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Nella Nelson is originally from the N’amgis Nation of Alert Bay and married into the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuwx Nation. She is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Nella and her husband, Alex, have also cared for 34 First Nations young people from their home communities.
Nella worked for the Greater Victoria School District for 39 years and retired in 2018. She was a high school history teacher and counsellor for 10 years and was the district administrator for the Aboriginal Nations Education Division, a position she held for 29 years prior to her retirement. She has also taught as a sessional instructor in the University of Victoria School of Social Work, and currently is a guest lecturer for the UVic Faculty of Education. She received a UVIC distinguished Alumni award in 2019.
Nella is a very active member in the Indigenous community. She served on the Camosun College Board of Governors from 1995-2001, and has been Chair of the Camosun College First Nations Advisory Board for 30 years. She is a Board Member of the M’akola Housing Societies, and the M’is kow’a ao Development Corporation. She is a board/advisory member of the University of Victoria Faculty of Education Advisory and Masters of Aboriginal Counselling Program Advisory. Nella completed terms as a board member of the B.C. Children’s Commission Multi-Disciplinary Team, the B.C. Human Rights First Nations Advisory, Greater Victoria Police Diversity Team, Sexually Exploited Youth Committee for the Capital Regional District and Hulitan Social Services.
She served for five years as President of Surrounded by Cedar Child & Family Services. She has served as a member of the Ministry of Education Provincial Audit Program Advisory Committee, Ministry of Education Elders & Knowledge Keepers Advisory, the University of Victoria Office of Community-Based Research Steering Committee, the Provincial Representative Advisory Committee on Children & Youth with Special Needs with the Representative for Children and Youth, the Aboriginal Early Intervention Local Advisory Committee and Success by Six Provincial Board Member.
Nella was seconded by the Ministry of Education to work on the curriculum teams that developed the First Nations Studies Framework for the province. In addition, Nella coauthored “A Framework for Developing First Nations Curriculums”, “A Response to the Celebration of 50 Years of Human Rights in Canada.” [Legislated Discrimination in Canada] and Welcome, Friends and Relatives, to our Bighouse: Volume 1, Kwakwak’wakw Potlatch. Nella continues to be involved in a range of cross-cultural learning initiatives including through the Called to Action Collaborative.
In 2024, Nella was invested as an officer by the Order of the Diocese of British Columbia at Christ Church Cathedral. The title of officer is awarded to those who have made a significant contribution to their parish and to the wider Anglican church of Canada.
Born in 1946, Alex is a proud member of the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations in Kingcome Inlet. At age seven, he was taken away from family and community and became a seven-year product and survivor of St. Michaels Residential School in Alert Bay. Today, he maintains a strong family foundation with his wife Nella, daughter Natasha, grandsons Gigalis and Braden and great-grandson Marcus. His strong cultural background has been reinforced through his father Henry Nelson’s Chieftainship and by the Nelsons’ past four Potlatches. Alex is also a Hamatsa Cedar Man Dancer.
Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Leisure Studies from the University of Victoria. He is an Elder and Senior Advisor to the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council, and helped create the then-Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Strategy for BC (the first strategy of its kind in Canada). Alex continues his work with youth through the T-birds youth soccer program.
Past Executive Director of the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, Alex is a founder of the Aboriginal Sports & Recreation Association of BC. He is also a founder of the National Aboriginal Sports Circle and was the first Chair and three-time President of the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) Council. He has served as Aboriginal Team BC Chef de Mission for the 1993 and 1995 North American Indigenous Games, Board Member of the Native Participation Committee for the 1994 Commonwealth Games and member of the Minister’s Sport & Recreation Advisory Council of BC. One of his greatest and proudest achievements was helping organize the 1997 NAIG in Victoria which drew over 5,000 athletes, 3,000 cultural performers and 2,500 volunteers on a budget of only $2.5 million!
Alex is humbled and honoured to have been inducted into the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, then the BC Sports Hall of Fame. He received a UVIC distinguished Alumni award in 2019.
Alex knows that connection, ceremony and a sense of belonging are important to children so he has dedicated his life to helping youth as a founder of the Kwaguilth Urban Suicide Prevention & Intervention Group, where he has conducted community and self-help suicide prevention workshops for 18 years. He also lectures on Indigenous issues to universities, high schools, government bodies, communities and at various conferences. He is long-time event facilitator and Emcee a founding member of the Called to Action Collaborative.
In 2024, Alex was invested as an officer by the Order of the Diocese of British Columbia at Christ Church Cathedral. The title of officer is awarded to those who have made a significant contribution to their parish and to the wider Anglican church of Canada.
Emma Graves is from Aotearoa (New Zealand) and is Pākeha (New Zealand European) on her father’s side and Māori on her mother’s side. Her Iwi (tribes) are Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa and Ngāti Porou, both situated on the ‘eastern side’ of Te Ika a Maui (aka the North Island). She grew up in Te Whitianga-a-Kupe on the lands of the Ngāt Hei peoples on what is known as the Coromandel Peninsula. Emma lived in Vancouver, BC for 4 years and is now a grateful visitor to the territories of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples in Victoria, BC.
