The document summarizes a virtual poetry workshop on mental health. It provides an agenda for the workshop which includes defining terms, immersing in short films about mental health, exploring themes from the films through discussion, expressing thoughts through writing exercises, and sharing poetry. It also introduces the facilitator, 1990s Chris, and provides resources and guidelines for participating in the workshop.

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@artwithimpact
#WellnessinWords

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Territory
Acknowledgement

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YOUR FACILITATOR: 1990s Chris
1990s Chris (he/him) is a queer
working class poet and writer,
from Hereford, England,
specialising in film and audio. He
has performed at the Royal Albert
Hall, and the Eden Project as well
as writing for BBC sounds, and
Channel 4 Random Acts. His work
hopes to start discussion around
masculinity, class, queer identity
and mental health.
IG & Twitter: @1990schris

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○ Campus workshops
○ Monthly short film competition
○ Short film production grants
○ Global community
BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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HERE’S THE PLAN
1. Define our terms
2. Practice a way of expressing ourselves:
Immerse - Explore - Express
3. Share
4. Panel
5. Evaluation (and a chance to enter to win
one of three $50 campus store
credits (or a VIU hoodie)!

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HEADS UP
● Mental health is personal – YOU are the expert on
your own experience
● We are going to be talking about complicated ideas
that can be highly connected with our sense of self
● We are online - this is a public, shared space
● We are recording this session for internal training
and evaluation purposes
● Please take care of yourself however you need,
including asking for help.

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NEED SUPPORT?
Access mental health support throughout this workshop.
Click Shared Notes
To link to online
resources
Private Chat mental health pros.
They are at the top and have * next
to their names
#1 #2

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3 WAYS TO ENGAGE
We welcome your participation
CHAT BOX: Use the
Public Chat to connect
with the whole group
#1

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POLL: respond
to a Poll when
prompted
#2
Set Your Status by
clicking on your name
and selecting from
the drop-down menu
#3
3 WAYS TO ENGAGE
We welcome your participation

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If you need tech
support, ask…
Look for the person whose name begins with
AWI Support and Private Chat them with any issues.

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#Movies4MentalHealth
POLL: Who’s here today?
C
B
Student at
VIU
A
Faculty/staff at
VIU
Somebody else

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WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE
DISCUSSING MENTAL HEALTH?
None
A B
C D
E
Unfamiliar
Very Familiar
Familiar
Expert

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Mental illness
Mental wellness

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A None
C
B
D
I mean, a little in
school, maybe?
I’ve written a
bit here and
there...
I write poetry all
the time!
WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE
WITH WRITING POETRY?

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POETRY
For this workshop we’ll define
poetry as a condensed
expression of your thoughts or
feelings
Anything you put to paper with
intention can be poetry

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IMMERSE, EXPLORE, EXPRESS
As a group, we will immerse ourselves in 2
short films from our OLIVE Film Collection.
Together, we will explore the themes
brought up in the films through discussion.
Individually, we will express our thoughts
and feelings through writing exercises to
create poetry as a response.

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
IMMERSE, EXPLORE, EXPRESS
Round 1

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CHAINED
By Dustin Lowman
AWI Winner, September 2016
Immerse
Content heads up: Post Traumatic Stress, Veteran

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HOW ARE YOU, REALLY?
heavy
desperation
hopeful
metaphorical, dig a hole to get out of a "hole"
understanding, connection
wish someone was there to help him reach his
"goal"
I remember reading once that suicidal people have
trouble problem-solving...reminds me of that.
Sometimes it's hard to see the solution
Finding the key is seems a metaphor for finding a
solution
sometimes finding a solution to a mental health
issue means getting your hands dirty
Makes me think about how nature can be part of
healing-The dirt lifting him up.
Immerse

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EXPLORE
Hope can be difficult to hold on
to, to keep sight of, and through
life we are often tested.
Explore

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Explore
What can stand between
us and hope?
neurochemical imbalance (nature)
negative self talk
ourselves
Disconnection - from self, others, nature,
spirit....
trauma
ruminating on the "negative" can narrow my
outlook
many failed tries
poverty (hunger, disability)

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
Take a breath.
Explore

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
FREE WRITE
“Reaching the Unreachable”
Express

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WRITING DEBRIEF
How did that feel?
Did you write anything that
surprised you?
Express

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
FIND THE SCULPTURE
“Reaching the Unreachable”
Express

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
Let’s share!
Express
chained to my problem … single-minded ;
doggedly fighting … useless
stop … surrender
little by little … small steps add up
… finding my way out
Soggy boots, heavy treads, body spent and exhaustion spreads,
Vision blurs yet I see my goal.
Its been embedded deep in my soul.
Gathering courage, leftover from the war,
Making one last reach, hope to avoid the fall.
One leap and I land, land on piles of my dreams,
Finally, the goal in my hands, it is grander than it seems!
I will do whatever it takes to find my way back to happiness,
Usmc branded
But where are his brothers?
Did we chain ourselves
Or were these shackles system made?
The chains in our minds
Or the chains in our wold
Finding the key
Reaching the unreachable

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
Let’s share!
Express
love thyself, feed thyself with goodness
create allites, supports, networks
do the job, do it well, worry less about the noise
turn off the noise, shut of the hose that's spewing hate and vile
the angry bullies in my head stop feeding them love thyself, feed thyself with goodness
To realize I am strong, I am a fighter ,
I am resilient , I am brave , I am a survivor.
There is no unreachable, there is only possabilities.
Experience...delirious...dictates what’s happening.
How can I feel what I’ve never felt before?
I can’t look inside so I try to hide in the external.
Striving for an image of perfection that is less than reachable and has never been
teachable.
Where are my hands? Where is my heart?
Where is my body when each breath breaths itself?
Do I know how to nourish this existence? What do I feel when I slow down?
The unreachable is reachable when I slow down to the teachable moment that exists in
each moment, I breathe in, I breathe out.

