ABOUT

  An evolving collaboration of artists and people   with lived experience of incarceration dedicated to producing provocative art together  

The Circle Project was created in 2019 by filmmaker Brenda Longfellow and restorative justice advocate Brenda Morrison, as an evolving collaboration of artists and people with lived experience of incarceration dedicated to producing provocative art together.

We are inspired by Indigenous modalities of community based justice and are committed to imagining alternatives to the violence and dehumanization of carceral systems and logics.

Broadly accessible online and disseminated through multiple platforms, our art projects use imagination, storytelling, performance and play to generate rich and intimate encounters with the complex and layered experience of people with lived experience of incarceration.

CONTACT

For more information, please reach out to Brenda Longfellow or Brenda Morrison

The Circle Project is produced on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

As guests on this land, we are committed to learning from Indigenous ways of knowing, uplifting Indigenous voices, and working towards truth, justice, and reconciliation in meaningful and respectful ways.

The Circle Project Advisory Group

Chas Coutlee

Chas Coutlee, MSW, RSW is Nlaka’pamux on her mother’s side and Irish on her father’s side. With a Master of Social Work and advanced training in Indigenous Wholistic Wellness and Addictions, she brings together education and lived experience to support women and create circles of safety, strength, and sisterhood. She has been living on the unceded and unsurrendered territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her greatest inspiration comes from being a mother and grandmother, guiding her passion for healing and resilience.

Pam Young

Pam Young is a Peer Coordinator with PHSA Recovery College as well as an educator and advocate who has spent over 15 years working in prison health and re-entry. She brings her own lived experience with incarceration, substance use, mental health challenges, and housing instability into every aspect of her work—meeting people where they are at and offering support rooted in compassion, respect, and honesty. Pam is passionate about building community, challenging stigma, and creating spaces where people feel seen, heard and valued. Through her involvement with The Circle Project, she supports women in using art to tell their stories, process their journeys, and connect with others. For Pam, art is more than creative expression--it’s a tool for survival, healing and reclaiming power.

Meena Toor

As a single mother working in healthcare, I have encountered numerous challenges and obstacles throughout my lifetime, which have ultimately taught me valuable lessons about my identity and resilience. My children represent both my greatest apprehension and my most significant achievement, as I strive to protect them while instilling in them a sense of self-worth. Being part of The Circle Project, I gain the opportunity to share my lived experience with others navigating uncertainty. Sharing similar fears and supporting women to create circles of safety, strength, and sisterhood is crucial. Raised in a strict cultural home with parents being first-generation immigrants from India, I understand the cultural barriers and stigmas. I am passionate about demonstrating that past decisions do not always define the future, embracing community, challenging stigma, and creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued. Through my involvement with The Circle Project, I support women in having their stories heard and connecting with others. Failure is acceptable; always challenge yourself and do your best. Live each day with no regrets!

Natasha Warren

Natasha attended classes at both Vancouver Film School and the BC Institute of Technology. Upon graduation, she started her own small video production company which she successfully operated for 10 years. Driven by her passion for addressing social issues, she enrolled in the Criminology program at Simon Fraser University and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology. She is currently working as a Manager for the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre overseeing two Drop-Ins. She is a member of the board with CARFAC BC and has been a key member of the advisory group for The Circle Project for the past 6 years. Natasha is committed to advocating for vulnerable women and social justice issues.