These are our stories, and we’re sticking to them.
Besides, they make for great alibis.
The Latest
5/29/2024
3 reasons why we joined 1% for the Planet
Reflecting on our role in the climate action movement, we realized we can do more. Our co-founders walk through their decision to join, what it means to be a member, and its impact on the team.
5/23/2024
How we grew our research panel
Our panel ensures our work is shaped by those it impacts. Discover how we expanded it through strategic recruitment and dynamic engagement.
8/11/2023
5 best practices for effective social media campaigns
Here are our 5 best practices for turning a “just OK” social media campaign into a campaign that gets results.
6/21/2023
Why health equity matters to us
Health inequity is real, and we see examples of its impact all around us — including in Be the Change Group’s home base of Vancouver, British Columbia. That’s why it matters that we do our part to support organizations that are working to bring social justice to health systems.
5/30/2023
Feedback from the field: Honduras and Mali
We took the gender-based violence visual pocket guide we developed for low-literacy learners in South Sudan to Mali and Honduras and adapted it to the countries’ culture and language.
4/24/2023
Happy birthday to us!
The work that we do changes lives, because the people we work with are innovators, problem solvers, and leaders. Normally, we like to let our clients take all the spotlight, but because it’s our birthday, we thought you might want to learn a little more about us.
1/31/2023
On your marks, get set… evaluate!
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!
1/23/2023
Birth of a brand identity
In May 2023, over 1,700 stakeholders gathered at the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference in Cape Town, Africa to accelerate solutions for maternal and newborn survival. In preparation for this event, we developed the conference's unique brand identity. See how we did it.
12/9/2022
Heroes among us
Although the work of public health inspectors and environmental health officers touches crucial aspects of our daily lives, the public doesn’t often see the work they do. You could say that invisibility was one of their superpowers—until now.
11/17/2022
Mo’ babies, mo’ problems: A personal letter
I’m a doctor, I’m an entrepreneur, and I’m an expecting mother. I’m also a 35-year-old woman, undergoing one of the most intense experiences of my life. And, along with the anticipation, joy, and love I’m feeling for growing my family, I’ve got some mixed feelings too.
6/19/2022
In-country validation in South Sudan
Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of the most prevalent forms of violence during times of conflict and crisis. It is destructive to communities and can lead to increased rates of homicide, suicide, lifelong disability, mental illness, substance abuse, poverty, and social exclusion. Creating a low-literacy, visual guide for non-GBV trained humanitarian practitioners in South Sudan has been one of the most rewarding projects we’ve taken on.
5/6/2022
We quilled it!
It’s a good feeling when hard work and collaboration is recognized. Our 20th Anniversary campaign for the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (now Michael Smith Health Research BC) won a Gold Quill Award from the International Association of Business Communicators, and we’re feeling pretty chuffed.
4/21/2022
We’re leading with innovation
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.
4/12/2022
Double your pleasure, double your fun.
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.
12/18/2021
Look ma, we got a B! (B Corp Certification, that is.)
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 recertification process. Globally, we’ve joined companies like Patagonia in considering the repercussions of everything we do, and ensuring that our business is conducted in a way that prioritizes the people and places that need the most support.
2/26/2021
We couldn’t agree more!
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, […]
4/3/2020
Happy birthday to us! Celebrating our 8th year anniversary (virtually of course)
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.
12/12/2019
Working with the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS) to support children, our greatest resource
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.
10/11/2019
Portrait gets a facelift!
We’re partnering with the UBC Therapeutics Initiative to engage key stakeholders and develop a brand and identity for the Portrait program, a tool created to help family physicians in British Columbia, Canada, review and assess their own prescribing practices.
10/10/2019
Cafeteria waste … gross? Nah, we’ll make it cute
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. Luckily, the fine folks at GreenCake are tackling this issue. See how we partnered with them to address the problem.
4/19/2019
Southern hospitality, fried pickles, and community-driven health policy research: Brandy’s visit to the Bayou
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.
10/15/2018
We’re as keen as mustard about our latest work on food safety
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.
9/4/2018
The cherry tree plaque: remembering those we lost in the AIDS epidemic
More than 30 years ago, on a rainy Vancouver day, a dozen men gathered near Stanley Park to plant four cherry trees representing people being lost in the AIDS epidemic in B.C. The location of this memorial remained secret for nearly 30 years to protect the memorial from vandalism driven by discrimination and stigma.
2/19/2017
Using data to drive decisions for addressing sexually transmitted blood-borne infections in Canada
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.
9/3/2016
Welcome to the world, Skills and Education Group!
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.
5/21/2016
Let’s go Zibu!
Tasked with translating complex ideas into accessible communication tools for the Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) process under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, we created Zibu, a fictional guide designed to help countries navigate the process.
11/13/2015
Getting down with llamas and NAMAs (and Akon, too)
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.
10/13/2015
The value of lived experiences in designing a campaign
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.
12/1/2014
Launch of My Health is Sexy: Interior Health gets sexy
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.
11/1/2014
A winning story: Be the Change Group tells the story of HIV, love, and loss
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.
3/3/2014
Be the Change Group at the AccolAIDS Awards
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.
10/29/2013
We’re building Momentum for Change
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.
7/2/2013
Our search for ‘patient zero’
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!
6/6/2009
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.
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.