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
IMMERSE, EXPLORE, EXPRESS
Round 2

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LITTLE ELIZABETH
By Elizabeth Ayiku
AWI Winner, February 2018
Immerse
Content heads up: Discussion of Trauma and Childhood Sexual Assault

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HOW ARE YOU, REALLY?
Inspired
Journey
Thoughtful
Witnessing the emergency of self-love is touching.
I've never had it put to me like that before! Really
thoughtful about how to move forward
I'm reflecting on the many points along the journey
that were expressed in the film.
Immerse

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EXPLORE
In our lives we’ve all grown
and overcome
a lot of adversity
Explore

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Explore
What are some important messages you’ve
needed to give yourself in order to grow?
You are right, right now.
I am enough
your allowed to take a break
we are all perfectly imperfect humans
i am allowed to cry
Be kind to yourself and know you r worthy.
you dont need to prove anything to others

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
Take a breath.
Immerse

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
FREE WRITE
“A love letter to a younger you”
Express

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WRITING DEBRIEF
How did that feel?
Did you write anything that
surprised you?
Express

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
FIND THE SCULPTURE
“A love letter to a younger you”
Immerse

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
Let’s share!
Immerse
I wish I knew you back then
I would guide you to help
I would show you the way
I would tell you that you will get through
I would inspire you with where I am today
I would show you how far you will go
We could share our trauma
We are damaged, yet successful, strong, and beautiful
I wish I knew you back then.
dear doug,
always remember,
… no matter what,
you are wonderful,
… just as you are
You don't understand
Why this world is alien
But you face it
Afraid
but brave
One day you'll know
You'll have the words
But in this moment,
You're strong without words

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
Let’s share!
Immerse
Dear Paige,
You will not always be afraid. I know right now that you see no end in sight. There is
no dawn coming for you. But it is coming. And when it comes you will be afraid of
that too. That is okay. Because you will learn to bathe in sunlight and learn your
tears can come from laughter as well as despair. You will learn breathlessness can
come from dancing too much as well as from panic attacks. You will learn that
living is not the same as just being alive.
Shine
Don’t fall into the background
Understand your own light
Let your true self be what guides you
You are beautiful
Be yourself
You have something special and unique to contribute to the world.
Don’t let others take advantage of you and depreciate your self worth
You are beautiful
You will always be beautiful if you hold onto your values and beliefs
If you stand up for what you believe in
If you become your own best advocate
Let yourself shine

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The Blessing of the Morning Light
BY DAVID WHYTE
Immerse

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i. Something from nature you love
ii. A setting or landscape you love
iii. A day of the year you love
iv. Your favourite food or drink
Explore
A GRATEFUL LIST

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
Take a breath.
Immerse

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
FREELY &
DELIBERATELY
“This New Morning...”
Immerse

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
Let’s share!
Immerse
This morning I consider that,
… with my actions, thoughts and words
I am “writing my autobiography”
… what will I write today?
This new morning
I shall accept my well being
I will appreciate the trees surrounding me
Imagine a majestic waterfall, washing away my fears
Because I am starting fresh
On this new morning.
This new morning I see the end of winter with spring on the wind
This new morning I see the sun rising from east and bringing light to my life
This new morning I smell petrichor rising with fresh air for my lungs

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#Poetry4MentalHealth
Let’s share!
Immerse
Smile as the beauty of the day unfolds
No matter the past, the flowers will open
Taste the green, smell the velvet, and feel the moisture
Eyes open to the beauty of this day
Be grateful for nature beholds true beauty
Each morning brings about new opportunities to live, love, and laugh.
The birds singing, the sound of the ocean.
Wake with a lust for life, be inspired for the what a new day brings.
Olakala mu'lan tlasa xwa 'nalax - I am really grateful for this day!
I remember the light on the ocean. The smell of yellow cedar was still on my
breath from yesterday. The clouds parted and the sun warmed my face. Stinging
my eyes from laugh lines. And we ate fresh, warm figs.

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You can take this process
forward…
Immerse
Explore
Express

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AWI: Continued Connections
Exclusive community events and spaces
Arts-based discussion trainings
Interview and discussion opportunities
Weekly art + wellness prompts
Click the link in the chat to learn more!

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MEET THE PANEL
bit.ly/wiw-h-viu
Art Phipps, (he/him)
International Advisor/Counsellor, International Student Services,
Vancouver Island University
Joanne Hogan (she/her)
Office and Promotions Administrator,
Vancouver Island Crisis Society

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Please fill out the evaluation!
@artwithimpact
info@artwithimpact.org
You can enter for a chance to win one of three $50 campus store credits
(or a VIU hoodie)!
If you are receiving credit for attending this workshop, at the end of the
evaluation, you’ll be prompted to add your information to a sign-in
sheet.
Evaluation responses will remain separate and anonymous.
For CCR credits, the QR code will be presented at the end of the event.

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Virtual Mingle/Panel Q&A
Ask a question or share a thought!
You can raise your hand (see image below) to be given
instructions to audio in, use the public chat box, or
send a private message to AWI Support / a panelist.

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Stay in touch!
Sign up for Continued
Connections!
...and don’t forget to copy/paste the
resources in the Shared Notes!
@artwithimpact
info@artwithimpact.org
For CCR credits,
please scan this QR
code: