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:

Brain Builders Summary Video
Brain Builders Impact Videos

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.

Brain Builders Impact Videos

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.

Guidance, Tools and Resources

CCSA produces research-based publications, tools, and resources to support evidence-based decision-making on substance use health issues. Select your area of interest from the six categories below: 

Substances

Delve into key resources on commonly used substances, such as alcohol, cannabis, opioids, stimulants and psychedelics. Learn about their effects, usage patterns, associated health and social consequences, and harm reduction considerations

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Personal and Societal Impacts

Get insights on the personal and societal impacts of substance use and addiction , including gambling and impaired driving, and their effects on health, safety, and social well-being. Learn about effective prevention and harm-reduction strategies in various sectors.

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Communities

Communities share common interests, values or goals, and interact with one another to build relationships and help networks. These materials support more inclusive, equitable, and community-informed responses to substance use and addiction. Dive into resources highlighting people with lived and living experience, stigma, sex- and gender-based analysis, Indigenous Peoples, and housing. 

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Treatment and Prevention

Explore medical, psychological, and social approaches aimed at helping individuals avoid or recover from substance use disorders. Get the facts on public health topics and learn about collaborative efforts to reduce stigma and promote more equitable, inclusive responses to substance use.

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Youth

Learn about factors influencing substance use in young people, including childhood trauma and brain development, and get tools to support adult allies in leading meaningful, evidence-informed conversations with youth. Content promotes early prevention, harm reduction and supportive environments for youth up to age 25.

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Substance Use and the Workplace

Substance use has a significant impact on the workplace, potentially affecting safety, productivity and employee well-being. Explore research on substance use in various industries. Resources support workplace leaders in building more supportive, stigma-free environments through practical strategies, improved approaches and initiative-taking education.

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Browse the CCSA Network of Websites

CCSA's Issues of Substance Conference

This biannual, national conference brings together people from across the country, including addiction workers, healthcare professionals, researchers, policy makers, and people with lived and living experience
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Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms

This project provides comparable and up-to-date data on the costs and harms of substance use in Canada and allows people to explore and analyze the data through its data visualization tool.
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Workforce Competencies

CCSA developed measurable technical and behaviour competencies in knowledge, skills and values for the substance use workforce, providing consistent care across the wide range of settings.
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Drink Less Live More

Canada has new guidance on alcohol and your health. CCSA wants you to be able to make the most informed decisions you can about drinking alcohol.
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Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines

Learn about the world’s first Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines to help people in Canada make informed decisions about their gambling and lessen their risk of gambling-related harms. Use the Interactive Risk Assessment Tool to assess your personal gambling choices.
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The Highway Home

This interactive website takes an experiential approach to increasing youth’s and young drivers’ awareness of the risks and harms of drug-impaired driving, using real-life scenarios involving cannabis use and driving.
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