What We Think About ChatGPT
15.03.2023
AI chatbot tools have been making headlines, but can they really do the job of human communications professionals? Since launching in November 2022, the artificial intelligence (AI) content generator known as ChatGPT has had people talking. No matter the platform, ChatGPT is likely in your newsfeed. Twitter users have shared how they’ve asked the bot […]
Heroes among us
09.12.2022
Celebrating Canada’s environmental public health professionals While we love a good Marvel or DC movie as much as the next person (shout out to Black Panther and the Dora Milaje, the women warriors who protect Wakanda), we’re even bigger fans of the real-life heroes who are members of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors […]
A non-traditional approach for responding to gender-based violence disclosures
19.06.2022
Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of the most prevalent forms of violence during times of conflict and crisis. This violence is destructive to communities and can lead to increased rates of homicide, suicide, lifelong disability, mental illness, substance abuse, poverty, and social exclusion. Ranked as experiencing the fourth most neglected displacement crisis in the world […]
Double your pleasure, double your fun.
12.04.2022
No, it’s not time for Doublemint gum, but it is time to celebrate. Be the Change Group has hit double digits, as April 3 ushered in our 10th anniversary. And that’s not the only thing to come in twos. Our two dynamic women leaders, Dr. Natalie Chan and Brandy Svendson, continue to guide our team […]
We couldn’t agree more!
26.02.2021
We’re pleased to announce that our own Dr. Natalie Chan recently joined Business in Vancouver’s 2021 Forty Under 40 winners! Highlighting the achievements of B.C.’s young entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals, the Forty under 40 distinction is awarded to 40 outstanding professionals who are under 40 years of age and have demonstrated excellence in business, judgment, […]
Extra, extra, read all about it! Child care is making headlines!
11.12.2019
We are so excited to unveil Kimberley’s new Child Care Action Plan! Over the past three months, we’ve been working hard to engage the city of Kimberley’s families, caregivers, soon-to-be parents, child care providers and facilities to inform a pathway forward for child care in Kimberley.
Portrait gets a facelift!
11.10.2019
We’re partnering with the UBC Therapeutics Initiative to engage key stakeholders and develop a brand and identity for the Portrait program.
We go by boss, not lady boss. We know the sky’s the limit. We are women who get shit done. The Women Deliver 2019 Conference.
06.06.2019
We are proud to be women owned, women led, and women driven. The only ceiling in our office is the one that keeps us dry on rainy days, and there is no shortage of rain in Vancouver. We are so privileged to have the opportunity to attend this year’s Women Deliver Conference hosted in our beautiful city. The message for this year, POWER, PROGRESS, CHANGE, resonates deeply with our team, in recognizing that women are highly skilled and, when given the opportunity, can be key changemakers in the world.
A Recycling Refresh: Making Sure the Message Doesn’t Molder
06.12.2018
By now, we’re all familiar with household recycling, and we don’t think twice about it. But have you ever thought about the challenges that face our institutions when it comes to recycling much larger volumes of much more diverse items?
The cherry tree plaque: remembering those we lost in the AIDS epidemic
04.09.2018
We are grateful to be a part of this historic day honouring and remembering those we lost in the AIDS epidemic.
As Sharp as George Clooney in Scrubs, and a Helluva Lot Smarter: The BC Emergency Network
12.09.2017
A year ago, we began working with the University of British Columbia Department of Emergency Medicine to create a network of the 1400+ emergency practitioners across B.C. It was an ambitious project that would use a web-based tool to support emergency practitioners in every type of emergency department from remote to large community hospitals.
Welcome to the World, Skills and Education Group!
03.09.2016
Over the years, Be the Change Group has made it our mission to only work on projects that contribute to real, positive change. As a result, much of our work has focused on health and the environment. However, in the past year, we’ve added a new sector to our portfolio: education.
Getting Down with Llamas and NAMAs (and Akon, too)
13.11.2015
When the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recently contracted us to create a short video promoting Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), we weren’t anticipating llamas as well.
But so it goes.
Launch of My Health is Sexy: Interior Health Gets Sexy!
01.12.2014
This World AIDS Day, December 1, 2014, we’re thrilled to be launching the B.C. Interior Health My Health is Sexy campaign, as part of British Columbia’s ground-breaking Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS (STOP HIV/AIDS) program that encourages routine HIV testing and earlier treatment.
