Connection: The Power of Community-Based Research Networking event a collective success!

Celebrating a Successful Networking Event!

We are thrilled to share the success of our networking event held on May 8th at the Kwench Co-working space in beautiful Victoria, BC. With over 115 RSVPs, we were delighted to welcome over 90 enthusiastic attendees who made the event truly special.

A Diverse Gathering

This event brought together a remarkable mix of individuals, including representatives from:

• First Nations

• Academia and Researchers

• The nonprofit sector

• Multiple levels of government

The diversity of perspectives and experiences contributed to enriching conversations and valuable connections.

We are so grateful to have had engaging displays from the UVIC Map Shop, Engage with Nature-based Solutions, What's the RUSH, UVIC CIFAL, Victoria Foundation, the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, and the Royal BC Museum's Living Cultures and Living Archives initiative.

Event Highlights

You could feel the energy as attendees engaged in meaningful discussions, shared insights, and planted the seeds for future collaborations. Conversations where ideas and inspiration were being exchanged that could have a lasting impact on our communities were happening all around. It is incredible what happens when you provide a space for passionate individuals committed to making a difference in our communities in the Salish Sea to come together. This work always starts from community-building and conversations. Dr. Wanosts'a7 Lorna Williams opened our speeches that evening with a land acknowledgement and prayer. Dr. Wanosts'a7 Lorna Williams has been an advisor and mentor to the Salish Sea Hub, and we were so lucky to have her open our event in this way. We then heard inspiring stories from the people and organizations who helped found the Salish Sea Hub, including:

• Rajesh Tandon, Co-founder of the Knowledge for Change Global Consortium

• Crystal Tremblay, Founding Member and Mentor, Salish Sea Hub

• Tanya Clarmont, Founding Member and Mentor, Salish Sea Hub

• Anne-Marie Daniels, lead for What's the RUSH, a project partner with the Salish Sea Hub

• Ron Rice, Executive Director, Victoria Native Friendship Centre

• Carol Hall, Senior Director of Innovation and Impact, Victoria Foundation

• Lois Harder, Dean of Social Sciences, University of Victoria

What we heard from participants:

Upon arrival at our event, participants were greeted by Salish Sea Hub leadership team members. In addition to their name badges, they were also provided with a pencil and sticky notes and encouraged to participate in community listening stations throughout the room.

We asked several questions to participants around the room that evening to help shape the learning resources and training offerings we are creating for the community around community-based participatory research (CBPR). Here is a summary of what we heard from these stations:

Engaging Communities	Tools and Resources	CBPR Training Development
What does successful community engagement look like?	What tools and resources do we already have to engage communities?	What does CBPR training look like for you?
The community has a voice, benefits equally & feels included ++++	Art of hosting & artful hosting	Basics of what CBPR is
Care & reciprocity ++	Cultural & Ecological sites (engaging & accessible)	Ethics in STEM engagement + ; Tips and practical steps to follow for ethical engagement
Individuals having their voices heard within the collective	Storytelling & Sharing	Elementary media, such as comic books, picture books, TV, etc. to aid with language revitalization
Diverse, equitable, sincere, authentic, inclusive, place-based and cultural +	Photo-voice community (Hub Mind)	Resources, a database of community organizations - who is connected and how we can identify gaps
Everyone knows how - and where - they can participate and contribute		Collective dreaming and brainstorming space for possibilities with trainees ++
Sharing findings, what we heard, action & next steps		How to connect with hereditary leadership +
Make it fun & accessible		How to continue to evolve, grow and adapt programs
Building upon successful approaches to engage communities looks like:	What tools and resources would you like to have?	What would the training look like? Who would teach it? What format would it be in? How much time could you commit to it?
Uses First Nations Principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Permission (OCAP)	More gender inclusive tools that resonate with women and marginalized communities ++	In person ++; place based + ; Hybrid format ++
Community stewardship, events, convening early	How to adapt CBPR when working with remote communities	An all-day intensive format lasting 1-3 days
Indigenous circles as culturally safe spaces	Relationship-building opportunities	I'd commit 6-10 hrs per week
Include decision-makers from all levels of government, but keep it apolitical.	Internships for CBPR	Max. 8 weeks for multi-week commitment
Going to the people - meet them where they are	Access to government and corporate resources for philanthropy	Instructors should be versed in cultural knowledge and protocols +
Working with the new Indigenous Education program at UVIC	Support for hosting a session with the community before starting CBPR research to learn and connect	Instructors should facilitate discussion, not necessarily knowing the answers; someone who will ask thought-provoking questions
	Funding resources, tips, and toolkits	Instructors should have knowledge and experience in building meaningful community connections
	Tools that empower leaders & develop new community leaders	Arts & land-based activities, conversations, play

What's Next?

We want to hear from you!

If you have:

• Resources that would be helpful to others wishing to use CBPR methods to engage with communities in the Salish Sea - email us to include these in our open-access, digital Knowledge Hub (under construction)

• Projects that require some support from a CBPR practitioner or resources. We will help connect you with the people and tools to help you succeed.

• Ideas for specific types of training you would like us to create or develop (e.g. community mapping how-tos, youth engagement toolkits, or others).

We are busy developing community training for nonprofits, government agencies, and First Nations communities, which we hope to pilot in early 2026. We will be reaching out to you all for ongoing feedback and input on this journey, so keep an eye on your email inboxes and be sure to register to receive updates from us on our website.

Thank You!

Below is a collection of photos taken by Salish Sea Hub Mentor Sebastian Silva at the event. If you wish to download any, you may do so from the images below or our events page here.