FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH: Plan International Canada • Salt Spring Coffee • Big Brothers of Vancouver • Raising the Roof • ShareWares • QMUNITY • Heal Mary From global gender equality to taking out single-use takeout containers, meet the individuals and organizations who are ushering in a new and better world Better Together Sep 2021,Issue 01 MAGAZINE LEARN HOW SPARX PUBLISHING GROUP USES THE POWER OF "BETTER" TO AMPLIFY GOODWords can spark change. Words can spark connection. Words are more than just content. Words can change the world. Are you working to change the world? We can help tell your story. Contact us at: www.sparxpg.comVisit our website to find out how Sparx Publishing Group makes the world bet- ter, and stay up to date on our latest partner- ships and initiatives. Plus, get in touch for future projects: sparxpg.com/make- the-world-better ABOUT THE COVER The person featured on the cover is Shalini, a girls’ rights activist from India and youth volunteer with Plan International since 2010. Shalini works to end child marriage, and has prevented over a dozen child marriages in her community. 12 PLAN INTERNATIONAL CANADA Advancing children’s rights and equality for girls, one campaign at a time 16 SALT SPRING COFFEE Serving customers a good cup of Joe they can feel good about 32 SHAREWARES A company that stays in the environmental loop with closed-loop reuse services 38 QMUNITY Improving the lives of queer, trans, and Two-Spirit people in British Columbia CONTENTS 6 Letter from the Editor 8 Making The World Better: How Small Efforts Can Spark Big Impact 44 What You Need to Know About Sustainable Business Practices 4 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINESeptember 2021, Issue 1 PUBLISHER Sparx Publishing Group Inc. sparxpg.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Hamish Khamisa EDITORS Nikki Manthey Libby Shabada ART DIRECTOR Elisabeth Choi DESIGNER Pauline Macapagal PROJECT MANAGER Alexandra Nikitina CONTRIBUTORS Plan International Canada Nashrah Baqi, Specialist, Content & Editorial Salt Spring Coffee Veronica Meas, Digital Marketing Specialist Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver Mandy Wong, Manager, Development and Marketing Raising The Roof Leslie Bellingham, Director of Resource Development and Communications ShareWares Cody Irwin, CEO QMUNITY Tamara Touma, Visual Communications Designer Heal Mary Cassandra Hui, Founder/CEO All photo credits to the organizations. For advertising rates and placements, please contact us at advertising@sparxpg.com 20 BIG BROTHERS OF VANCOUVER Mentorship is the key to empowering youth to reach their full potential 26 RAISING THE ROOF P reventing homelessness at a national scale is more than putting roofs over heads 42 HEAL MARY Finding a better way to connect people and clinical trials is just the beginning Sparx would like to acknowledge that Vancouver is on traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam)Nations. We are recognized as a minority-owned and -led organization This issue of the magazine contributes to the following sustainability development goals: SEP 2021 • ISSUE 01 5With a name like Sparx, it might not surprise you that we have a fondness for sparking interesting beginnings. The origin story of Make The World Better Magazine, a publication that we are launching to feature individuals and organizations that have taken the courageous leap to create a better world, arose as an extension of the Make The World Better program at Sparx Publishing Group. Every year on September 30, Sparx holds Make The World Better Day. The date holds a special significance to me, the founder of Sparx Publishing Group, because it is the anniversary of the date on which my first daughter, Anahera (whose name means Angel in Māori), was stillborn at 35 weeks. As parents can attest to, children are our greatest teachers, and one of the many lessons I have learned from my children is the power of courage. It takes courage, and perhaps even a little audacity, to not only dream of the future, but also work to turn it into reality. My hope in launching this magazine is that by seeing and learning about the good that others are doing, readers will be inspired to find ways, big or small, to make the world better as well. Whether it’s helping tackle homelessness across Canada, providing mentor- ship to youth, or changing the world one cup of coffee at a time, the diverse selection of stories featured here share a common element: the founders saw an opportunity to improve the world and had the courage to take it upon themselves to do it. It is especially fascinating to see the mix of organizations, some with decades of experience across multiple countries, and others with global ambitions that are just getting started, all of them operating in Canada. When we first thought about how we could make the world better, we did not know it would lead us to this zine format. And yet, I couldn’t be prouder of the team at Sparx for bringing this publication to life. The sheer scope of making the world better can certainly seem daunting, but at our core, we believe that even a little spark can set an enormous and lasting impact into motion. But, you have to have the courage to try, and the resilience to try again. As it turns out, the origin of the word courage comes from the Latin, cor, for heart. Among the various interpretations of its meaning, one that I particularly like refers to being able to tell your story with your whole heart. I want to wholeheartedly thank the courageous contributors for the work they’re doing and for trusting us to tell their stories in this first edition of Make The World Better Magazine. I hope that by sharing these stories, we inspire our readers to spark their own interesting beginnings. Hamish Khamisa Founder, Sparx Publishing Group Letter from the Editor The Sparx blog is your source for helpful pur- pose-driven marketing tips, news about organi- zations who are making the world better, and more! Head over to the blog now for impactful and interesting articles: sparxpg.com/blog FOLLOW US ON: We believe that even a little spark sets an enormous and lasting impact into motion. 