Rerooting Relationships was a summer program for a cohort of 15 youth (priority QTBIPOC) to engage in a series of relationship-building workshops based on community engagement, dialogue, and social justice. The intention of the program was to create an opportunity for youth to develop meaningful relationships among eachother and with community organizations to mobilize for social change.

We created this program because we had yet to come across a program that focused on relationship building. Although we had incredible experiences with community engagement and activism in so-called Vancouver, most of them were focused on developing a final output (e.g. project, event). With that intention, we felt it took away from time dedicated to intentional relationship building. In identifying that gap, we came up with the idea for Rerooting Relationships.

Funding is always a key issue for grassroots initiatives. We knew that to deliver this program in the best way possible we needed substantial funds. Receiving the Social Innovation Seed Fund was a game changer because it allowed us to increase our honorarium for our invited guests and buy program supplies as needed (e.g. the snacks!).

After running our program, we are most proud of ourselves for creating a space that stayed true to our intentions. Developing a program from scratch can be difficult, especially when the labour falls onto two people, but it was a labour of love we enjoyed doing! It was an honour to witness and take part in a shared learning grounded in vulnerability, care, and love for the worlds we are fighting to keep. We’re so proud of us!

Our participants had much to share with us about their experience in the program. The general takeaway was hope for the future, solidarity among each other, and a feeling of confidence in their ability to engage in social change movements. Most importantly, participants left with new meaningful relationships!

Learn more about Embark Sustainability and RADIUS SFU’s Social Innovation Seed Fund.