Megaphone

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Four Megaphone vendors are taking on the 5K at the Beneva Vancouver Half Marathon!

Peter, Nick, David and Yvonne are fundraising to support Megaphone’s vendor program, peer-led journalism and creative opportunities for community members.

Read their profiles, choose a vendor to support, and help us reach our Spring Campaign goal before June 28th!

Donate today and cheer on our team as they cross the finish line, link in bio ❤️‍🔥✨

⚽️ The world’s biggest sporting event is coming to Vancouver and not everyone is cheering.

This month’s cover story dives into the debate surrounding the tournament’s billion-dollar price tag, weighing promises of packed stadiums, tourism and economic benefits against concerns about who will ultimately bear the cost.

Also in this issue:

🍽️ A down-home diner and an Indigenous health centre helping make the Downtown Eastside a place of care, connection and community.

🧡 Ahead of National Indigenous Peoples Day, Megaphone journalist Jathinder Sandhu explores the history and ongoing impacts of Canada’s Indian Act.

🎓 Celebrating 40 years of the Carnegie Learning Centre, a welcoming space where DTES residents can learn, build skills and pursue their goals.

🎸 A rock school in Kosovo using music to bridge divides among young people.

💃 An immersive tango performance where the audience becomes part of the dance. All this and more in the June edition of Megaphone magazine!

We’re currently looking for raffle prize donations for our fall fundraiser! Do you have gift cards, artwork, experiences, products, services or other items you’d be willing to contribute? Every donated item will help us raise funds to support Megaphone’s vendor program at our annual fundraiser! If you’d like to donate a raffle item or learn more, please get in touch at [email protected]. Thank you for helping make this event possible! 🎁💐

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re calling for a more humane approach to mental health care.

This piece explores how people experiencing mental illness, poverty and substance use are too often met with punishment, policing and stigma instead of compassion, housing and real support. Mental health care should centre dignity, autonomy and community care—not coercion.

Read the full story from Megaphone and join the conversation about what true care could look like ❤️‍🔥

This May, Hope in Shadows photographer Jaella “Jay” Rodrique captured a handwritten message on a light post reading, “Call Ur Mom or I Will.” Equal parts funny and sweet, the photo sparked reflection and conversation about care, connection and the importance of staying in touch with loved ones. Thank you to Victory Square Law Office for sponsoring this month and supporting community storytelling through Hope in Shadows! We still have Hope in Shadows calendars available for purchase, find a vendor or bulk purchase on our website today!

For Aileen, writing is a way to reconnect with herself. Through Megaphone’s creative programs, she’s found space to reflect, create and share her voice with others. Creativity can be grounding, healing and deeply personal — and everyone deserves access to spaces
where they can express themselves freely. Your support helps make that possible 💛

Join us for Voices of the Street launch event TOMORROW at 149 West Hastings (SFU) at 6:30! With special event speaker, Vancouver Poet Laureate and 9 of our 31 contributors, it’s an evening you won’t want to miss. Come be in community and uplift creative voices. Doors are at 6:00 pm, link is in our bio!

This year’s Voices of the Street literary anthology is OUT NOW! This year’s anthology, aptly themed ‘How to Be Human’ brings to life the experiences of our community members in an increasingly inhumane world. What does it mean to be a creative voice in 2026? To seek connection in an increasingly disconnected world? Artwork and cover done by our very own Arin Sieber! An incredible Megaphone artist and vendor. With the work of 31 talented writers, this anthology is one you won’t want to miss. Find a vendor at the link in our bio!

For Janice, creative writing is more than words on a page — it’s something you share out loud. At last year’s Voices of the Street launch, she stepped up to the mic and performed her work live, turning poetry into something felt by everyone in the room.

Through Megaphone, Janice has found a space to write, to perform and to connect. Support our spring campaign and uplift creative voices today!

What does connection feel like? Purchase your tickets to this year’s Voices of the Street anthology launch on May 14th to find out! 💥 You’re in for an evening of laughter, celebration and delicious snacks! Bring a friend and support creative writing from artists and writers based in the Downtown Eastside.