Be the Change Group at the AccolAIDS Awards
03.03.2014
We’ve made it our goal to make a difference, and it’s happening! Be the Change Group is extremely pleased and honoured to have been nominated for the AccolAIDS Social/Political/Community Action Award for our work in The 30 30 Vancouver Campaign.
Happy Birthday AIDS Vancouver!
15.06.2013
When it comes to the once deadly disease, HIV/AIDS, we can’t help but think, “We’ve come a long way, baby!” That being said, we know that there’s still a long way to go and many lessons to be learned from those who were there, on the frontlines, in the beginning. That’s why we’re so pleased to be working with AIDS Vancouver to celebrate their 30 years by launching The 30 30 Campaign.
On your marks, get set … evaluate!
31.01.2023
Our researchers are world-class evaluation experts When it comes to providing evidence-based solutions to our clients, the researchers at Be the Change Group are experts. But you don’t have to take our word for it – we have the championship wins to prove it! Two of our researchers, Blaga Ivanova and Jenna Bentley, were recently […]
Mo’ babies, Mo’ problems: A personal letter
17.11.2022
Hi, I’m Natalie, the co-founder, President, and Research Director of Be the Change Group and a family physician. Here’s my first crack at being vulnerable and putting something personal out there… Maybe you know, maybe you don’t know, but I’m pregnant. And, along with the anticipation, joy, and love I’m feeling for growing my family, […]
We quilled it!
06.05.2022
We’re so proud of everyone on our team who conceived, wrote, designed, and developed our International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill award-winning 20th Anniversary campaign for the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (now Michael Smith Health Research BC). For more than 40 years, the IABC Gold Quill Awards have recognized and awarded […]
The year that was 2021: A testament to resilience
23.12.2021
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin With the ongoing pandemic, the worsening opioid crisis, and some really frightening climate change events, there was much to reckon with in 2021. And for most of us, there were times of significant anxiety, struggle, […]
Pandemic Workplace Policies Don’t Have to Be Tricky
20.05.2020
VIEW and DOWNLOAD our policy here Every country, province, and city has different guidelines and recommendations on what and what not to do during the COVID-19 pandemic. With B.C. moving forward with opening up the economy, many broad recommendations have been made, all of which culminate in requesting that all businesses develop a safety plan […]
Working with the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS) to support children, our greatest resource
02.12.2019
We’re honoured to be partners on this project, and we know that it presents a tremendous opportunity for us to continue building our knowledge around Indigenous education and child care, and truth and reconciliation, and our relationships with First Nations communities across B.C.
Skills and Education Group: do the hub step
07.09.2019
Introducing the Skills and Education Group membership hub. It’s like dubstep. Except it’s good.
Greening it up to combat climate change
05.06.2019
We are so excited to announce GreenCare’s Green+Leader Together Campaign!
We’re as keen as mustard about our latest work on food safety
15.10.2018
British Columbia’s Interior region is rich with restaurants and other food service facilities that bring residents and visitors delicious meals day-in and day-out.
X Marks the Spot for Innovation
15.05.2018
On the heels of assessing the needs and interests of IH communities by consulting closely with them, producing informative videos about water supply, and building a microsite to house this information, we’ve designed an accurate, highly user-friendly interactive map to address water users concerns in real time.
Safe Drinking Water for Everyone Launches!
07.06.2017
Our latest project with Interior Health features a series of public service videos and a microsite, all focused on our most vital resource: water.
Let’s go Zibu!
21.05.2016
Wait; for those who haven’t had a chance to meet Zibu, we’d better explain what we’re talking about.
The value of lived experiences in designing a campaign
13.10.2015
At Be the Change Group, we believe that the more accessible and clear health resources available to the community, the better! So when the opportunity to work with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) came up, we jumped on it.
A Winning Story: Be the Change Group Tells the Story of HIV, Love, and Loss
01.11.2014
Our CEO, Brandy Svendson, proudly took home the Pacific Northwest Film Festival Judge’s Award (the Let It Cook Honorable Mention) for directing A Love Story at the 41st Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival.
We’re Building Momentum for Change
29.10.2013
At Be the Change Group, we take great pride in creating awareness about projects that lead to meaningful environmental change. Now contracted by the UN Climate Change secretariat to produce and animate a video for the Momentum for Change initiative, we’re working hard and enthusiastically to highlight innovative and transformative solutions for climate change and wider economic, social, and environmental challenges.
