The philosophy behind The Festival of What Works is to share replicable ideas of how to live well in place amongst communities across the bioregion. Join us to collectively reflect on how to bring “what works” into your life and community. This is an open space to come together to “make sense” of what we are hearing and learning throughout the Festival. It is also a place to take care of ourselves before each day that lies ahead. Join us to go beyond ideas and into a sense of possibility—individually and collectively.

Sessions are daily. Participants can come to one, some or all. 

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

Nature-based solutions are underpinned by natural processes or structures, designed to address environmental challenges while providing multiple benefits to economy, society and our ecological systems. In short: they’re what works. Two exceptional leaders and planners share how we can use nature to inform, plan, design and make decisions—and how, by doing so, we can protect our natural environments. Herb Hammond, from Silva Forest Foundation, will share the philosophy, principles and process of nature-based planning, and how his development of NBP has been shaped by his work with many Indigenous peoples. Dawn Morrison, from the Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty, will share her analysis, insights and experience on how NBP is complementary to Indigenous knowledge, laws and governance. She will also share an overview of current work that is using NBP to reassert Indigenous rights to hunt, fish, farm and to protect land and water.

By developing a conscious relationship to money, we have the opportunity to better understand our personal psychology—and how we can create regenerative, equitable futures. These practitioners, all members of the Guild of Future Architects, will guide registrants through an exploration of what value creation and exchange can look like in the 21st century and beyond. This is a session ideal for systems-thinking change-makers, forward-looking philanthropists and impact investors. It will be beneficial for those interested in a deep analysis of our individual and collective relationship to money—and how we can connect this to stewardship and planning.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

How can we inspire and educate the next generation of environmental stewards? Place-based, inquiry-led and experiential learning is the foundation of the SkeenaWild Education Program, delivering interactive classroom workshops, outdoor field experiences, and outreach watershed nature education for K-12 students and educators since 2018. This session will highlight the experiences of developing this Skeena Watershed-focused education program, and share experiences of students connecting to their local watersheds, going beyond the walls of their schools and learning outside in their local natural environments. How can we teach students about the importance of our salmon, our watersheds, and the threats that they face? Those who have done just that answer.

In 2018, the town of Paradise, California and surrounding communities were destroyed by fire. In less than a day, most members of the community lost their homes; some lost their lives. In 2021, close to two million acres of land burned in California alone as the wildfires continued to rage. Members of the Paradise Community share what they’ve learned since then. How does an individual—and community—begin to rebuild after such destruction? What are the qualities that support rebuilding? What should other, small communities—especially those affected by wildfires—prepare to support each other? Survivors of Camp Fire offer us an invitation to stay curious, live with hope and do it together. We recommend watching this short film in advance of attending: A Message From the Future of Paradise

For those who are interested, there will be an additional 30 mins at the end of this session for those who would like to have a more informal conversation. 

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

For much of the 20th century in Canada, it was mandatory for all Indigenous children to be taken from their families and sent to institutions designed to assimilate them into white, Christian, Canadian society. Abhorrent abuse was widespread and systemic. Two Indigenous elders who have survived the Residential School System share their stories, and discuss what we can do—now—to support those still facing the after-effects of this shameful history, and confront the ongoing, systemic racism towards Indigenous people still occurring today. Only by listening and understanding can we begin to move forward into action. There will be a live Q&A with the panelists.

In a capitalist economy, where we often need money to survive, it’s easy to forget that money itself is simply a medium of exchange to access essential resources—resources such as food, shelter, clothing, goods, services and other forms of nourishment. This panel explores how we can access and share resources without exchanging money. How can we begin to work towards systems that do not rely on money? How can we create a future that does not rely on capitalist extraction? Join us as we explore these questions, guided by our panelists' direct experiences facilitating the flow of non-monetary resources within communities.

Community-governed land held outside the private market can increase land access and justice for the next generation of farmers and ranchers. Ian McSweeney, Organizational Director at Agrarian Trust, discusses the Agrarian Commons model with Rhys Thorvald-Hansen. The conversation comes at a time of great transition of farmland—and a time of opportunity to transform land ownership. With a generation of farmers and ranchers soon retiring, and their property often sold to be used for leisure rather than purpose, farmland can be prohibitively expensive for those interested in entering the profession and calling. Agrarian Commons are a new type of land trust that began in 2020 across the US—one that proactively move toward land justice through offering low-barrier access to farm and ranch land to steward through regenerative agricultural practices. Find out more at https://agrariantrust.org/

