Brain Builders Impact Videos
In 2020, CCSA created a summary video and a series of impact videos, illustrating the significant impact that Brain Builders Lab participants have had in their communities. These videos are provided below.
In this section:
What is Brain Builders?
In March 2019, CCSA brought more than 60 professionals together in Ottawa to share ideas and make plans to “spread and embed” the Brain Story science in their networks. The goal of the Brain Builders Lab was to pave the way for policies, practices and public perceptions around substance use to align with the science of adverse childhood experiences and brain development.
Brain Builders
Summary Video
Bringing Brain Story Science across Canada.
Application of Concepts across Human-Serving Sectors in Newfoundland and Labrador
Mary Fearon of the Blue Door Program at Thrive in St. John's and Debbie Curtis with the Department of Health and Community Services, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, came together at the Brain Builder’s Lab to apply the Brain Story science to their work in mental health and addictions in their province.
Health Systems Improvement in New Brunswick
Heather Chase, Denise Connors, Dawn Maskill, Angela McGraw and Kim Scott all work for Horizon Health in New Brunswick. The team’s goal was to bring Brain Story science to the Horizon staff with the aim of helping caregivers bridge the gap between knowledge and practice.
Early Childhood Development in Nova Scotia
Follow Camille Magsambol as she has Brain Story certification made an essential part of training for all staff at Nova Scotia Early Childhood Development Intervention Services.
Student Mental Health in Northern Ontario
Julie Cull at Consortium pour les élèves du nord de l'Ontario and her colleagues and community partners explain the challenges in students’ mental health and need for increase in natural supports.
Application of Concepts in a North-Central B.C. School System
Stephanie Lindstrom is an Intern District Psychologist in School District 91, Nechako Lakes, British Columbia. Her main goal in joining the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction’s Brain Builders’ Lab was to spread and embed Brain Story science throughout the staff in her school district.
Application of Concepts in the Education Sector (K-12)
Samantha Yarde is a registered early childhood educator at Bayview Glen Independent School in Toronto, Ontario. She and her colleagues have brought the Brain Story to teachers at their school by giving workshops on the Brain Story science and how it applies to brain development in children.
Trauma-Informed Care in the Maritimes
Tonya Grant and Holly Murphy show how they brought the Brain Story to IWK Health Centre and Nova Scotia Health to add to the trauma-informed care initiative.
Developmental Trauma Among Adoptees
Kathy Soden, Manager, Permanency and Adoption Competency Training, Adoption Council of Ontario, saw the significance of the Brain Story science when applied to the adoption journey, bringing understanding of the impacts of early life adversity and the importance of permanent, stable relationships.
Support for Pregnant Youth and Young Parent Families
Rachel Arnold is an infant and child development worker with the Salvation Army's Bethany Hope Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, which is a young parent outreach centre, working with young families and their children. They have applied the Brain Story to teach parents about the science of brain development.
Regional Strategies for ACEs Awareness and Professional Training
Claudia Swoboda-Geen and Cathy Eisener are public health nurses in substance use prevention and harm reduction at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit in Ontario. Together, they brought the Brain Story to the health unit with the goal of spreading the understanding of brain science and increasing the understanding of addiction and its root causes.
Regional Strategies for Promotion, Prevention and Resilience-Building
Valerie D'Paiva and Nilusha Jiwani-Ebrahim are both registered nurses and managers in the Child and Family Health Division of York Region Public Health in Ontario. They joined the Brain Builders Lab to further understand and share parenting concepts like attachment and plan to spread and embed Brain Story science, not only within their own organization, but throughout their community.
Community Connections Supporting Lifetime Wellbeing
Wanda Kampijan, Community Connector, YMCAs of Cambridge & Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, joined the Brain Builders Lab to influence practice, policy and the community conversation around brain science. She and Kathilee Porter, Project Manager at the Early Literacy Alliance in Waterloo Region, began offering a series of Brain Story workshops to community groups in 2019.
Municipal Strategies for the Early Learning Sector
Daniel Sparks, Research Coordinator, and Kelly Bradstock, Behavioural Health Consultant, Children's Services Division, both at the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, implemented the Brain Story with the hope of communicating the various contributing factors to children exhibiting at-risk behaviours.
