The introduction of Angles of Reality goes into my backstory about how I got to the point of writing a book. Coming from the Philippines—a place where poverty is very prevalent—and continuously being overly aware of individuals living on the streets, poverty is something that I think about often. I’ve always known that I wanted to help people—in whatever capacity that I can.

Part of going to a Big Picture Learning school like the Maples Met School is the ability to pursue my own passions and interests through project work. A key aspect to the educational system that Big Picture Learning schools do is having their students pursue internships and/or mentorships of their choosing. Through dedicated volunteers and staff, Oak Table Inc. provides hospitality, support and advocacy for those in need of a safe, respectul community. The only reason I was able to get a stable foundation for this project is because Oak Table and Harvey Heather—the volunteer coordinator and my mentor at Oak Table— agreed to work with me and support this book. By connecting me with some of the guests that use Oak Table’s resources, I was able to meet the participants who bravely share their stories in Angles of Reality. By Angles of Reality shedding light on these genuine stories and the resilient people that they come from, it’s able to be a platform for their voices to be heard. On a second layer, with the money from sales going to Oak Table, Angles of Reality is further able to support those who need it most.

The first meeting I had with Amber Brown (my advisor at the Maples Met School) happened in February of 2020. The official launch of the book occurred on June 18, 2021 which makes the entire pursuit of this project to be 16 months in total. The COVID-19 pandemic put up some challenges in all the different aspects of the Angles of Reality project, but especially threw a lot of curveballs in the interviewing process for the stories. Project planning and interviewing my participants took up my grade 9 year (2020), while all of grade 10 (2021) was focused on the post production aspect of the book. Despite the launch of the book complete, efforts to the present day are still underway by selling the book and speaking at various events to continue raising awareness and advocating for the unsheltered community in Winnipeg.

Volunteering is always a great place to start. Even if you can’t donate money or supplies, there is always the option to give time and care. There are countless local organizations (especially Indigenous-led organizations) that are combating the poverty crisis and each one is doing it’s best to help. Having said that, taking the time to acknowledge that we do not know the whole story to individuals in need is such a key step to take. Advocate, educate, be self aware. By challenging our current thinking we are giving ourselves the opportunity to open up new doors. Here is list of Winnipeg organizations doing some amazing work: End Homelessness Winnipeg Main Street Project N’Dinawemak North Point Douglas Women's Centre Oak Table Inc. Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council

The support of the community is the biggest reason why this project was able to take flight. The complete acknowledgements of contributors and important supporters are mentioned in the acknowledgements of Angles of Reality. Key contributors and/or supports include: Maples Met School Oak Table Inc. (Harvey Heather) North Forge (Scott Angus & Marney Stapley) Strategic Charm (Charmaine Jennings) Bloom + Brilliance Anne Mahon & Marjorie Anderson

The introduction of Angles of Reality goes into my backstory about how I got to the point of writing a book. Coming from the Philippines—a place where poverty is very prevalent—and continuously being overly aware of individuals living on the streets, poverty is something that I think about often. I’ve always known that I wanted to help people—in whatever capacity that I can.

Part of going to a Big Picture Learning school like the Maples Met School is the ability to pursue my own passions and interests through project work. A key aspect to the educational system that Big Picture Learning schools do is having their students pursue internships and/or mentorships of their choosing. Through dedicated volunteers and staff, Oak Table Inc. provides hospitality, support and advocacy for those in need of a safe, respectul community. The only reason I was able to get a stable foundation for this project is because Oak Table and Harvey Heather—the volunteer coordinator and my mentor at Oak Table— agreed to work with me and support this book. By connecting me with some of the guests that use Oak Table’s resources, I was able to meet the participants who bravely share their stories in Angles of Reality. By Angles of Reality shedding light on these genuine stories and the resilient people that they come from, it’s able to be a platform for their voices to be heard. On a second layer, with the money from sales going to Oak Table, Angles of Reality is further able to support those who need it most.

The first meeting I had with Amber Brown (my advisor at the Maples Met School) happened in February of 2020. The official launch of the book occurred on June 18, 2021 which makes the entire pursuit of this project to be 16 months in total. The COVID-19 pandemic put up some challenges in all the different aspects of the Angles of Reality project, but especially threw a lot of curveballs in the interviewing process for the stories. Project planning and interviewing my participants took up my grade 9 year (2020), while all of grade 10 (2021) was focused on the post production aspect of the book. Despite the launch of the book complete, efforts to the present day are still underway by selling the book and speaking at various events to continue raising awareness and advocating for the unsheltered community in Winnipeg.

Volunteering is always a great place to start. Even if you can’t donate money or supplies, there is always the option to give time and care. There are countless local organizations (especially Indigenous-led organizations) that are combating the poverty crisis and each one is doing it’s best to help. Having said that, taking the time to acknowledge that we do not know the whole story to individuals in need is such a key step to take. Advocate, educate, be self aware. By challenging our current thinking we are giving ourselves the opportunity to open up new doors. Here is list of Winnipeg organizations doing some amazing work: End Homelessness Winnipeg Main Street Project N’Dinawemak North Point Douglas Women's Centre Oak Table Inc. Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council

The support of the community is the biggest reason why this project was able to take flight. The complete acknowledgements of contributors and important supporters are mentioned in the acknowledgements of Angles of Reality. Key contributors and/or supports include: Maples Met School Oak Table Inc. (Harvey Heather) North Forge (Scott Angus & Marney Stapley) Strategic Charm (Charmaine Jennings) Bloom + Brilliance Anne Mahon & Marjorie Anderson