Spare Change News

Author: Ana Vivas

  • Culture’s Role on Latino Mental Health Patients

    Culture’s Role on Latino Mental Health Patients

    BOSTON, Mass.—When it comes to treating Latino patients with chronic mental health illnesses, social and cultural activities such as cooking and playing board games can be an important part of their recovery. The Connexions Day Treatment Program at the North Suffolk Mental Health Association is a short-term day and evening program offered in English, Spanish,…

  • Before Trayvon Martin

    “Fruitvale Station” directed by Ryan Coogler Significant Productions, 85 min., in theaters now The award-winning film “Fruitvale Station” shows the true story of 22-year-old Oscar Grant III on the day of his death. The timing of this movie could not have been better. Following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin,…

  • Finding a Place for LGBTQ Homeless Youth

    It was a bright summer day in Cambridge when I first walked into the shelter run by Youth on Fire (YOF) near Harvard Square. A program of the AIDS Committee of Massachusetts, YOF provides necessary services to homeless youth ages 14 to 24. As my eyes adjusted to the dimmed light, I was greeted with…

  • Bahrain Uncensored

    “Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark” directed by May Welsh Al Jazeera, 50:56, free online (streaming) The award-winning documentary “Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark” consists of eye-opening images, interviews, and testimonies of members of the opposition who overcame their fear and sacrificed their security for the sake of their democratic rights. In a country ruled by…