In the face of the climate crisis, colonial systems continue to extract from lands and waters while marginalizing the very communities who have stewarded them for generations. Climate change is not an isolated environmental issue, but a justice issue rooted in dispossession, erasure, and unequal responsibility. 

Join us for an evening of learning, reflection, and shared conversation as we gather for a screening of Our Grandmother the Inlet (2023) by filmmaker Kai George, followed by a facilitated discussion and food. Together, we will explore:

• Indigenous voices in the climate crisis: youth leadership, cultural resurgence, and art as resistance in the face of ongoing colonization.

• Relationality in practice: understanding land and water as living relations, not resources.

• What climate equity requires: confronting colonial histories and building collective responsibility toward reconciliation and climate justice

Let’s connect storytelling, film, and dialogue to the broader struggle for climate equity!

Land Acknowledgement

Embark Sustainability’s work takes place across the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), kʷikʷəƛw̓əm (Kwikwetlem), q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), Qayqayt, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo, and Tsawwassen Nations. We greatly encourage our community members to reflect on the lands they are tuning in from; learn whose lands you occupy through native-land.ca.

AGenda

• 2:00PM | Doors Open for Registration
• 2:50PM | Drumming & Song by Cedar George
• 3:10PM | Appreciation & Gifting Ceremony
• 3:20PM | Land Acknowledgement by Rebecca Ballard
• 3:30PM | Introducing Filmmaker Kai George
• 4:20PM | Film Screening
• 4:30PM | Break & Food Service
• 4:50PM | Discussion Panel
• 5:50PM | Closing Remarks

ABOUT THE FIlm

Delving into the ancestral lineage of the George family, the film explores the significance of [Kai] and Ta7a’s deep connection to water, revered in the Tsleil-Waututh Nation as their oldest grandmother and the birthplace of creation.

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS

Kai (Kayah) George (she/they)
Kai is an Indigenous filmmaker, activist, and student from the Tulalip and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her work blends storytelling, environmental advocacy, and cultural revitalization. She co-wrote, directed, and produced Our Grandmother the Inlet (2023), which received an honourable mention for Best Canadian Short at the Vancouver International Film Festival and won the Trickster Award at SFU’s Skoden indigenous film festival. Kayah is currently co-directing a National Geographic-funded educational documentary series on orcas and matriarchy with Danielle Khan Da Silva. Recognized in Globe and Mail and named one of Corporate Knights’ “30 Under 30” sustainability leaders in Canada, she continues to work in film and activism. Alongside filmmaking, she studies Linguistics and Psychology at Simon Fraser University.

ABOUT EMBARK’S ANNUAL CLIMATE EQUITY EVENTS

Every spring, the students of Embark’s Climate Equity Collective organize one large event as part of our Climate Equity programming to wrap up the school year. It aims to bridge students and the wider community in meaningful conversation and collective action towards climate equity.

Event Accessibility

Embark Sustainability events are free and open to Embark members which includes Simon Fraser University undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Embark Associate Members. For this event, you will have to register with your active SFU email.

This event will be held indoors at SFU Burnaby in the SUB Ballroom (located on the 5th floor of the SUB). Accessibility details to note include:

• The fifth floor of the SUB is accessible via elevator and hosts accessible washrooms, including a single-stall all gender washroom.
• We aim to host a scent-free space. Please refrain from wearing scented products in attendance of this event.
• Unfortunately, we cannot provide ASL interpretation at this time. However, we can provide a copy of the facilitator’s script.
• Sturdy, armless chairs will be available for those looking to sit during this event.
• Attendees are free to opt in and opt out of activities as suits their needs throughout the event, including exiting and re-entering the event space.

We aim to make our events accessible to as many of our community members as possible. If we can take further action to make this event accessible to you, or if you have any questions, please contact our Director of Engagement, Marie, at engagement@embarksustainability.org.

Community Agreement

By registering to attend this event, you are agreeing to be respectful when listening to and communicating with others, and be mindful of the space you are taking up amongst your peers.

Embark Sustainability does not tolerate violence or aggression against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Please also refer to people using the introductions they provide and do not assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance.

If these agreements are broken by someone, we will have to ensure the safety of our community members by removing them from the event.

Questions

If you have any questions about this event, please contact our Climate Equity Coordinator, Rebecca, at climate@embarksustainability.org.