Latest news with #advocacy
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Community invited to share positive messages at future CASA office site
The community is invited to take part in a special event this weekend to support CASA for Hunt County, an organization dedicated to advocating for children in foster care. The public is encouraged to visit the future site of the organization's permanent home to write blessings, hopes or kind thoughts on the building's wooden framework before the walls go up. The event will take place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and again on Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. at 2701 Washington St. in Greenville. Attendees can bring a favorite pen or marker to leave a message, though supplies will also be available on site. Messages can include prayers, quotes or any words of encouragement for CASA staff, board members, volunteer advocates and the children they serve. CASA volunteers work to ensure children in foster care find safe, permanent homes. The new office space will help the nonprofit continue and expand its mission in Hunt County. For more information, email casa@
CBC
5 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Yukon Chamber of Commerce to put forward a motion to dissolve
The chamber has been a small business advocate for 40 years. It says there are now numerous industry groups and associations all competing for membership fees.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Grace Curtis: The Best is Yet to Come
Photo: Supplied / Grace Curtis It's often described as the silent killer - on average, about 500 New Zealanders die each year by suicide, more than in motor accidents and drownings combined. And behind each of those deaths, are families and friends whose lives are changed forever. Mental health advocate Grace Curtis knows the full weight of that all too well - she was 22 when she lost her father to suicide. Since then, she's created a mental health movement called Cool Change NZ and finished a double degree in Law and Political Science at the University of Canterbury. Grace chronicles her personal journey through deep grief to advocacy and healing in The Best is Yet to Come . Mental health advocate Grace Curtis and broadcaster Mihingarangi Forbes. Photo: RNZ / Jessie Chiang If you are affected by this story, to get help: Lifeline : 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends. Depression Helpline : 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202 Samaritans : 0800 726 666 (24/7) Youthline : 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 or email talk@ In an emergency call 111.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Violet Affleck emerges with another expensive designer item after going viral for lecturing mom on climate change in woke essay
Violet Affleck was seen toting another luxurious purse as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday - shortly after her privileged rant over climate change went viral this month. The Yale student, 19 - who is the eldest child of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner - notably sparked outrage over her essay for school where she candidly revealed an argument she had with her Hollywood star mom. According to the teen, the pair's disagreement had taken place amid the devastating L.A. fires in January after her family was forced to evacuate. The essay had left her parents taken aback since they were not aware what their daughter had written, exclusively reported. During her latest outing, Violent - who is currently on summer break - carried a vintage Chloe Marcie Bucket Bag which can be purchased at a resale price for around $1,000. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. It comes only days after the teenager was also spotted with a pricy Marc Jacobs purse - which is worth between $200-$300. Earlier this week on Monday, Violet stepped out with her Oscar-winning father as well as her younger brother Samuel, 13, to grab a lowkey lunch - and had draped the stylish bag over her arm. Affleck and Garner - whose divorce was finalized in 2018 - are also parents to child Fin, 16. Violet has been vocal about her advocacy for both climate change and public health - such as the student demanding 'mask mandates' last year during an impassioned speech. But she recently penned an essay for her university's Global Health Review which was titled A Chronically Ill Earth: COVID Organizing as a Model Climate Response in Los Angeles. The Gen Zer detailed an argument that she had with her mom Jennifer Garner in the wake of the deadly fires that ravaged through Southern California at the beginning of the year. She had stated that while the 13 Going On 30 actress was left 'shell-shocked' over the devastation - Violet admitted that she was simply 'surprised at her surprise.' In the paper which was published on May 18, the student wrote of Garner: 'She was shell-shocked, astonished at the scale of destruction in the neighborhood where she raised myself and my siblings. The Gen Zer detailed an argument that she had with her mom Jennifer Garner in the wake of the deadly fires that ravaged through Southern California at the beginning of the year; seen in 2024 in L.A. 'I was surprised at her surprise: as a lifelong Angelena and climate-literate member of generation Z, my question had not been whether the Palisades would burn but when.' Violet then recalled having conversations with adults while staying at a hotel with her family to 'escape the smoke.' 