A̱ka̱la Society is committed to organizing community engagement events each year. We realize the importance of getting input, feedback, critiques… from our people. These community engagements have been delivered in different iterations over the years.
Please check our Events Calendar for any upcoming Community Engagement Events.
Community Engagement History
In the fall of 2019, we set out on a road show. We were going to go to each Musgamakw Dzawada̱’enux̱w hubs to host meetings with our citizens. We started off in ‘Yalis, and then went to G̱wa’yasda̱ms. We were able to get some really good feedback and advice from our people that has helped shape our organization. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we were not able to continue with our in-person meetings.
We set out to create safe community activities even through the pandemic. We hosted online singing groups, a youth network, and a beading class. For more information on what we offered, click here.
When we were safely able to be together, we hosted a Sports Day in Uk̕wanalis. The energy was positive and filled with excitement. It was one of the first events that the community was able to attend since the start of the pandemic. This is when we came to the realization that our community engagements don’t have to be limited to indoor meetings. We can make them competitive, interesting, and especially joyful.
Our team continued to look for different ways we could engage our communities, without bringing on engagement fatigue. This led us to hosting a movie night in Uk̕wanalis and G̱wa’yasda̱ms. We screened two indigenous films, We Are the Water: three generations of women fight against the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, and Precious Leader-Woman: a documentary about Indigenous Olympic
snowboarder Spencer O’Brien. After the film, we facilitated conversation about the importance of being on the lands and waters.
We took on a big challenge in 2024, and invited all Musgamakw Dzawada̱’enux̱w citizens to join us The Paddle Reunion Lix̱is for a Community Day. We hosted 40+ of our people out on our territories. It was a beautiful event that filled our hearts. The paddle participants all spoke about their experience to the guests attending the Community day. To learn more about the Paddle Reunion Camp out and the Community Day, click here.
As part of our continued efforts to engage the Musgamakw Dzawada̱’enux̱w citizens, we have a few programs for consideration. You can view and comment on those program ideas here.