What is Harm Reduction? by Stacey Trigger Warning: Substance use, Addiction, Overdose. A popular topic in recent years, harm reduction aims to reduce the negative impacts (health, social and economic) of substance use and substance use disorders through policy, programs and practices. Harm reduction looks at the issues surrounding substance use and substance use disorders. It works to improve on the current system which is often rooted in discrimination, coercion, and judgement. Harm...

Jealousy and how to deal with it By Holly (Celyn) We often think of certain emotions, such as happiness, as being socially acceptable and other emotions, such as jealousy, as being socially unacceptable. We may then feel ashamed for feeling jealous and feel that we have to hide this emotion. We may not know how to handle jealousy and end up unintentionally worsening the situation for ourselves and others. But like all other emotions, jealousy is an emotional state- not necessarily ‘right’...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010). Rosa Loves By Katrina "We are everyday people aware of a need in our community. We realize that we are capable of performing tangible acts of service that will meet individual and immediate needs in order to affect wide scale encouragement. Rosa Loves is an example, an inspiration, and will serve as a possible backbone to many more grassroots "love projects" around the world." Rosa Loves takes a different approach than...
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Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 8 (February 2010). Médecins Sans Frontières By Jessie (Asylum) Doctors Without Borders, known internationally as Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF, is a non-governmental medical humanitarian organization. MSF was created in 1971 by a group of French doctors with the belief that all people have a right to medical care and that this right supersedes race, religion or political affiliation. "MSF sets out to alleviate human suffering, to protect...
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Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 7 (January 2010). The March of Dimes By Katrina January, the start of the new year, is Birth Defects month. In lieu of this, we have chosen The March of Dimes as our January Cause of the Month. The March of Dimes, an organization that has made many notable accomplishments since it's founding, fights to prevent and raise awareness about three main things: birth defects, premature births, and infant immortality. The March of Dimes actually began...
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Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010). Locks of Love By Katrina We've all seen our friends have their curly, golden long hair chopped off at some point before. Sometimes, we hear them mention that they're donating it to "Locks of Love." Do you know what Locks of Love is really all about, though? While this organization isn't our typical monthly cause, we wanted to share just a snippet of the great things Locks of Love accomplishes each and every day. Locks of...
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Hot chocolate toppings and mix-ins you need to try By Cassie (cynefin) A mug of hot chocolate is a great way to warm you up or wind you down at the end of the day. From white to dark hot chocolate, and everything in between, it's so versatile, comforting and fun. Here are a few different toppings or mix-ins to try the next time you're making a cup. Please note that a few of these come from Swiss Miss, a hot chocolate company. Marshmallows are a typical topping, but they are sort of...
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Things to do with your old iPad/iPod/iPhone By Holly (Celyn) In 2018, Apple sold over 217 million products (reference: https://www.statista.com/statistics/276306/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-fiscal-year-2007/ ) so it’s likely that you may already have bought, or received as a gift, one of their gadgets, such as an iPhone, iPad, or iPod. However, as newer products are released, older ones may become less compatible with important updates and as a result, may not be able to install the...

Things you can do at home during a lockdown or any period of isolation By Emma (Golfing girl) It can be difficult to figure out what to do during a lockdown or any period of isolation. No matter how long you need to isolate, it can be very upsetting and we can become depressed because we are not out doing what we usually do. So how can we spend the time at home? • Play a game. If you have any siblings or family members that you are living with, see if all of you can play a board game....

This article has been labeled as triggering, particularly on the subject of self harm. The contents of this article might therefore not be suitable for certain sensitive users. Please take this into consideration before continuing to read. Relapses happen: You just have to move forward By Anonymous 2020 was a rough year for everyone and it was one of the roughest years I have had in quite some time. I think the one thing I have learned is that relapses happen and that's okay. You...

How to make hot cocoa cookies By Cassie (cynefin) For a few months, I had been thinking about making hot chocolate cookies. I wasn't sure how to go about it, but I did know I wanted to use hot chocolate packets in the cookie dough. When I got the time, I looked at recipes and decided to give it a try. I halved the recipe to make sure I liked them. Plus, it was late and I didn't want to be stuck with a lot of dough. These cookies have a dry dough and I was nervous up until the very end. I...

10 Important Driving Lessons for Your New Teen Driver Learning to drive is exciting. For most teens, it is something they wait for and anticipate for years. For parents, however, the situation can be nerve-wracking. While this is true, you can share some tips and lessons with a teen driver to help ensure they remain safe while behind the wheel and avoid being involved in car accidents. While teaching your teen to drive is challenging, you can ease the situation's stress by teaching...