who doesn’t believe in FEAR and SUBMISSION. I fight like a girl who knows that
THINK AGAIN. She may be ME and I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL. Written by Unknown
THIS BODY and THIS MIND are mine.
The Futurist Palete The futurists’ shopping list: salami, rose petals, and steel balls.
His oddball cuisine debuted in the first (and only) Futurist restaurant, in 1929 Turin an angular, alumina plated By Tony Perrottet interior called La Taverna del Santopalato, or Tavern of the Holy Palate. It was an event Marinetti considered on a par with the discovery of America and the fall of the Bastille If the Marx brothers had ever taken to food writing, (“the first human way of eating is born!”) His cuisine was they might have produced something very like F.T. then replicated at various Futurist events across Europe, to Marinetti’s marvelously slapstick work, The Futurist Cookbook. The provocative (and regrettably Mussolini the horror of many pasta lovers, and his 1932 cookbook has approved) Italian artist Marinetti was infatuated by all both delighted and mystified gastronomists ever since. things sleek, sharp, electronic, and shiny, but he was Some recipes can be visualized fairly easily, such as his also an avowed enemy of pasta, which he denounced as a pathetic Italian addiction to nostalgia and tradition. sculpted meat skyscrapers with geraniums on skewers. But Instead, he preferred his Futurist meals to combine the other recipes are more conceptual: radical use of color, shape, music, lighting, and ideas, leaving taste and nutrition off the list entirely. In fact, the modem vitamin supplement industry should make Marinetti a patron saint: He argued that all sustenance should come from pills, freeing up food to be the raw material of art, preferably to be consumed while listen‑ ing to the soothing hum of an airplane engine.
The Futurist Palete Cont’d
Marinetti was not entirely indifferent to the romance of fine dining, and does include a "Nocturnal Love Feast" in his cookbook. The meal, which should be eaten at midnight on the island of Capri, climaxes with a cocktail called the War‑in‑Bed ‑ a relatively appetizing blend of pineapple juice, egg, cocoa, caviar, red pepper, almond paste, nutmeg, and a whole clove, all mixed in the yellow Strega liqueur. He declares that modern women (preferably sheathed in dresses made of gold graphic patterns) will inevitably be won over by the intellectual rigor of Futurist cooking, describing one beautiful donna's wide‑eyed response: "I'm dazzled! Your genius frightens me!" Although Marinetti's reputation suffered thanks to his embrace of Italian fascism and his taste for macho posturing, the goofy humor of his cookbook would influence a generation of younger artists, most notably the Spaniard Salva‑ dor Dali. Dali wrote obsessively about the connection between food and art, providing recipes for a Venus de Milo made from hard‑boiled eggs (imagine the pleasure, he explained, of biting into her yolky breast) and championing the Art Nouveau style of Antonio GaudI as a form of edible architecture, "whose softness seems to beg 'Eat me!" He penned and illustrated his own cookbook (Les Diners de Gala, dedicated to his wife) and included loopy food imagery in many of his surrealist paintings, such as "Average French Bread With Two Fried Eggs Without the Plate Trying to Sodomize a Crumb of Portuguese Bread" (1932) and the famous "Soft Construction with Baked Beans: Spain, Premonition of Civil War" (1936). In the modern world, Dali declared, "beauty will be edible or not at all."
“And their judges spoke with one dialect, But the condemned spoke with many voices. And the prisons were full of many voices, But never the dialect of the judges. And the judges said: ‘No one is above the Law.’ A poem by Tom Leonard, from his sequence Situations Theoretical and Contemporary
“In the end antiblack, antifemale, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing - antihumanism.” (Shirley Chisholm)
“All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.” (Swami Vivekananda)