Finding A Way Forward – through documentary film and community mentorship

Hello and welcome to Finding A Way Forward! This is a collaborative grass-roots initiative started by AIMCanada Mentorship Society and Mastermind Studios to bring our neighbors, friends and the residents of Kamloops together, in a good way. We recognize that our city is in a state of crisis and that people are naturally upset and fearful about economic uncertainty, homelessness, safety, crime, mental health, drugs, overdoses, healthcare, the environment, and a general breakdown in healthy communication, both online, and between people face-to-face.

So, what exactly are we doing? We believe that a divided community creates more challenges, than one which strives to understand each other and work together. We also believe that there are a lot of great people doing great work towards alleviating some of our collective fears. But who’s doing what? How can anyone possibly keep track of it all, let alone find the time to understand the mountains of information out there? Fundamentally, through our efforts we aim to:

Facilitate people sharing their knowledge, experience and perspectives around the crises we are facing so that we all can be better informed without taking anyone out of context.
Create better community dialog and healthy conversations where we can all learn from each other, support each other, and work together to find solutions.

Eventually we believe that a documentary film series will help to encapsulate everything we have learned and done. We believe this will not only benefit our community but also help to address similar crises in other communities. This is an audacious goal that will obviously take considerable time and resources but our community needs help now! That is why we have decided to take a more collaborative and transparent approach to all of this research through also developing an ongoing video and audio podcast series where people can stay informed.

If you would like to view past episodes you watch the following highlight reel or follow the links to our dedicated section for the Crisis Storm Podcast.

Watch the highlight Reel for the Crisis Storm Podcast

If you are part of a local organization that might like to join us to support and be part of this work please also consider requesting a Media Kit and possibly becoming a sponsor. To do this please contact Peter Cameron-Inglis at (250) 434-8918 or by email at peter@mastermindstudios.ca or you can also contact Dawn Koch at (250) 319-6218 or by email at dkoch@aimfoundationofcanada.ca

Here also is a little more information about the overall documentary film series we are working towards:

About the Documentary Film Series

Pre-Development

Demo Reel

Logline:

Kamloops, BC, population 100,000, is at the crossroads between a safe, enjoyable place to live and a storm of crises stemming from opioid overdoses, homelessness, increased crime, and businesses struggling to survive. Much work has been completed and continues to be done to alleviate the pressure, but compassion fatigue and polarized opinions are flaring like wildfires. This docu-series seeks to create a compassionate and broader understanding of the challenges and possible solutions in ‘Finding A Way Forward’.

Why it Matters:

While mountains of well-written resources exist from front-line agencies and government departments the sheer volume of information is far too extensive for most people to digest. The predominance of myth and misinformation is far more accessible when trying to understand the crises that face Kamloops (and most urban communities). ’Us versus them’ is the naturally adopted response when we remove real stories and facts that may lead us back to seeing ourselves in the mirrored plight of others. By providing voice and validation to the lived-experiences and fears of those who are impacted on all sides of these crises we can start to understand the problems better as well as the solutions that might become more apparent.

Synopsis:

Families in Kamloops are grieving as the number of opioid overdose deaths now approach double that of fatalities due to COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020. The number of individuals experiencing homelessness also continues to rise despite record levels of shelter and supportive housing development. With this increase in homelessness, whether by coincidence or direct correlation, increases of threats to personal safety, vandalism and other crimes related to drug use are also on the rise. Businesses and livelihoods are being threatened. Families are feeling unsafe. Neighbourhood appearances and property values are at risk. Healthcare and social service organizations are struggling with staff burn-out and policing resources are stretched to the breaking-point with officers feeling like they are being criminalized themselves.

The deep sense of community is fracturing. Traditional media continues to fan the flames for sensational ‘news-worthy’ stories while social media groups once known for rational discourse are becoming labelled as hate groups. Dehumanization and misinformation continue to spread through this community faster than the wildfires that have been surrounding it. Initiatives including safe-injection sites and temporary sheltered housing have been met with “not-in-my- backyard” reactions. As the municipality of Kamloops and front-line agencies work diligently towards addressing problems, and communicating with all concerned, few have time to read the information that will keep them educated and informed. Fewer still trust the information that is being presented when they already feel vulnerable and fearful in their pandemic isolated post-fake-news world.

Mastermind Studios in association with AIMCanada Mentorship Society seeks to facilitate the development and production of a reliable, unbiased, and comprehensive docu-series by giving voice to individuals who have been impacted within the community as well as those who have been working on the front lines to manage these crises. This docu-series will introduce resources, indigenous wisdom, and academic insight to help interpret and gain a greater discovery from our information-rich, often overwhelming, world. We will provide expert guidance for effective communications and for coping in crisis situations. Through careful research, mentorship, and attentive storytelling we will eliminate misinformation, make sense of the information available and help this community find a way forward together as a documented blueprint that other communities may follow and build upon.

Finding A Way Forward is a universal story about finding ‘understanding and hope’ while facing real crises in one small BC city which, in many respects, represents almost every city around the globe. More information can be viewed at www.FindingAWayForward.com

Funding Support

This Limited Documentary Series is currently in pre-development. Mastermind Studios in Association with AIMCanada Mentorship Society is presently working to raise the needed funds in order to begin the development phase of this important collaborative work. The funding will be through private contributions from individuals and organizations that wish to support these efforts in combination with us applying to various funds and grants. If you would like to make a contribution directly to the development of this documentary series you may do so by selecting an option from the “Finding a Way Forward” Docu-Series contribution amounts at the bottom of the following page: https://www.aimcanadalegacyfund.ca/campaigns