Welcome to Megaphone’s peer newsroom, The Shift!
The Shift is a group of 14 peer journalists who are actively improving Megaphone magazine because of their unique perspectives and direct experiences with poverty, homelessness, substance use, physical disabilities, mental illness, incarceration, racism and immigration, as well their Indigenous, racialized and 2SLGBTQI+ backgrounds. They gather monthly with the managing editor to brainstorm story ideas, take on assignments, and determine editorial directions.
The Shift also works on assignment with Amy Romer, our Local Journalism Initiative DTES Beat Reporter/Mentor, to report on issues important the Downtown Eastside community. Through professional mentorship they are learning how to report on stories, safely and ethically, conduct interviews, gather content, write stories and take photos.
They are also part of an ongoing project in partnership with the UBC Learning Exchange and UBC School of Journalism, Writing and Media that aims to improve journalism practices for reporting on marginalized communities, such as Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where Megaphone’s office is located and where many participants live.
Why “The Shift?” So the framework of Megaphone magazine can “shift” to being a more inclusive street paper, empowering those with lived and living experience to tell the stories that matter the most to them and their communities.
Hold onto your seats — The Shift is happening!
Funding for our Local Journalism Initiative DTES Beat Reporter/Mentor is provided by the Government of Canada
Meet The Shift Peer Newsroom
David Deocera moved to Vancouver from the Philippines in 1995 and joined Megaphone in 2013 as a vendor. He is a gifted artist, writer and photographer, and he speaks several languages, including English, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Russian and Arabic.
Eva Takakenew (Thunderchild First Nation) considers herself a “jack of all trades” when it comes to creative pursuits. She loves writing and photography, and is a member of The Shift peer newsroom at Megaphone magazine. She has lived in Vancouver all of her life.
Gilles Cyrenne is a retired journeyman carpenter, now writing full-time. He has a collection of poetry ready for publication, a batch of short stories he is presently editing and a novel in the outline stage. He is past president of the Carnegie Community Centre Association and has been involved at the centre for more than a decade with various writing groups and projects, including the annual Downtown Eastside Writers’ Festival.
James Witwicki was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and moved to Delta and later Burnaby in the early 1970s. He has been living in the Downtown Eastside for more than 15 years. James is a prolific writer and has been published numerous times in Voices of the Street. He stays active in the community through his volunteer work at Strathcona Vineyard Church and works as a copy editor for Megaphone magazine as part of The Shift.
Jathinder Sandhu is a Surrey resident and a published poet, writer and multimedia artist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications. Jathinder also plays bass guitar.
Julie Chapman is a born-and-raised Vancouverite who has been living, working and surviving for more than 20 years in the Downtown Eastside. She is one of The Crew, a.k.a. Research 101 co-authors, and works part-time for Vancouver Coastal Health. She has been a Megaphone vendor since 2003. Jules is a published poet and writer, and is a self-taught pianist.
Lance Lim is a single dad and lifelong Strathcona resident. He joined Megaphone as a vendor about five years ago. Lance is trained in design and worked as a graphic artist. He also enjoys writing and dancing. He likes spending time with his dog Max.
Louise Boilevin was born in Vancouver and grew up in Kits. She has been a Megaphone vendor for mored than a decade. Politically active and a champion for human and animal rights, Louise has taken part in marches for social housing, sex worker rights, and the movement to stop animal cruelty. She’s involved in outreach work at WISH Drop-In Centre, which provides services and a space for women involved in Vancouver’s street-based sex trade.
Michael Geilen has been with Megaphone for about seven years and is known for his big grin, great attitude and cringe-worthy “dad” jokes. Michael, who lives with a degenerative neurological disease, believes helping others is the key to connection. He backs that up with pedal power, cycling hundreds of kilometres each summer in the Ride to Conquer Cancer to raise money for the BC Cancer Foundation.
Mike McNeeley was born in Kincardine, Ontario and moved with his family to Vancouver more nearly 50 years ago. He calls the Downtown Eastside home. Mike is a Megaphone vendor and avid photographer; he’s had his images published many times in the magazine, Hope in Shadows calendar and Voices of the Street literary anthology. When he’s not shooting pictures, Mike enjoys other creative pursuits such as sculpture and live theatre. He is also a member of the Binners Project.
Nicolas Crier (Cree) is a member of The Shift peer newsroom at Megaphone magazine. He has spent approximately half his life surviving in the streets and more than a decade in the Downtown Eastside. It never occurred to him that being a drug user would ever be useful, but he’s parlayed his street smarts and community connections into a successful career as an overdose responder and outreach worker. He is a published writer and takes part in numerous academic partnerships through universities and health authorities. He is the proud father of one son.
Priscillia Mays Tait is a proud Babine, Gitxsan, and mostly Wet’suwet’en mother, as well as a gifted writer, photographer, performer, artist, dancer and community activist. She has been a vendor with Megaphone for nearly 10 years. Her work has been published in Megaphone’s monthly magazine, annual Voices of the Street literary anthology and yearly Hope in Shadows calendar numerous times. Her frequent motto: Hug a tree.
Richard Young was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and came to Vancouver in 1970. Richard has been a part of Megaphone for eight years, first as a vendor. He volunteers at Agape Church in Burnaby and is also a “Chinatown ambassador” as part of the Chinatown Community Stewardship Program, fostering a more harmonious community in and around Chinatown. He’s a sucker for his Grandma’s famous apple pie.
Yvonne Mark (Nisga’a-Gitxsan) is a Megaphone vendor and writer. She has taken part in many creative writing and journalism workshops through Megaphone, and was featured in the 2021 Voices of the Street podcast. She is an outspoken advocate for recovery and the Downtown Eastside.