'Though, I found my position to be an uncommon one: people spoke of how long rebuilding would take, how much it would cost, and how tragically odd the whole situation had been. 'The crisis was acute, a burst of bad luck. It had come from a combination of high winds and low rains.' The Yale student also wrote about how her younger brother Samuel had doubts that the fires were linked to climate change. 'Hopefully, most of us understand the climate crisis better than my little brother,' she added. Garner had volunteered with World Central Kitchen in the wake of the disaster to help feed firefighters and victims of the flames. During an emotional interview with MSNBC, the actress also revealed that she had lost a friend in the fires. Elsewhere in her school essay, Violet penned about society's approach when it comes to a crisis - and used COVID-19 as an example. She wrote about the government tackling the pandemic and facing the pressures to 'return to normal' by society. 'While vaccines have been extremely effective in reducing death rates, those of us who have never stopped "following the science" know that even mild COVID infections are dangerous.' Other topics Violet touched on included the effects of Long COVID and how privilege or bias can affect who receives a quick response for aid. She then followed up with an example about FEMA's differing response to the L.A. fires and the floods in North Carolina last year. At the time of the flames in January, Violet had also 'pressured' her family into wearing face masks once again due to poor air quality. A source told 'Violet Affleck has been pressuring her family to put a mask on since she has been back home because right now the air quality is unhealthy. 'She is clearly not going to give up on advocating for mask mandates. It has become a part of who she is and what she stands for.' The insider added that the college student 'is so passionate about this and she feels vindicated for her work championing masks because she does, truly, believe that her opposition to the ban is warranted. 'She is hoping the fires will serve to show people that masks can be used in times not only connected to the spread of a virus.' Last year in July, Violet had asked that 'mask bans' come to an end inside medical facilities during a speech to the governing body for Los Angeles County. She further asked the board to 'confront the long COVID crisis' and explained how she had contracted 'a post-viral condition' back in 2019. The teenager said at the time, 'I demand mask availability, air filtration and Far-UVC light in government facilitates, including jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical faculties. 'You must expand the availability of high-quality free tests and treatment, and most importantly the county must oppose mask bans for any reason. They do not keep us safer.' Violet's speech garnered differing reactions - with some praising the Ivy League student while others called her 'utterly deluded.' Her father Ben also gave his eldest child a warning and told her that she needed to be 'realistic,' a source told 'While Ben and Jen will always support their daughter, Ben had a conversation with her and told her that she needs to be realistic with this because he doesn't want her to waste all of her time putting effort into something that probably won't make a difference in the long run. 'He knows how strongly she feels about this, but now that Violet is an adult, he felt that it was his duty to let her know that she is David fighting Goliath and that most people unfortunately do not feel the same way she does about this.' The insider added the Ben, 'was also concerned that Violet felt as if her parent's star power was going to be able to guarantee her the outcome that she wanted which, in this case, it is not.'
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Grande Prairie disability advocates frustrated with province
Keith Moore, Inclusion Grande Prairie president, stops for a photo next to the empty reserved chairs for local MLAs during the disability town hall at the Pomeroy Hotel in Grande Prairie, Alta. on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Photo by Jesse Boily) Inclusion Grande Prairie held a town hall on Saturday to hear concerns regarding changes to the province's funding for people with disabilities. The two chairs reserved for local MLAs remained empty. 'It's so important to have a loud voice when speaking with this government because they have a tendency to ignore most of us,' said Keith Moore, Inclusion Grande Prairie president. Underfunding for disability programs, access to funds, upcoming AISH changes with the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program, and the province 'clawing back' the federal Canada Disability Benefit from individuals were among issues raised at the public event. The province is introducing the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) expected to begin in July next year, but locals say there is not enough information for those who will be able to use it. 'We don't know what that new support level would be because there's just no information, and we have asked repeatedly,' said Moore. 'The trends with this government seem to be, let's just cut and cut and cut, people who are more vulnerable in our society are the ones that are targeted.' The province says ADAP will allow people with disabilities to pursue jobs while receiving the financial, medical, and personal support they need. It says ADAP will work alongside the current Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program. 