In this episode of Teachings In The Air, we talk to award-winning filmmaker and We Matter co-founder Kelvin Redvers about his journey to wellness, and what inspired him to start We Matter with his sister Tunchai. Kelvin recently dropped by our office in Vancouver, BC and we were fortunate enough to hear some stories and insights from his work in spreading hope to Indigenous youth across Canada.
Kelvin Redvers is an award-winning writer, producer and film director who belongs to the Deniniu K’ue First Nation. Kelvin grew up in Hay River, Northwest Territories and now calls Vancouver home. His work covers both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal topics as well as First Nations community and aboriginal current affairs.
In October 2016, Kelvin and his sister Tunchai launched 'We Matter', a national online campaign designed to bring awareness to the struggles of Indigenous youth across Canada. It is modelled after Dan Savage's 'It Gets Better' campaign and collects videos and writings from each Indigenous community across Canada with the aim of reducing the number of indigenous teen suicides, while also providing them with mental health resources.
We Matter is a multi-media campaign in which Indigenous role models and allies submit art, written and video messages sharing their own experiences of overcoming hardships, and communicating with Indigenous youth that no matter how hopeless life can feel, there is always a way forward. Since launching in October 2016, the We Matter Campaign has reached millions of people on social media and continues to be an ever-growing library of positivity and hope. Kelvin and his sister mail the We Matter videos on USB drives to Indigenous communities across Canada who do not have internet access, and if you have some positive messages of support and encouragement for our Indigenous youth, you can even submit a video yourself!
We had a great time catching up with Kelvin, and we hope you enjoy the episode. To find out more about We Matter, visit their website at: