A hands-on basket weaving workshop in collaboration with the local school, inviting community members to learn together. Using cedar that had been carefully harvested and prepared, the workshop taught traditional techniques while creating space for connection, learning, and cultural knowledge-sharing.
The Calling on Consent poster contest engaged youth in the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Region in creating educational artwork that promoted a culture of consent and community safety. Open to local residents aged 15 to 30, the contest empowered young people to share their perspectives on consent, healthy relationships, body autonomy, and violence prevention.
Participants created posters focused on defining consent, identifying problematic behaviour, or responding to situations where consent was not present. The project increased visibility of consent education, amplified youth voices, fostered community engagement, and supported efforts to create safer, more respectful communities for everyone.
Graduates created cedar roses that were displayed at the Dry Grad celebration and then taken home as a special keepsake to remember their graduation. The workshop included local Elders and youth and was held during school hours, providing an opportunity to share knowledge, connect across generations, and celebrate this important milestone in a meaningful way.
Community members came together to explore dietary needs, food knowledge, and ways to support healthy eating at home. It created a welcoming space for learning, sharing experiences, and building practical skills around feeding themselves and their families. While everyone in the community was welcome to participate, the initiative is centered on supporting young people in developing confidence, independence, and lifelong skills related to food and well-being.
This project was a community meal at the Hesquiaht Place of Learning, welcoming anyone from the village to come together and share food. With the high cost of groceries and the challenges of being in a remote community, providing a warm, nourishing meal can make a meaningful difference.
Beyond the meal itself, the gathering created a sense of connection and belonging, offering a space where community members could come together, share time, and support one another.
This project focuses on preparing and sharing a cultural meal as a way to bring community members together.
A traditional ceremony bringing together two families and many community members. The families have had over 5 deaths and needed some light.
A small community garden and gathering space was created for Headwater residents, featuring a sunny seating area and opportunities to grow flowers, herbs, and vegetables. The garden encourages social connection, intergenerational activities between children and seniors, and provides a welcoming outdoor space for residents to relax, garden, and spend time together.
The goal of this project was to share the joy, creativity, and sense of wonder that working with glass inspires with community members who might not otherwise have access to these workshops. Each session sparked laughter, curiosity, and childlike delight, while giving participants the opportunity to create a unique piece of art to cherish for years to come.
This project brought together the LGBTQIA2+ community on the West Coast by hosting a welcoming and inclusive event. A local space in Ucluelet was rented, a DJ was hired, and decorations were arranged to create a vibrant and celebratory atmosphere.
Community members came together to harvest medicinal plants in a shared learning environment. Participants were invited to learn about the plants and their uses, as well as learn prayer, chants, and cleansing practices. The gathering also included a shared lunch and an opportunity for participants to reflect and connect.
This project supported the inclusion of Nuu-chah-nulth language in the 2026 graduation celebrations, helping to recognize and celebrate local culture and identity. Language and education leaders from Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation shared words and phrases in the Central and Barkley Sound dialects for use throughout the event.
By incorporating language into graduation and prom celebrations, the project helped create a more welcoming, inclusive, and culturally meaningful experience for students, families, and the wider community.
Community members were provided with the opportunity to learn the complete process of creating custom T-shirts using a cutting machine.
Nanachtuuk means to be observant, listening, looking, and absorbing information from the world around you. It's an educational term for learning about and from life, the good, bad, and the ugly.
Using a collection of over 70 recorded words from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation language department, short audio segments were developed and integrated into regular radio programming. These brief segments will be played multiple times throughout the day, giving listeners frequent opportunities to hear and become familiar with Nuu-chah-nulth words and pronunciation.
This project aims to increase the presence of Indigenous language in everyday media. Hearing these words on the radio will support language learners while also reinforcing for residents and visitors that they are in Nuu-chah-nulth territory.
This project brought community members together to create small button blankets for display as wall hangings during multiple sessions.
This project was created to revitalize the Opitsaht Community Garden and support a new intergenerational after‑school program where children and Elders learn, share knowledge, and care for the land together. The vision was to create a safe, welcoming, and productive garden space that strengthens cultural teachings, supports food security, and brings the community together through hands‑on learning.
This project brought neighbours together to strengthen our community through gardening, food sharing, and road safety improvements. The event included a plant swap and block party, building on the generosity of several neighbours who already regularly shared produce and plants from their gardens. Together, they created and installed signs encouraging drivers to slow down on this family-friendly road. With many children living on the street, including a large number under the age of 10, these efforts helped raise awareness of traffic concerns caused by drivers using Pine Rd as a shortcut after school drop-offs or trips from Helen and Peninsula.
This project focuses on creating shawls and skirts for youth to wear during gratitude ceremonies. These handmade pieces will become part of ceremonial regalia. Beyond their immediate use, the shawls and skirts are intended to carry lasting significance. They will be cared for and passed down, allowing future generations of youth to wear them and continue the tradition.
These workshops taught participants how to create sunflower keychains using wool.
The vision is to host a community potluck in the fall that features wild and/or foraged foods as an ingredient in the dish. The idea is to share and learn about the abundance of beautiful foods the land and ocean provide to the community, and celebrate it. This event will be a space for the community to come together, share food, learn about conservation and best harvesting practices, enjoy the abundance we have here, and reflect on the stewardship that Indigenous peoples have and continue to provide to the land and waters.
This project was a place-based sustainable art practice that promoted biodiversity, connected community members, and discussed sustainability in the arts. Participants learned about alternative film development using seaweed and seawater, created their own cyanotype prints using film negatives or natural shoreline materials, and contributed to a large-scale collaborative cyanotype artwork.
The West Coast Music Revival is dedicated to bringing an energetic and bright music scene to the West Coast communities that are often isolated from the arts on Vancouver Island. The show was hosted in the spring at the Army and Navy #293 with the help of many volunteers.
The committee recorded the entire night to capture all angles of the event and is putting together a documentary that showcases both the event and the history of music in Vancouver Island. It will have a focus on alternative scenes that are lesser known, but it will reveal history about indie and blues scenes that are common. This documentary will be public for anyone to watch.
Whispering Pines Bear Safe Bins BBQ and Help Offering | Jess Hicks | Ucluelet
This project brought neighbours together through a community BBQ focused on reducing bear conflicts by helping residents secure their bins. Our family designed and distributed informational flyers, went door-to-door to share information and invite neighbours, and hosted a hot dog roast with lemonade in late June.
The event provided practical support for bin security, increased awareness about bear safety, and helped strengthen connections within the neighbourhood.
Women & Waves is a surf meetup for self-identifying local women and girls in Ucluelet and surrounding areas on the west coast who want to develop confidence surfing with peers and work towards surfing independently. This concept developed through conversations with local women who feel intimidated by surf culture and surfing in general and need support to connect with other surfers and learn about the local surfscape and how to safely build their skills in and around the water. The meetups are helping women connect with surf buddies and nurture connections beyond the meetups.
Zine Queens is an independent collective of artists curating a quarterly art magazine featuring Pacific Rim artists. Each issue explores a unique theme, encouraging creative expression and dialogue across the region. Each Zine is first released with a launch party designed to encourage collaboration, enjoy art, and support community members. The event is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and interactive, creating a welcoming space for artists, residents, and visitors to engage with art. The theme of the fall zine will be “freak show” - a celebration and embrace of the weird, wacky, and quirky people and histories of the west coast.
The Launch will centre around an open mic format where contributing artists to the zine will have a chance to share their submissions, and for community members to take a risk and perform/share on a mic. The backbone of this event is community gathering, sharing art, celebrating art, and making new connections.