What is Salmon Nation? Why do we envision living in a nature state as opposed to a nation state? These information sessions provide further context about the thesis behind Salmon Nation, our goals and our methodology. We are determined to do everything we can to improve social, financial and natural well-being here at home. Hear from the founders of Salmon Nation, and the partners of the Salmon Nation Trust, about what that looks like. This will be an organic, open discussion and questions are welcome.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

We live in a time where we can confuse getting older with being an elder. Climate change is one of the ultimate tests of intergenerational collaborations. Traditional and Indigenous societies often have a special designation for older folks who carry culture, respect ancestors and serve future generations. Three elders from diverse backgrounds across Salmon Nation share how they think about being an elder, who they learned from and how they see the future and their roles in shaping it. Bring your own questions to this deep and essential exploration.

Gramsci once spoke of pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will. As we face the real and existential dangers in the climate crisis era, grappling with humanity’s greatest calamity is both daunting… and essential. Award-winning journalist and author Arno Kopecky shares a collection of essays, The Environmentalist’s Dilemma, that help us to acknowledge both sides of the paradox we’re in: the planet may be dying, but humanity’s doing better than ever. So how do we begin to answer questions about how to live within such a paradox?  Should we take down the government, or try to change it from the inside? Is it okay to compare climate change to Hitler? Is hope naive or indispensable? How do you tackle collective delusion? Wise, inquisitive and relatable, this interview with Arno Kopecky will begin to answer some of these queries.

The philosophy behind The Festival of What Works is to share replicable ideas of how to live well in place amongst communities across the bioregion. Join us to collectively reflect on how to bring “what works” into your life and community. This is an open space to come together to “make sense” of what we are hearing and learning throughout the Festival. It is also a place to take care of ourselves before each day that lies ahead. Join us to go beyond ideas and into a sense of possibility—individually and collectively.

Sessions are daily. Participants can come to one, some or all. 

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

With ubiquitous smartphones, blockchain technology, robotics, AI, renewable energy, and more, we are surrounded by ever-accelerating exponential technologies. How do we use these and other technologies, not as an ends-in-themselves or as a means to concentrate wealth, but as decentralized technology tools that can help us to live in deeper harmony with our communities, the land, and our natural ecosystems? In this session, we will explore what’s working at the intersection of decentralized technology tools, place, and natural systems.

Supporting emerging and established leaders in rural areas are essential to build healthier, more equitable communities—especially when these leaders are female, non-binary, Indigenous or people of colour. In this panel and Q&A, two exceptional leaders share their approaches to nurturing non-traditional leadership in remote areas. They will share how important it is to not only promote a set of values, but support emerging leaders in hearing their own voice, giving them a platform, and inspiring others to care. Following two presentations, registrants will have the opportunity to ask questions about their own leadership and journey—and how they can best support others.

How can you build community in your own neighbourhood by nurturing shared spaces? What are actionable ideas that you can put in motion in your community? Join artists and community organizers from across Salmon Nation for a participatory workshop about placemaking. You will learn about inspiring community-led projects—from the emergent, collaborative mural in the Feed the People Plaza in Seattle to the Cob on Wood Village in Oakland that provides essential spaces for unhoused neighbours. You’ll learn about the cultural and historical factors to consider when co-creating spaces in your neighbourhood. And, you’ll be invited to meaningfully engage with what community means to you, what possibility it contains, and what you can do to be a better neighbour. Join us for an inspiring delve into practical and replicable ideas you can begin to use immediately.

Check out these videos of the projects we will be spotlighting in advance of the session:

Cob on Wood

Feed the People Plaza

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

This session will include a demonstration of how to prepare traditional, Indigenous teas, in addition to a discussion about the relationship between Indigenous plant knowledge, storytelling, and culture. Trixie will share more about the powerful stories we learn from plants, and how they can help us to recognize the strength from our elders and ancestors, including two of her own favourite lessons from Tlingit legends and leaders. Audiences will also learn more about how interconnected the loss of Indigenous land is to loss of food knowledge, and what this means for current and future generations. This skills demonstration is just one of the ways to harness, and share, lessons that would otherwise be lost from communities blighted by colonialism. This will be an immersive, powerful, and eye-opening demonstration with the opportunity for Q&A.

How can Alaskans harness the opportunity to create healthy economies and ecosystems through development of Indigenous-led kelp farming practices?  This session will showcase leaders in the Blue Economy—Alaskans staking a claim in the state’s plans to grow a billion-dollar mariculture industry. While leading fisheries are lining up for permits, the difference lies in millennia of experience in sustainable harvest and marine responsibility that inform a Native brand in Indigenous-led kelp farming and processed foods.

Kelly Terbasket, co-founder of IndigenEYEZ and kinSHIFT, will share how combining creative arts practices with land-based learning offers medicine for our troubled relationships, particularly between Indigenous peoples and settlers. Called the creative empowerment model, this creative play allows us to access our imagination, vulnerability, and participate in co-learning in a way that builds trust. Join us for this original, important interactive workshop.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

'Cúagilákv Jess Housty (Qqs Projects Society) and Kim Hardy (MakeWay Foundation) share insights from the evolving Right Relations Collaborative, a new effort to address white supremacy and power dynamics in conventional philanthropy by inviting Indigenous Aunties to set the terms for values-based relationships. The Collaborative includes core funding and key offerings for rural and remote Indigenous communities and organizations; a facilitated space for funders to identify and unlearn harmful philanthropic practices; and a shared space where both come together in right relationship. Join us for a dialogue about the story and values that drive this work and the incredible leaders who are shaping this space.

Connect with Jess here: jessie@qqsprojects.org

What is one word from your ancestral language which changed your life and which you can offer to humanity as medicine to heal our relationship with the Earth? It’s this question that One Word Sawalmem, the internationally-acclaimed short film, explores. Watch this intimate, expansive, award-winning film before hearing from directors Michael 'Pom' Preston and Natasha Deganello Giraudie. They will explore their experience in making the film, and discuss major themes within their work, including how storytelling is at the core of overcoming invisibility, how a deep relationship to nature can align with our wellbeing; and the role that decolonization played in the process of this film. This is a work—and an event—which asks the big questions and, ultimately, helps us to better live in balance with the natural world.

One word ripples outward, vibrating with healing power: Sawalmem, meaning “sacred water.” For Winnemem Wintu young man Michael “Pom” Preston, Sawalmem represents a vital vision for healing the world and for healing from the legacy of the Shasta Dam that, since the 1940s, has harmed salmon and the Sacramento River and the Winnemem Wintu people of Shasta Mountain, California. Violating state law and posing a risk to Northern California’s water supply and the Winnemem Wintu people, a Shasta Dam raise is being fast-tracked by the Trump administration. Michael’s mother, Chief Caleen Sisk, speaks out and organizes Run4Salmon, an annual 300-mile prayerful journey. Michael dances in tribal ceremonies to stay strong in this latest battle as a warrior for Sawalmem. The spiritual is political.

On Time and Water has been hailed by authors, climate scientists and media across the globe as a beautiful, literary way to look directly at the climate crisis; one that even offers hope at the future. Andri Snær Magnason wasn’t a climate scientist or specialist when he began this process but, he explains, “If you cannot understand our scientific findings and present them in an emotional, psychological, poetic or mythological context … then no one will really understand the issue, and the world will end.” How, then, did the public intellectual—and one of Iceland’s most beloved writers—begin this vital challenge? Discover that and more—including how one writes an obituary for a glacier, and how our understanding of human time can support a greater understanding of our obligations to one another.

The philosophy behind The Festival of What Works is to share replicable ideas of how to live well in place amongst communities across the bioregion. Join us to collectively reflect on how to bring “what works” into your life and community. This is an open space to come together to “make sense” of what we are hearing and learning throughout the Festival. It is also a place to take care of ourselves before each day that lies ahead. Join us to go beyond ideas and into a sense of possibility—individually and collectively.

Sessions are daily. Participants can come to one, some or all.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access.

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion.  

Indiqueer storytelling is one of the keys to holding our expanding world. Syilx storyteller Madeline Terbasket will perform live, sharing stories rooted in Indigenous traditions and wisdom that explore queer themes. They are a two-spirit performing artist who works with traditional storytelling, filmmaking, burlesque and drag. Join them as they reimagine traditional stories with their physical comedy, queerness and vulnerability.

It’s one of the great conundrums of Salmon Nation. We’ve built our communities and grown our food in river floodplains that have been powerhouses of salmon production for thousands of years. But to protect our homes and farmland from natural flooding, we’ve diked and blocked off vast areas of vital salmon habitat, and use massive flood pumps that kill fish as they drain the land. As flooding gets worse due to climate change, communities are turning to nature-based flood control solutions that reconnect and revitalize our sloughs, side channels and creeks, all while making our built environments even safer from flooding. In the lower Fraser, Washington State and elsewhere, First Nations, engineers and conservationists are implementing these solutions and scoping out new prospects. Join us for a multi-disciplinary panel discussion and learn about inspiring solutions being implemented in the lower Fraser and across the border in Washington State. 

How can we make the sacred accessible? This workshop encourages participants to access the power of collectives for healing, supporting people to work consciously with inner intention and sacred actions. Working to demystify healing and ceremony, the workshop will model being together in circle, participating in individual and group activities that attend to our bodies and our minds.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

Tara Marsden is a Senior Indigenous Advisor to the Healthy Watersheds Initiative. A member of the Gitanyow First Nation, she has spent most of her life in Northern BC in the Skeena and Nass Watersheds. She will speak to the importance of Indigenous Land Use Planning—what it is, how it can be implemented across Salmon Nation, and the myriad benefits it holds. This is a tested, proven practical approach to complex problems, helping to support watershed restoration and health and mitigate climate change. Discover why Indigenous approaches to land use planning are essential for the health of our ecosystems and our communities.

Feel free to follow up with Tara for more info by emailing her at Tara.Marsden@gitanyowchiefs.com

For more information on Tara's work, check out the website for Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs.

View HA NII TOKXW: OUR FOOD TABLE, a documentary about the story of the indigenous Gitanyow people and their struggle to protect their traditional lands and "food table" in the face of climate change, industrialization and colonization in Northern British Columbia.

Join decorated Veteran and fly-fishing activist Chad Brown and Eva’s Wild founder,Mark Titus in an intimate virtual fireside chat. Brown served in the US Navy in Desert Storm and Desert Shield in the Gulf War, and Operation Restore Hope, Somalia. He struggles with PTSD but treats it by immersing himself in the wilderness—and has used that to influence his life’s work; serving as a conduit for others to discover the healing power of nature. Through narrative and pictures, Chad will share how his PTSD has been transformed by immersion in the natural world and how he is now empowering BIPOC folks to heal themselves and take agency in the wilds.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly in 2007 by a majority of 144 states in favour. Both Canada and the United States voted against. Jennifer Preston and Paul Joffe will discuss UNDRIP, sharing its history and its current state as a global human rights instrument. It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world and—as Preston and Joffe highlight—it can be used to advance sustainable development, address climate change and enhance food security. Both presenters were involved in the development of the Declaration and now work to implement it. Find out more about this essential agreement and its power for good.

Activists often live and work inside contexts that make self care difficult. This healing session will be led by two lifelong BC activist leaders sharing their own stories and strategies, and offering practices that help to sustain this work. Participants will learn about deep breathing, self-care, support networks and other strategies to commit deeply to the service of life, including our own.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

The reclaiming of Indigenous rights after a long period of colonization has, in many communities, prompted a deep reevaluation of governance and decision-making roles and authorities -- to the point that some Indigenous communities have written and ratified their own constitutions based on traditional knowledge and practices. Kilslaay Kaajii Sding Miles Richardson (Haida) and K̓áwáziɫ Marilyn Slett (Haíɫzaqv) share the experiences of two nations who are leading the way in rewriting the rules to protect their territories and take control of their destinies. Tara Williamson, a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation and a senior researcher at the Indigneous Law Research Unit at the University of Victoria, will moderate this inspiring discussion.

Award-winning interdisciplinary artist Sarah Campen will share a 2-3-min teaser, discuss her creative process, and field questions about her forthcoming film, Meant To Be Out There (working title). The work explores and celebrates the connections between water, salmon, and fishermen in Lingit Aani (Southeast Alaska) through story-telling and the dancing of movements of fishermen involved in the commercial salmon troll fishery. Sarah will describe how this unique film is her “love letter” to Southeast Alaska/Lingit Aani, to wild salmon, and to a salmon-centered way of life that she and so many Southeast Alaskans cherish and fight to protect. There will be an opportunity for Q&A.

To learn more about Sarah's work, visit her website here.

To support this project specifically, you can donate here.

Sharing the ideas from her transformational book, How to Do Nothing, artist Jenny Odell offers a glimpse at the path of the refusenik- and a way of deep relationship with place as a way to move against capitalism and other major cultural forces that extract from us. Odell’s book is perhaps one of the most beloved in recent times—thrust into the hands of colleagues, friends and loved ones in need of a new paradigm for self-worth and time. More than 150,000 copies were produced in the first print run alone, and Time, The New Yorker, NPR and more named it as a Best Book of the Year. It’s a thrilling critique of our obsession with productivity—and an action plan for thinking outside of capitalist narratives of efficiency and techno-determinism. This is a must-read and a must-see for our harried times. 

The philosophy behind The Festival of What Works is to share replicable ideas of how to live well in place amongst communities across the bioregion. Join us to collectively reflect on how to bring “what works” into your life and community. This is an open space to come together to “make sense” of what we are hearing and learning throughout the Festival. It is also a place to take care of ourselves before each day that lies ahead. Join us to go beyond ideas and into a sense of possibility—individually and collectively.

Sessions are daily. Participants can come to one, some or all.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

Across Salmon Nation, people are working to understand the ways that wild salmon are being impacted by changes in climate—and taking actions to support climate resilience in these vital species. Bringing together a diverse group of local conservation leaders, Indigenous leaders and scientists from Alaska to California, this panel will share observations and insights into the ways that climate is shaping the future of wild salmon ecosystems, and what we can do to promote resilience in wild salmon and salmon-centric ways of life.

What is Salmon Nation? Why do we envision living in a nature state as opposed to a nation state? These information sessions provide further context about the thesis behind Salmon Nation, our goals and our methodology. We are determined to do everything we can to improve social, financial and natural well-being here at home. Hear from the founders of Salmon Nation, and the partners of the Salmon Nation Trust, about what that looks like. This will be an organic, open discussion and questions are welcome.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

“This isn’t just for us, it is for everyone that utilizes this river, and the animals that use it,” said Chairman Nino Maltos of the Sauk-Suiattle tribe’s fight against the City of Seattle and Seattle City Lights, to have the institutions add Fish Passage to the Skagit dam system—and in doing so, restore salmon to every community member in the Skagit Valley. In this discussion, different members of the community share how they are collaborating to protect their natural resources from larger, urban interests. This is a lesson in multi-stakeholder conflict resolution, Indigenous stewardship, tribal sovereignty, and the connection between neighbours of different backgrounds to protect the salmon and their futures. Discover more about the relationships and strategy between an essential fight still in play.

In this workshop we're going to explore Bilateral Drawing - a process that allows us to connect brain and body through rhythm, repetition, and drawing with both hands. Letting go of planning, getting playful, and just making marks. Not worrying about what our drawings look like, but focusing more on what the process of drawing FEELS like. This is an excellent process for grounding, and soothing our frazzled nervous systems, and something that can be a part of a regular creative care practice. Everyone is welcome, no art experience required! 

Materials list: 

• Drawing materials ....any assortment of: crayons, oil pastels, chalk/soft pastels, graphite sticks, pencil crayons, regular pencils (please have a sharpener handy if you're using anything that needs to be sharpened). 
• Ideally, a large piece of paper (18"x24 or larger). Alternatively, use whatever you have! You can tape a few smaller sheets together, open up a paper shopping bag, brown kraft paper also works. 
• Masking tape (or any other kind of tape, to attach your paper to your working surface... table, floor, wall, window) so that it doesn't shift around. 

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

The Magic Canoe is a storytelling entity that seeks to amplify stories of what works across the bioregion, and support the vision of Salmon Nation—as a place and an idea. One of its projects—in addition to the Festival—is Salmon Stories: an initiative that seeks out Fellows from across the bioregion to collect and record stories about the importance of salmon to their community. This is an experiment in non-extractive storytelling and decentralized editorship; a way of sharing stories from the vast diversity of the bioregion while building a robust storytelling collective. Find out more about the initiative, meet some of the Fellows, and hear what works about this model.

We have been improperly conditioned to soothe ourselves and treat conditions and symptoms with toxic substances. So many of the ailments we face are as old as time, and our people have had practices to treat them naturally since time immemorial. Our science is as old as life itself. In this participatory workshop, Melissa Meyer of Rose Island Farm—an Indigenous, family-owned farm in Tacoma—will create space to reconnect with the practices of harvesting, gathering, processing, distilling, and the making of wild remedies. Melissa will host a safe space for Black and Indigenous community members to learn more about how we can learn from, and heal with, natural ingredients.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

In 2021, members of the Git'luuhl'um'hetxwit House Group installed a gate and settlement to occupy and protect their traditional lands from logging, effectively keeping the BC Forestry industry from extracting an estimated billion dollars worth of lumber, including significant stands of old growth.

However, there are multiple layers to this kind of action and a deep history of strategy and knowledge that has been learned during decades of resistance.

The blockade itself may grab headlines, but there is a litany of subtler actions and cascading violations of Indigenious laws over many years that have precipitated it.

Come hear from members of the Gitxsan nation as they speak about their experiences with how direct action itself is only the tip of the iceberg.

Oral History is the collection and study of how we remember. Using oral history, we are able to decipher what makes an event meaningful, tap into both physical and mental recollections of time and place, and think about how we come to collective understandings of community and self. Through oral history, we are able to challenge the idea of the singular truth to contextualize meaning and importance in the many ways we experience and understand our many truths especially for people whose truths have been excluded, erased, and minimized. In this interactive workshop, researcher, organizer and creative Ricky Reyes will explore the challenges of oral history, and its potential. Participants will discover more about what oral history is, what makes it so distinct from other modes of recording, and better understand how we can build infrastructure to support oral history projects. You will also explore where you may be able to build oral history into your current practices—and how.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

One of our favourite sessions at the 2020 Festival, Cooking with Annita is the opportunity to learn a favorite Indigenous dish from a former three-term president of the Tahltan Nation in British Columbia, and a National Native Role Model. Annita grew up in her village of Telegraph Creek learning traditional Indigenous cooking and harvesting from her mom and aunties: snaring rabbits, cooking moose, picking berries and fishing with her family. She is deeply passionate about educating people about sustainable food supply, and preserving culture through Indigenous culinary experiences. Learn more, discover a favourite new recipe, and enjoy a heartful demonstration.

For eons, a one-of-a-kind population of killer whales has hunted chinook salmon along the Pacific Coast. But, in recent years, salmon numbers have plummeted and orcas are starving as a result. The solution, say leading whale scientists, is getting rid of four fish-killing dams 500 miles away on the largest tributary to what once was the largest Chinook producing river on earth. Studying whales is science. Removing dams is politics. This panel of Indigenous leaders, fishermen, conservationists, scientists and activists shares lessons on the front lines of the fight to free the Snake River—running through Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington—by breaching the lower 4 Snake River Dams. They’ll discuss what it will take to restore salmon populations, after a screening of the award-winning documentary, Dammed to Extinction.

The philosophy behind The Festival of What Works is to share replicable ideas of how to live well in place amongst communities across the bioregion. Join us to collectively reflect on how to bring “what works” into your life and community. This is an open space to come together to “make sense” of what we are hearing and learning throughout the Festival. It is also a place to take care of ourselves before each day that lies ahead. Join us to go beyond ideas and into a sense of possibility—individually and collectively.

Sessions are daily. Participants can come to one, some or all.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory and will include breakout groups for discussion. 

The world continues to change around us at a rapid pace. Old paradigms and models of what constitutes success are outdated. The most interesting work, in art, science, business, and conservation no longer happens in the academy or in urban centers. It is coming from communities and individuals on the edges. Hear from a range of individuals working in finance, technology, ecology, art and social justice who are doing great outside of traditional social structures—and why. The center has truly fallen. Where will the next great idea come from?

This healing session focuses on how the cultural worldviews we inhabit influence our perspective on inclusivity and community. By being more aware of context when we speak, we can hold the intention to be more inclusive. This workshop offering will include experiential inquiry and participant dialogue, drawing upon insights from different lineage traditions, including organizational development and critical ethnic studies, as well as western and Indigenous psychologies. 

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

Two Indigenous women who have led conservation efforts across Salmon Nation discuss the importance of mentorship and friendship, inter-community dialogue, trust and collaborative actions in their work. They will share their experiences of navigating conservation spaces as Indigenous women within projects they work on, ranging from food and water security, citizen science, direct action and activism, and Indigenous land guardianship. Audience members will discover lessons shared from these journeys, and can participate in a Q&A following the discussion.

After hearing a fascinating panel or discussion, do you sometimes wonder, “Now what? What is my place in this?” This workshop is for you. Artist Rhys-Thorvald Hansen will guide you through a process of meaning-making for that which has engaged and intrigued you throughout Festival week. Reflect on and adapt to the powerful ideas, people and community you are drawn to.

This session has limited space and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please arrive on time to ensure you will have access. 

This session is participatory. 

After a week of inspiring, galvanizing and thought-provoking conversations, join us to close out this year’s Festival of What Works and reflect on what we shared—and what the future holds. Hear from Annita McPhee about what connected us all during the Festival—water—before listening to an original composition from musician Murray Porter about just that. Then ground yourself, and take a moment, with a connecting, closing invitation from Rhys-Thorvald Hansen.