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IBPOC Focused Support Services in BC

Members of the 2S/LGBTQ+ Roundtable

June 11, 2021 • 6 Min Read

Recent events have painfully reminded us that racism, colonialism, and white supremacy continue to cause harm, fear, and death in Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) communities in Canada. These events include but are not limited to the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation validation of 215 buried Indigenous children who died at the Kamloops Residential School, and the mass murder of the Afzaal family in London, Ontario, motivated by anti-Muslim hate.

In the words of Ameerally Kassim-Lakha, Aga Khan Council for Canada President:

“You may be feeling elevated levels of stress or anxiety. We all respond to tragedies in different ways… No one should be ashamed to speak about the mental health impacts of these events.”

In the interest of connecting people with IBPOC-affirming/centered supports, we wish to share some local (BC) groups and services that may be helpful to you and/or your IBPOC friends, family, and colleagues. We recognize that all people, regardless of their identities, are impacted by these events. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your counsellor, speak about it during your next session, or contact a crisis line.

The following is a growing list of counsellors, mental health services, and other supports, arranged in reverse-alphabetical order. Feedback is welcomed (see below). Consistent with the 2S/LGBTQ+ focus of MindMapBC, we have prioritized services that have demonstrated a commitment to being 2S/LGBTQ-affirming but included IBPOC focused services more broadly, acknowledging that IBPOC people of all sexual orientations and gender identities may be looking for supports.

Contents:

  • IBPOC focused
  • IBPOC Autistic focused
  • Black and Indigenous focused
  • South Asian focused
  • Muslim focused
  • Indigenous focused
  • English as Second Language focused
  • Chinese focused
  • Filipinx focused
2-Spirit Rising Image
"Two Spirit Rising" by Margaret August (2021)*

*For more information, visit Margaret August's website.

IBPOC focused:

  • QMUNITY provides a low cost counseling program for BIPOC folks in the LGBTQ2SAI+ community (including bursary for folks who want to find a counselor outside of QMUNITY's employed staff who more closely represents their needs. Contact: counselling@qmunity.ca

  • Mycelium (YouthCO), a group of queer & trans youth 16-29 (leadership, content, & values center and predominantly represent IBPOC youth): https://www.youthco.org/mycelium

IBPOC Autistic focused:

  • Autistic Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, & Mixed-Race People of Color, support, discussion, meetup facilitation, and social justice organizing group of autistic people of color, including Black autistic people, Native and Indigenous autistic people, Latinx autistic people, Asian autistic people, mixed-race/multiracial autistic people, and autistic people who otherwise identify as negatively racialized and non-white: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autisticpoc

Black and Indigenous focused:

South Asian focused:

Muslim focused:

Indigenous focused:

  • Nanki Nezulne (Our Two Spirits), LGBTQ2+ Health and Wellness Services, Carrier and Sekani territory (Prince George) and available provincially online: https://lgbtq2.csfs.org/

  • Métis Crisis Line 24/7 plus referrals to local crisis services 1-833-638-4722

  • KUU-US Crisis Line Society, support to callers with in the Port Alberni area as well as Indigenous people throughout the province of British Columbia: https://www.kuu-uscrisisline.com/

  • Hope For Wellness, provides 24/7 crisis support and counselling by phone or online chat in English, French, Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut 1-855-242-3310

  • First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day provides virtual health care and referral support for people who do not have a doctor or are unable to get an appointment including for psychiatry and addiction medicine. It is for all First Nations people living in BC and their family members, including family members who are not Indigenous. Doctors are available by video or phone from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day. Call 1-855-344-3800 to book an appointment: fnha.ca/virtualdoctor

English as Second Language focused:

Chinese focused:

  • Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice: https://www.yarrowsociety.ca/Yarrow supports youth and low-income immigrant seniors in Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside. Yarrow builds power in their community through intergenerational relationship building, and by helping seniors overcome language and cultural barriers to services that meet their basic needs.

  • SUCCESS Chinese BC Help Line: https://successbc.ca/counselling-crisis-support/services/help-lines/ Led by trained volunteers, the help lines provide Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking callers with confidential emotional support and referrals to community resources that can support them to address a wide range of life issues. Cantonese Line: 604-270-8233. Mandarin Line: 604-270-8222

  • Hua Foundation: https://huafoundation.org/A youth empowerment non-profit connecting cultural heritage and social change. Takes the approach of leading community-based research and action, empowering youth and incubating youth-led initiatives, and building community partnerships and resilience. Food security and race equity are strong focuses of their current work.

Filipinx focused:

Please contact us if you are aware of other Two-Spirit, queer, trans and/or IBPOC focused services that should be listed: mindmapbc@gmail.com

We are also collecting information about Indigenous 2S/LGBTQIA+ needs for safe and affirming care in BC. If you are Indigenous Two-Spirit/2S, Indigiqueer, or Indigenous queer and trans, we would love to hear from you. You can complete the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/2SBCneeds

MindMapBC was created in collaboration with The Round Table: BC’s 2S/LGBTQ+ Mental Health and Substance Use Networking Space. To join the Roundtable, contact travis_salway@sfu.ca.

We acknowledge the generous support of the following people in drafting this list of services:

Vivian Ly

Sharon Mah

Meera Dhebar

Lyana Patrick

Joanne Wong

Jae Ford

Harlan Pruden

Gwen Lister

Fayza Bundalli

Fayyaz Karmali

Fahmy Baharuddin

Emily Bailey

Darren Ho

Courtney Dieckbrader

Cindy Holmes

Christina Panis

Alvaro Luna

Aaron Purdie



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