'ADAP is going to be a lower monthly support but allow people to earn more income without it being deducted off their support,' said Moore. Currently, those on AISH have deductions from their monthly living allowance if they have income. Moore said currently AISH clients receive about $1,900 per month for food, rent and utilities. He noted the poverty line is about $2,400 a month in Edmonton. The Canada Disability Benefit (CBD) which could provide up to $200 a month was expected to help those with disabilities have more access to funds, but in Alberta CBD may add more barriers. Inclusion Alberta said in a media release that the province is requiring people on AISH to apply for the CBD but will then reduce their AISH payment by the received CBD amount. It says no other province is doing this. 'The CDB is meant to be a top-up, not a replacement for provincial disability income support,' said Trish Bowman, Inclusion Alberta CEO. 'Taking away a benefit that was intended to help reduce poverty for adults with disabilities is beyond comprehension.' About 77,000 Albertans are accessing AISH. The CBD has a $250 application fee, and approved clients need to qualify for the Disability Tax Credit that requires a medical assessment that may also come with a cost. 'It doesn't make sense,' shouted a person from the crowd at the town hall. Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) and Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) funding is also underfunded, says Moore. He cited the latest publicly available annual report from the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities (2022-23). 'The budget for 2025 did add some money in, but it didn't even keep up with inflation or the population growth,' he said. 'Every year, we're falling further and further behind, and that is basically what the advocates report for 2022 says — insufficient funds.' People at the town hall voiced their frustrations with a system some called 'dehumanizing.' Moore says he sent invites to Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck and Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA Ron Wiebe. 'We're going to present everything that was brought forward by families,' said Moore, 'we're going to get folks to write out their stories and everything and will go to the MLAs and again, requesting them specifically to respond to us.' 'We expect them to do their job as allies represent us; they were not elected to represent Premier Smith or the caucus,' said Moore. Moore says contact with the local MLAs has been difficult. 'They're not very accommodating for people who want to meet with them,' he said, noting the MLA offices indicated that they limit meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes, won't meet after 7 p.m. and won't meet with more than six people at a time. Giving each person five minutes isn't long enough to illustrate how funding is affecting a person, he said. Moore, who served on the board of the Inclusion Alberta until last month, said there was no consultation done regarding AISH or the upcoming changes with ADAP. He said he wanted to see Inclusion Alberta included in the changes to legislation, noting the organization represents families across Alberta and that Inclusion Grande Prairie represents many people in northwestern Alberta from Edson to LaCrete. He said it's not uncommon for the province to include stakeholders before making changes to legislation noting oil and gas companies were included in legislative changes to abandoned wellsites. Family Resource Centre closure In March, the Family Resource Centre in Grande Prairie was closed after provincial funding cuts. 'When we lost the Family Resource Centre, one of the responses from the province was, we do not fund advocacy we fund supports,' said Moore. 'We helped over 200 families, during the time it was operational, find a way around the community, connect them with supporting organizations within the community, help guide them through inclusive education.' He said that parents don't know how to navigate the system. The centre helped them navigate funding, ensuring their children received proper education and aid and parents got the education they needed. 'The interesting thing is that the (Persons with Developmental Disabilities) PDD office in Grande Prairie often referred people to us,' he said, 'that's basically because the PDD office is understaffed; they're maybe 50 per cent of what they were five years ago, in numbers.' Funding to the Family Resource Centre was cut from about $120,000 a year to $64,000, said Moore. He said the province has also stipulated the centre would need to provide courses that follow 'provincial scripts' every month, that would include provincial audits for compliance. Moore said after some conversations, the province indicated it is still funding the Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities. The website stated that the office would visit communities and talk to organizations. 'I invited them to come out to Grande Prairie to talk with (Inclusion Grande Prairie), also the Autism Society - because they're in the same boat we are - and two weeks later, I got a phone call and the lady said they were unable to come out because they didn't know what their budget was and couldn't travel.' Moore then asked if they could accommodate a Zoom meeting and was told it would need to be before 7 p.m. Town & Country News reached out to the Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services but did not receive a response before press time. By Jesse Boily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Town & Country News