Birth of a brand identity
23.01.2023
Be the Change Group delivers big for International Maternal Newborn Health Conference In May 2023, more than 1,700 stakeholders will gather in Cape Town, South Africa, at the first biennial International Maternal Newborn Health Conference (IMNHC) with an important goal: to accelerate solutions to improve maternal and newborn survival and prevent stillbirths as countries strive […]
#10YrsOfChange
08.09.2022
For 10 years, we’ve been creating change by partnering with like-minded clients. We’ve been supporting them in addressing issues facing the communities they serve by meeting those communities where they are and providing evidence-based, community-centred solutions. We’ve also built lasting relationships with people who really care—and kick ass doing it. Since our beginning, we’ve doubled […]
We’re leading with innovation
21.04.2022
Life as an entrepreneur and innovator involves taking a driven and creative approach to business, along with making the sacrifices necessary to build the organization. At Be the Change Group, co-founder and CEO Brandy Svendson handles it all with grace and humour. We are incredibly pleased that Brandy has been acknowledged as one of four […]
Look ma, we got a B! (B Corp Certification, that is).
18.12.2021
We’re balancing purpose and profit for a more sustainable, healthier future. For everyone. After a rigorous 27-month process, Be the Change Group now stands with the fewer than 100 B Corp certified companies in British Columbia, each of which is evaluated for its social and environmental impact and continually held accountable through the B Corp […]
Happy birthday to us! Celebrating our 8th year anniversary (virtually of course)
03.04.2020
Time sure flies when you’re having fun!
We are so happy to be celebrating Be the Change Group’s 8th anniversary with the team! It looks a little different this year because of COVID-19, so we are celebrating it together but physically apart.
Cafeteria waste … gross? Nah, we’ll make it cute
14.10.2019
Let’s face it—it’s easy to get confused about what waste goes where, especially since the items you can recycle at a hospital cafeteria can be quite different from the items you can recycle at home.
The GreenCare EPAR 2018; It’s reporting nirvana
30.08.2019
Thanks to our continuing work with the GreenCare Energy and Environmental Sustainability (EES) team, at Be the Change Group, we’re becoming a lean, green, Environmental Performance Accountability Report (EPAR) writing team!
Southern hospitality, fried pickles, and community-driven health policy research: Brandy’s visit to the Bayou
19.04.2019
The Gulf States Health Policy Center (GS-HPC) invited our CEO, Brandy Svendson, to Alabama to meet with their team and begin our project with them. We couldn’t be more excited! The Bayou is known for several iconic things: delicious crawdads, the best fried pickles in the USA, southern hospitality, and the GS-HPC’s progressive, socially attuned work in creating policy through community-driven research.
Lean, Mean, Green, Climate Change Fighting Machine: GreenCare’s 2017 Environmental Performance Accountability Report
17.09.2018
In producing its sixth annual Environmental Performance Accountability Report (EPAR), the Energy and Environmental Sustainability Team (EES) that is a service line of the Lower Mainland Facilities Management was looking for a design partner that would ensure strong content is seamlessly matched with strong design. Enter Be the Change Group.
Zibu is back!
07.11.2017
After a two year hiatus, Zibu is back! And he’s here to tell us all about how far he’s come since we last saw him in Bonn, Germany.
Using data to drive decisions for addressing sexually transmitted blood-borne infections in Canada
19.02.2017
When the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) was making a broad effort to engage stakeholders regarding sexually-transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI), they needed an organization to analyze the responses to their online questionnaire.
We were immediately on board: it’s one of our specialties.
Building an Emergency Department–for More than 1000 Practitioners
09.01.2016
While there are 95 bricks and mortar emergency departments already in place across British Columbia, Canada, a comprehensive, current, and engaging resource to connect all emergency medicine practitioners isn’t.
Launching Interior Health’s “Then & Now” Campaign
01.06.2015
Over the next few months, we’ll be working on a new Interior Health campaign to draw attention to how advances in HIV treatment and care have improved the lives of those living with the disease. We’ll also be breaking down the stereotypes that prevent people from being tested and accessing life-saving treatment.
Stop the Presses! Just kidding…
14.10.2014
It’s only been two years since we opened our doors, but it’s been even better than we expected. We’ve been working with the best of clients on projects that we believe in 100%, and it’s been especially rewarding to see that our brand of business can thrive.
Our Search for Patient Zero
02.07.2013
There were stories of Gaetan Dugas, “patient zero” being at the first ever AIDS meeting in Vancouver— and we were determined to find the footage!
the company? And the people
behind it?