A partnership between the Homalco First Nation, UBC's Comic Studies Cluster, and Education Without Borders is bringing together a team of Indigenous graphic artists to create a series of short comics based on archival recordings of Elders from the Homalco First Nation.

Captured in the early 1990s, these recordings explore life in the Homalco First Nation’s traditional territory in Bute Inlet, with Elders recalling their childhoods and sharing stories about traditional customs and their nation’s rich history.

Like many First Nation communities in BC striving to revitalize their traditional ways of being, this project is crucial for the Homalco Nation as it seeks to rekindle their language and preserve their culture in modern ways. By using comics that integrate the Homalco language, the project aims to engage the youth, ensuring that the voices of their Elders resonate with future generations.

To learn more about this project, we spoke with Homalco member and the project’s lead, Tchadas Leo, Dr. Elizabeth Nijdam, the director of UBC’s Comic Studies Cluster, Cecil Hershler, chair of Education Without Borders, and Alina Pete, a Cree cartoonist and one of the artists hired to work on this project.

In our conversation, we dig into the importance of the project and its inception, favorite moments including a road trip where the artists and project team traveled to Bute Inlet to connect with the Homalco First Nation, and, finally, advice for others hoping to develop successful community-university partnerships and how comics can be a powerful tool for this work.

"Stories of Partnership" is a Q&A series by the Community Engagement Network (CEN) that is dedicated to shining a light on examples of reciprocal community-university partnerships. These Q&As are meant to center the experiences of community partners and foster a culture of continuous learning within community engagement and community engagement practices. It’s our pleasure to share the stories and insights of those who drive this essential work forward. Today's episode features Katie Crocker, the CEO of AMSSA, (Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC). She is joined by Antje Ellermann, the director of UBC’s Centre for Migration (CMS) and its Community Liaison, Sean Lauer. This conversation was moderated by CMS’ Engagement Strategist, Javier Ojer.

Learn how to support community-university partnerships directly from the perspective of a community partner and hear the panel’s valuable insights on the importance of investing time in relationship building.

(0:36) Introduction

(3:15) Meet the Speakers

(8:46) Origin Story

(15:31) Challenges and Successes

(23:21) Collaborative Initiatives

(41:56) Reflecting on the Partnership and Understanding Reciprocity

(46:26) Insights, Feedback, and Advice to Staff

Visit our website to learn more: https://communityengagement.ubc.ca/

UBC’s new Centre for Asian Canadian Research and Engagement — also known as ACRE —is an incredible initiative that is working to centre the voices, experiences, and expertise of Asian Canadian communities, both within the university and, crucially, beyond it.

ACRE's approach to research, teaching, and engagement is deeply rooted in community engagement and is built on long-standing partnerships with cultural, civic, and non-profit organizations throughout Metro Vancouver. By working together, they aim to build a more socially just future where Asian Canadians of all backgrounds can thrive.

In today’s episode, we spoke with the staff behind ACRE. Specifically, Joanna Yang, Szu Shen, Jennifer Lu, and Shirley Ting to learn more about ACRE and how they are supporting reciprocal community-university engagement.

Visit our website to learn more: https://communityengagement.ubc.ca/news/meet-the-cen-a-conversation-with-acre/

Today, fewer than 47 native speakers of ʔayʔaǰuθəm remain, all of whom are over the age of 60. To help preserve their traditional language, four sister nations—Klahoose, Tla'amin, Homalco, and K'ómoks—are working alongside researchers from UBC and the University of Alberta to develop an ʔayʔaǰuθəm e-dictionary.

In the pilot episode of the UBC Community Engagement Podcast, we speak with Koosen Pielle of the Tla'amin Nation, located in the tiskʷət region, and Dr. Marianne Huijsmans, an Assistant Professor at U of A. In their conversation, Koosen and Marianne discuss how their project is uniting the nations and how the e-dictionary is making their language more accessible.