Items

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  2020-04-20

  Stacking Refrigerators: A Pandemic Work Story

  This image is of me working at a refrigerator plant during the Spring of 2021. Before I started working at my law firm, I bounced around and did odd jobs to make ends meet. I came across this plant job in my hometown because the plant was suffering from severe labor shortages due to COVID-19. The plant was offering higher pay due to labor shortages and was offering to hire in employees faster because of it. We were required to wear mask inside the plant at all times regardless of it being extremely hot and were expected to do overtime and come in on weekends if needed. I did not only want to highlight the work conditions of this job but illuminate businesses began to operate due to the dire conditions of the pandemic. I also wanted to highlight how some people had to continue to work during the pandemic despite setbacks with workers, production numbers, and work conditions. It is important to illuminate stories like these because many essential workers stories are not heard and recognized. Despite unemployment numbers being at all-time high nationally, people are still working. Therefore, it is important to recognize the sacrifices and contributions workers like I had to make in order to continue to support ourselves and our loved ones.
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  05/02/2021

  Nina Karetova Oral History, 2021/03/09

  Indiana University advocate, Joanna Reese interviews Atlanta photographer, Nina Karetova.
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  2021-03-13

  On the Fence

  South Carolina legislation and its residents have always been on the fence about COVID but when senator Lindsey Graham caught it back in March of this year, reality started to settle in. This was a wake up call to southerns and South Carolinians alike to start taking COVID mandates more seriously. I empathized with Graham but also was somewhat grateful that his sickness would be a lesson to others.
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  2021-05-01

  "Hope Love Heal"

  Art can create change. The 2020 pandemic year and all its struggles informed my mail art project. My hope was that this small art project would help others in a big way through creativity and connection to the community. My art piece titled "Hope Love Heal" is a direct response to the collective struggle. I am honored to be a part of the "We Rise" Campaign to help shed light on mental illness, mental awareness and mental well being. I hope my mail art project will touch others and let others know that they are not alone. And to remember...with a little "hope" and "love" we can "heal".
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  2020

  Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19

  The University of Toronto has developed a free course entitled Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19, in order to equip Canadians with tools to manage our mental health, before it manages you. The course is designed to teach students about anxiety as it presents itself throughout our daily life, from the consumption of news, to the way it is discussed with our children. Understanding how our brains react to crises, students would be more prepared to manage their own mental health.
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  2020-07

  Mental Health in Canada: Covid-19 and Beyond

  Mental health is health, this report shows the pandemic is both magnifying and contributing to Canada's mental health crisis. COVID-19 took a toll on the populations mental health, and we are expecting long term mental health effects to burden Canadians. The CAMH demands the government and policy makers step up and make mental health a priority by investing in long-term, system wide response.
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  2020-11-19

  Qikiqtani Inuit Association announces $1.8M for mental wellness during the pandemic

  The Qikiqtani Inuit Association says that it will distribute $1.8 million in federal funding to support the work of the Ilisaqsivik Society, the YWCA Agvik, the Uqutaq Society, the Tukisigiarvik Society, Qikiqtani hamlet recreation departments and the previously announced Qikiqtani Family Support Initiative. (Image courtesy of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association)
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  2020-04-03

  COVID-19 & Mental Health

  Tips from the Edmonton Canadian Mental Health Association on how to manage our mental wellness at this time of uncertainty.
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  2020

  Coalition Poids - COVID-19

  The Québec organization Coalition des Poids is dedicated to creating environments that facilitate healthy life choices. Aware of the potential negative impacts the government lockdown would have on our health, this company produced graphics to inform and help the public maintain their health during the pandemic. The illustrations encourage Canadians to take care of their physical health through proper nourishment, physical activity, and sleep.
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  2020

  Wellness Support Line

  The demands of the pandemic are having a serious impact on the emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing of healthcare workers across the country. The Canadian Medical Association wishes to support frontline workers by providing them with access to a Wellness Support Line to ensure they have high-quality and tailored mental health services for all their needs.
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  2020

  How to stay active at home during COVID-19

  Recommendations from Dr. Linda Li, Senior Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada sharing the best way to exercise in new environment. The importance of exercising during COVID.
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  2020

  Indigenous Wellbeing in the Times of COVID-19: Four Directions Virtual Support Hub

  A group of Indigenous women adapted the Medicine Wheel to promoted healthy strategies to cope with the pandemic to the public. This rendition is a holistic approach, inspired by the sacred teaching of their ancestors and the Seven Fire Prophecies, designed to enhance the wellness of the body, spirit, heart, and mind.
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  2020-11-16

  Pandemic Hiking, Guadalupe River State Park

  I had not gone hiking since before the pandemic so I was nervous about this first trek out. I had to wear a mask when entering any buildings but other than that things were the same. I chose to go to the Guadalupe River State Park since it was one I had not previously visited. I was surprised at how many people were at the park on a weekday but it was easy to be away from people the farther you were from the water. I had a mask on anytime I had to walk near someone, but hiking on the Barred Owl and Bauer Trail I didn't run into anyone. Attached are photos from an isolated pocket I found where I could spend time with my feet in the cold river. For the first time in months, I felt a sense of normalcy. Besides the mask and the need to make reservations beforehand, nothing about this hiking experience was exceptional, and yet I felt completely renewed as I huffed and puffed back to my car. I hope that people still take precautions when they can.
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  2020-06-17

  Numb

  As I gear up to teach high school remotely this fall, many members of my community are demanding "robust" and "rigorous" curriculum with a live daily bell schedule. We have received the opportunity to train on a host of technologies. Conversations are centered around ensuring that students do not fall behind academically. For me, these topics are misguided. How can we teach students rigorous academics without first addressing their emotional well being and the state of their mental health? If we truly want students to learn this year, we need to first focus on who they are and what they need as humans. Only then can true learning occur. Numb, created by Liv McNeil - a 9th grade student in Canada, captures what many of our students are likely experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that global education systems can prioritize the mental well being of our students over "rigorous" and "robust" curriculum.