Art and Music Helping Homeless People in Montreal

"Art to me is a humanitarian act and I believe that there is a responsibility that art should somehow be able to effect mankind, to make the world a better place." ~ Jeff Koons Something I don't talk about very often is that at its very core Invisible People is art. Years ago, my boss at the time had in his office a coffee table book of photos of homeless people. The pictures humanized homeless men, woman, and families as the real people that they are. I said to myself: "I could do this with video." Shortly after, I was laid off and Invisible People was started. If you'd like to learn more about my story and how Invisible People started, please watch this documentary    • Documentary on Mark Horvath of Invisible P...   Art and music have the power to bring people together and change our world for the better. Both art and music can play a huge role in giving homeless people a purpose. Yes, housing ends homelessness but just putting homeless people in boxes will never end homelessness. People need to thrive and not just survive. Art therapy and music therapy are powerful tools for wellness, and as you'll see in this vlog - art, music, and theater can be used for advocacy to help change policy. Last year, With One Voice sent a delegation to the ATSA État d'Urgence Festival in Montreal, Canada. It was an amazing few days meeting new friends and brainstorming on how we can help other creative organizations scale to have more impact helping homeless people. I shot a bunch of footage but never got around to editing it into something until this month. My dream is someday to be able to produce mini-documentaries like this vlog highlighting cool ideas and amazing people working to end homelessness who may not always get a lot of media attention. For example, in this vlog, I reference a video I shot when I was invited to the Dallas Public Library that you can watch here:    • How Dallas Public Library Supports Homeles...   The folks behind With One Voice saw this video and invited Jo and Heather to Montreal to share about creating safe spaces. I hope to one day be able to produce more like this but on a much larger scale! In her interview, Beth Knowles from the City of Manchester and With One Voice references the North America Review of Arts and Homelessness that you can find here: http://with-one-voice.com/usa-canada From With One Voice's website: With One Voice began as a showcase event curated by Streetwise Opera at the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in London. For the first time in Olympic history, it gave a platform for homeless people – celebrating the artistic achievements of 300 performers who had experienced homelessness. To learn more about the people and the organizations in this video, here is a link to information about the delegates https://www.atsa.qc.ca/en/eu-2017-wit... For more information about With One Voice, please visit their website: http://with-one-voice.com ________________________________________________ Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/invisiblepe... Invisible People’s website: http://invisiblepeople.tv Support Invisible People: https://invisiblepeople.tv/donate On Patreon:   / invisiblepeople   Invisible People’s Social Media:    / invisiblepeople     / invisiblepeople     / invisiblepeople     / invisiblepeopletv   Mark Horvath’s Twitter:   / hardlynormal   About Invisible People: Invisible People goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages can understand, and can’t ignore. The vlog puts into context one of our nation’s most troubling and prevalent issues through personal stories captured by the lens of Mark Horvath – its founder – and brings into focus the pain, hardship and hopelessness that millions face each day. One story at a time, videos posted on InvisiblePeople.tv shatter the stereotypes of America’s homeless, force shifts in perception and deliver a call to action that is being answered by national brands, nonprofit organizations and everyday citizens now committed to opening their eyes and their hearts to those too often forgotten. Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way we think about people experiencing homelessness.