The Existence Project

Dennis, a writer, poet and storyteller who has experienced intermittent homelessness throughout his lifetime sat down with us to discuss his process coming out and speaking publicly to his experience on the street. Transformation, empowerment and the ability to have a choice in life all underlie a complex, candid and hopeful discussion with a man who has overcome homelessness.

Cory, a hip-hop artist who first experienced homelessness as a youth connected with us to speak about the many ways people who end up homeless fall through the cracks from an early age. A true survivor of the streets, Cory brings sincerity, eloquence and a story of resilience to a larger dialogue around how community support could be designed to legitimately address the needs of people living in the street community.

Today we speak with Mike Woestenburg about his experience with Conversion Disorder, a rare auto-immune disorder that left him traversing social stigma in society and the medical system. He talks about the journey this took him through, finally naming his condition, "Conversion Disorder", and discovering the community built from others experiencing the isolation of CD. Take a listen!

Kay Martin, Peer Support Worker with the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness and co-lead on the Face-to-Face with Stigma program breaking down stigma in institutions of power, sits down to talk to us about her story and what needs to change in our community to better support those battling addiction and homelessness.

The day Ewan said yes, everything changed. His first experience with drugs and alcohol brought a sense of belonging and energy to his life that he would spend 10 years chasing. At 23 years old, he thought surviving to 25 would be an accomplishment. But the day he started to say no, everything changed again. Recovery brought community and opportunities into his life that were worth more than the previous high. Hear his story.

Toni saw snow fall in Ontario because bombs fell in Kuwait. Two weeks after he was born Iraq invaded his home country, causing his family to flee until they ultimately arrived in Canada. It would be years before he fully understood the effect that trauma had on his family, and how ultimately healing without the support of others caused damage too. Now a resident of Victoria, listen to his interview to hear him describe the importance of community, and how having an open mind changed his life.

At the end of the day, it's all about giving back. As a child, Rob lost a parent and the economic fallout forced his family to give him up. For someone so young, this was a lot to handle, and years later he would realize that he was dealing with trauma he had never recognized. Luckily for him, people stepped in and made a difference. Teachers and sports coaches became mentors, while running became the practice that kept him on the right track.

Languages can sleep. When Tiffany was born, only twelve people were known to speak her mother tongue – Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim. She would grow up to be a keeper of that language, and a dedicated language and cultural revivalist of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. Learning how to fill that role was a balancing act in navigating her traditional and modern education. You can't always do things the way they have been done before. Hear Tiffany's story of respecting the past, honouring the present and being intentional about the future.

When Stacey was six years old, he experienced a deep sadness for the first time. As he navigated the world, depression punctuated his story, woven into chapters about bullying, sexual assault and feelings of isolation that didn't match the veneer of normal that defined his life to others. As he grew up, he started looking to fight for anything but himself. It wasn't until he met healthy mentors that he realized what he really wanted was to fight to help others. Before he could do that though, there was an important lesson to learn. Find out what happened when he realized he had to fight for himself first.

It would have made a great sitcom plot. But for Dar, it was her real life and it required a sense of humour and resiliency. Gunfire in the courtyard, friends pulling punches and characters straight out of crime novels set the stage for an adrenaline-fuelled story that culminated, in some ways, with the tragic end of the life of the man she loved. That's not the whole story though. Find out why Dar believes you can always change the plot by creating a future that pulls your forward.