6 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINE(Your Organization Here) Are you part of an organization that’s working to make the world better? Share your story in a future issue of our magazine! Join our mission to amplify good, boost awareness of critical issues, and inspire others. To be featured, get in touch with us here: Be featured in Make The World Better Magazine sparxpg.com/contactMaking The World Better: How Small Efforts Can Spark Big Impact How Sparx Publishing Group took the mission of “content to make the world better” and put it into action in small but meaningful ways By Sparx Publishing Group A t Sparx Publishing Group, we create content to make the world better. Beyond the work we do with our clients, we explore tangible and direct ways of improving the world around us. We’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way and reaffirmed a cornerstone of our worldview: that if you look for opportunities to do better, you will find them. Make The World Better Sparx launched the first edition of Make The World Better Day on September 30, 2020. The founder of Sparx Publishing Group, Hamish Khamisa, wanted to honour his daughter, Anahera, who was stillborn at 35 weeks. The love and hope that Anahera embodied were the sparks that set in motion a challenge to transform tragedy into inspiration. Drawing on that, Make The World Better Day is a testament to the belief that a spark, no matter how small, can ignite positive change. At first, we weren’t sure how to go about making the world better, but we believed that starting anywhere was better than waiting to find the “perfect” somewhere to begin. As marketers, we also realized we could not only do good, but our skillset is uniquely qualified to amplify good. Starting with a blank canvas, we decided to set aside one full workday for everyone at the company to stop working on their usual tasks and instead participate in activities that would amplify good. In order to leverage our diverse skill sets, we had every team member submit ideas of what “better” meant to them and nominate causes or organizations that they felt were in line with their personal view of “better.” 8 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEMaking The World Better: How Small Efforts Can Spark Big Impact How Sparx Publishing Group took the mission of “content to make the world better” and put it into action in small but meaningful ways By Sparx Publishing Group A t Sparx Publishing Group, we create content to make the world better. Beyond the work we do with our clients, we explore tangible and direct ways of improving the world around us. We’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way and reaffirmed a cornerstone of our worldview: that if you look for opportunities to do better, you will find them. Make The World Better Sparx launched the first edition of Make The World Better Day on September 30, 2020. The founder of Sparx Publishing Group, Hamish Khamisa, wanted to honour his daughter, Anahera, who was stillborn at 35 weeks. The love and hope that Anahera embodied were the sparks that set in motion a challenge to transform tragedy into inspiration. Drawing on that, Make The World Better Day is a testament to the belief that a spark, no matter how small, can ignite positive change. At first, we weren’t sure how to go about making the world better, but we believed that starting anywhere was better than waiting to find the “perfect” somewhere to begin. As marketers, we also realized we could not only do good, but our skillset is uniquely qualified to amplify good. Starting with a blank canvas, we decided to set aside one full workday for everyone at the company to stop working on their usual tasks and instead participate in activities that would amplify good. In order to leverage our diverse skill sets, we had every team member submit ideas of what “better” meant to them and nominate causes or organizations that they felt were in line with their personal view of “better.” A Cleaner Planet Is a Better Planet Our first step was to choose a local organization to provide our marketing expertise to. Sea Smart, a charitable organi- zation headquartered in Vancouver, educates and engages children in connecting with the oceanic world to inspire and empower children to care for the planet. After workshopping with Sea Smart, we launched an aware- ness campaign, which consisted of display ads that we designed and distributed through the Sparx Publishing Advertising Network (SPAN), our in-house advertising network. We were able to deliver over 100,000 impressions to British Columbians visiting a major Canadian financial website, enabling thousands of individuals to learn about Sea Smart and their mission. Kiva Projects: Small Loans, Big Lessons As part of Make The World Better Day, we also wanted to invest in individuals and organizations that are doing essential work in their own local communities. We chose Kiva as an avenue for that investment because it’s easy-to- use, and enables us to connect capital to local initiatives across the world. Many of the groups represented on Kiva are working to improve local autonomy through food security, infrastruc- ture improvements, and education. After learning about the sometimes high borrowing costs of certain loans to individuals seeking support from Kiva, we ventured forward with a $500 investment in a woman-led business in Congo. “Make The World Better Day is a testament to the belief that a spark, no matter how small, can ignite positive change.” Depending on the outcome of our experience with Kiva, we will evaluate how we go forward on the platform and decide alternative avenues for supporting initiatives. The last thing we want to do is to perpetuate a cycle of debt burden that would ultimately prevent locals from creating a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities. Inspiring Us To Do Better Our first Make The World Better Day was a success in that it demonstrated it’s possible for us to approach improving the world by leveraging our strengths as a creative agency. Arguably, the bigger achievement was the shift in mindset that started to occur within our organization to look for even more opportunities. For example, we started a team for Movember, a global public health initiative in November that raises awareness of men’s health issues, and raised almost $500. Holiday Season: Gifting Turned Into Giving During the holiday season, Sparx traditionally sends gifts to clients as a way to thank them and celebrate the holiday season. Inspired by our Make The World Better mindset, however, we decided that in lieu of gifts of items or treats, we would donate funds to causes and organizations that matter to our clients. Through a series of client- and donor-matching pro- grams, we were able to jointly donate a total of 5,000 meals to various local food banks across Canada and the US. In addition, we were able to amplify donations to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and a local humane society in Florida. Our efforts enabled us to gather momentum and attract others into purpose-driven work – not just in our official Make The World Better projects, but also in other sponta- neous initiatives that have had a real impact. Each day, we intentionally look for opportunities to weave in the spirit that Make The World Better Day was founded on, and direct our creative energy toward moments where we can amplify positive impact. In that way, we believe that we will be content to make the world better.Next >