2019 Neighbourhood Small Grants Announced

Community Gathering Dinner    
Marilyn Lucas and Heather Campbell    
Hot Springs Cove Community Kitchen
December 2019 
“It has been a hard few months with many losses in the community, the idea is to host a baby welcoming as my daughter just had a baby and traditionally the community welcomes the family home. The dinner will also be an opportunity for the community to get together around a positive event. Food is a great way to get community members out of there house.”      

Cedar Weaving for a community at loss   
Dolores Bayne and Vince Ambrose
Hot Springs Cove Village 
November 2019
“I am teaching cedar bark weaving as well as teaching our language in the process. I am planning to run a 1-week workshop Monday to Sunday in November. Our small community has had some big losses recently (including Chief Richard Lucas) and this time of year can be difficult for many with the shortening days. HSC Village needs cultural activities to hold us together and help us get through these difficult times.”    

Crafts and Grub    
Lorena Frank and Robert Martin    
Meares Island Cultural Centre, Opitsaht    
April 2020
“To host a craft night in Opitsaht with good food and good people. Purchase canvases, paints, and acrylics and share the value of art and preparation for ceremony (i.e. potlatches and family events).”

Crochet Course    
Michelle Curley and Bill Sr George    
Ty Histanis Health Centre    
November 2019
“I am planning to teach both kids and adults in a beginner's crochet course. It will be at the health centre and open to both native and non-native people.”

Native Medicine
Annie George and Elizabeth George
Tla-o-qui-aht territory    
December 2019
“We plan to harvest indigenous medicine and gather supplies. We will host a workshop on how to process the medicine in the right way. Teachings include things like Fungus Bracket for Immune System, Organ Grape for your internal organs, Huckleberry for stroke, and so many more things.” 

Dream Catcher Workshop
Elizabeth George and Annie George
Ty Histanis Health Centre
December 2019
“Our idea is to host a dreamcatcher workshop at Ty Histanis health centre. We will advertise through facebook and posters around the community. The event will be open to everyone and we will make sure that people, especially people who don't get out of their houses much, come out and share good community time together.”

Cultural Drum Circle 
William Goodbird and Catherine Frank
Ty histanis, Opitsaht, and Esowista
November 2019
“The youth in our communities have a strong desire for drums, but most don't ever get a chance to do this because the traditional ways have been erased largely. This grant will help youth build drums, discuss trauma and move on, take back our culture, and learn a song together, earn their drum. The drum is a responsibility for the participants too and they are expected to keep it alive, attend culture events, potlatches in the future. It's about rebuilding a culture and system. "

Bringing Families Together
Margaret Thomas and Darlene Charlie
Meares Island Cultural Centre in Opitsaht
November – December 2019
"Come together as a community, do arts and crafts, and have family fun all together in Opitsaht. We want to build momentum with this kind of event and tie into other community events like the dry New Years Eve. Last year we did a similar event and it went really well, so we can count on there being similar interest and success with this idea! "

Taa-ilthma (helping hand)
Nora Martin and Corey Thomas    
Tla-o-qui-aht territory    
November – December 2019
"The project will involve Nora Martin teaching community members about traditional medicines including what, where, and when to pick, as well as how to store. The project will bring people out of isolation, especially because people tend to stay in their homes pretty well all day. It will give them a chance to meet others and socialize, building relationships through getting on the land and learning teachings about traditional plants. "

Making Macoah Safe
Robyn Rea and Dennis Hetu
Community Kitchen at Macoah
November 2019 - March 2020
“Making Macoah Safe will give the community members an opportunity to engage in conversation around the recent increase in the population of the village and all of the changes that have come with it. It will open the dialogue surrounding the issues of a growing and diverse community and pave the way for united community-driven solutions.”

Sexy Seniors Hair Makeover!
Lisa Morgan and Anne Mack
Macoah Community Kitchen
November 20, 2019
“There is an on-going challenge in the local towns of Tofino and Ucluelet of finding a reasonable-priced haircut, not to mention if an individual lives at Macoah (40 minutes outside of Ucluelet).  I have had elders approach me to ask, "where can they get a haircut in town".  A majority of elders are on a fixed income, do not get out of the house much, do not have a vehicle and do not feel comfortable making their own appointment.  I am hoping to gift my community elder's with a one-day 'Sexy Senior Hair Makeover'!  This will enhance and boost their self-esteem! Followed by before and after photos.”    

Under the Sea Roller Disco 
Lyvier Rivera and Rebecca Hurwitz
Seaplane Rec Hall, Ucluelet
March 28, 2020    
“The Under the Sea Roller Disco will be an opportunity for certified instructors from Roller Skate Victoria and Vancouver to meet the rollerskate communities on the west coast by hosting a FREE evening family-friendly skate disco. It will include a provided DJ, skates, live entertainment and food.” 

Ukee craft club
Toni Buston and Nicky Ling 
Ucluelet Community Centre
Nov 2019 - May 2020
"This will be a club to bring people together to share knowledge on making homemade goods, foods and gardening. The focus for homemade goods will be on items that help the environment and educate people in natural living practices. We can do sessions like making our own beeswax wraps, natural beauty & cleaning products, making re-usable shopping and gift bags, homemade gift cards and papermaking, and garden crafts.”

Food Preservation for Youth
Jason Sam and Carol Sedgwick
Ucluelet Secondary School
November 2019 – April 2020
"As a recent successful participant of the Preserve Safe Train the Trainer Program, I hope to teach youth basic food preservation skills.  As an education worker in the local high school, I have noticed that youth often choose highly processed and unhealthy food for snacks and lunches.  I often feed hungry youth within my day at work.  I would like to offer a couple of workshops for youth to learn basic skills to preserve food or to make their own healthy snacks.”

Glean Club
Leah Austin and Paula Robertson
Tofino and surrounding area
November 2019 – October 2020
“Over the years, the West Coast has received warmer, sunnier weather which has increased the abundance of fruit on trees.  The bears have noticed and have had a big feast of apples and plums which has resulted in additional bear/human interactions and unfortunately some bears were destroyed.  As a result, we'd like to create a Glean Club to help make sure we don’t have rotting food around our communities.” 

Harvest Festival    
Bob Hansen and Helene Descoteaux
Tofino
November 2019
"The Harvest Festival will celebrate the abundant harvest in the Fall.  This event will include education around how to care for/harvest fruit trees, how to preserve the bounty, volunteer sign up for the Glean Club and general education about how to prevent wildlife from being attracted to fruit (including electric fence demos).  At this event, we hope to map out the towns fruit trees so that we are better able to manage wildlife interactions with fruit trees."

Pickleball for west coast communities    
Cathy Thicke and Dan Audette
Tofino tennis courts
February - May 2020
"Our Tofino pickleball club would like to host a pickleball open house, including pickleball demonstration, general rules, play the game followed by a lunch for all participants. Invitations would go out to Tla-o-qui-aht, Ahousaht, Ucluelet and Tofino residents by email, newspaper ad, recreation commission, and chief and council agendas."

Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Planning
Nyla Attiana and Candace Picco
Tofino - Yew Wood Neighbourhood
January - May 2020
“The Yew Wood neighbourhood would like to have a neighbourhood emergency preparedness planning session.  Our goal will be to prepare a document for the neighbourhood as a plan in the case of a major emergency event such as an earthquake and tsunami.  The first step will be to host a meeting at one of our houses and introduce everyone, prepare a contact list and Nyla Attiana will lead a discussion on emergency planning.”

Pumpkin Patch
Jennifer Lightning Soifer and Daniel Soifer
Ahousaht BC community garden 
March – October 2020
"The grade 1 class at Maaqtusiis Elementary will plant a pumpkin patch in the Ahousaht community garden for the spring of 2020. The current garden space is quite overgrown so we will first need to clear and fence the area. The funds will be used to purchase supplies such as fencing, soil, fertilizer, and seeds. The grade one students will invite their families to participate in the entire gardening process from seed to harvest."

Youth-Led Ahousaht Movies Nights
Nicole Dumas and Andrew Pitoulis
Maaqtusiis Elementary school
December 2019
“Over and over Ahousaht students have told us that they want more to do in the evenings. They want a safe place to hang out, with fun activities. The student voted to be able to host a family movie night (which can hopefully lead to more). They want to be able to invite anyone in the community, of any age, and be able to feed them. This movie-night would be another opportunity for them to take leadership roles in the community, practice team-work, and be in charge of creating something positive for families here.”

Maaqtusiis Secondary School Student Council
Linda Van Dorn and Kate Drexler
Maaqtusiis Secondary School    
November 2019 - June 2020
“The student council are wanting to events with the youth and children of Ahousaht; movie nights, community connections, student council leadership wellness supports, and elder connections. They have plans to giving back to the community in different ways, from plants for the elders, coffee/tea times, and planning movie nights for the youth all rooted in culture and wellness."