Emma has a background in adult education in varied roles including as a teacher, learning coordinator and project manager. She has worked in community, small business, post-secondary, university, and corporate environments in Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia and Canada. Emma strives to undertake work that centres Indigenous peoples and their aspirations in a way that is respectful and meaningful. Emma believes that understanding contexts, dismantling harmful systems and engaging in reciprocal relationships is vital in this work. She is currently undertaking a Masters in Education with a specialisation in Learning Design and Instructional Science at the University of Victoria.
Emma enjoys exploring the beautiful Victoria area and the surrounding Gulf Islands- especially connecting with the oceans and lakes.
Rachel Mason is of Eastern-European Jewish and English ancestry. She lives on the territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples in Victoria, B.C. Rachel is grateful to be the mother of four children and to spend time with her friends and family at beaches, mountains, and lakes in this beautiful land.
Rachel is a facilitator, educator, planner, and writer. She holds a Master’s in Education and specializes in creating learning resources that offer opportunities for personal growth, inquiry-based learning, and cross-cultural understanding. She enjoys facilitating dialogue to help groups explore their values and meet their goals. She supports organizations with all levels of planning, including strategic planning, operational planning, and monitoring and evaluation. She is sought out for her organizational skills, helping clients to streamline, coordinate, and execute complex initiatives.
Rachel’s work is grounded in her commitment to social justice and anti-racism. She is passionate about learning that creates opportunities for transformative change – personal, organizational, and societal. She believes that individual and organizational learning can bring about meaningful change to support justice, equity, and respect.
Rachel has been privileged to work closely with Indigenous people and organizations since 2002. As a non-Indigenous person doing this work, she sees her role as contributing to Indigenous leadership and decision-making through facilitation, coordination, mentorship, and cross-cultural learning. Rachel works closely with a strong network of Indigenous consultants, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers, and she seeks opportunities to create employment and partnership roles for Indigenous consultants through Arrive Consulting.
Read more about Rachel by viewing her resumé.
Carmen Wiigwaas Craig is from Pemdashkoodyong, Lake of Burning Planes, referred to today as Hiawatha First Nation on Rice Lake in Ontario. She is Michi Saagii Nishnaabe, Irish, and Welsh on her father’s side and Dutch and Irish on her mother’s side. She is a member of the Crane Clan which means that she has leadership responsibilities to fulfill and continues to learn about those responsibilities every day. She currently lives on the territory of the Lekwungen peoples and is grateful for their stewardship and continued protection of the lands and waters.
Carmen has a diploma in creative writing from Camosun College, a B.A. in linguistics with a focus on language revitalization and acquisition from the University of Victoria, and is currently working on her M.Ed in Indigenous language revitalization at the University of Victoria. Carmen is passionate about linguistic and cultural resurgence and learning that is accessible to everyone. She is a lifelong and current learner of her language, Nishnaabemwin, and has built curriculum, materials, and lesson plans for adult language learners. She has also worked with Elders and Old Ones through Camosun College, worked in settler education and anti-racism training at the University of Victoria Libraries, and taught English as an additional language overseas in Ukraine, China, and Korea.
Cassandra has Musqueam, Cowichan, Sechelt, English, and Irish roots on her maternal side, and Dutch roots on her paternal side. To date, her journey has been to embrace the fullness of her cultural identity – marked by seasons of reconciling, reclaiming, releasing, and rejoicing. She currently lives on the unceded, traditional territory of the Hupacasath and Tseshat Nations, and home to the Alberni-Clayoquot Métis Community. She is grateful for their stewardship and protection of the land and waters.
Cassandra holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with honours in Psychology and a major in International Relations. In addition to being a Consultant with Arrive, Cassandra is a Girl in the Wild board member, a BC SPCA volunteer, and Green Party Campaign Manager. She has also held positions at Métis Nation British Columbia and MakeWay Foundation, with a focus on Indigenous community initiatives. Her most recent work has centred on Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) development, food sovereignty and security, and language and culture resurgence with Nuučaan̓uɫ-, Kwak̓wala-, Tsilhqot’in-, and St̓át̓imcets-speaking peoples.
Keisha is a q̓icey̓ midwife and birth worker on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ territories. She is a Registered Midwife and Indigenous consultant from the Katzie First Nation and Blackburn, Lancashire, England with over 10 years of experience in Indigenous research, strategic planning, curriculum development & program evaluation. She has worked in Vancouver’s urban Aboriginal community with non-profit, educational and government organizations and is particularly passionate about making space for dignified access to dynamic, decolonial, and land-based wellness strategies. She is also a co-founder of the ekw’í7tl Indigenous doula collective which seeks to build capacity for Indigenous birth workers and families in the context of reproductive health care.
We have delivered a number of projects in partnership with Sebastian Silva of Roundtable Consulting. Sebastian is a visitor to the coast, with French Canadian, Spanish and Irish ancestry. He brings experience gained working across Canada in various sectors including:
Sebastian has a background in law and a passion for people. He has dedicated his energies and relationship building to engagement of Indigenous communities across BC, Alberta and the Northwest territories. His skills include facilitation, community engagement, research and writing, curriculum development and project management.
Tanya is Teme-Augama Anishnabai on her father’s side and her community is Bear Island Reserve in Ontario, a water access only community. She is also French Canadian from the Ottawa Valley on her mother’s side. She acknowledges and embraces both sides of her culture and has made efforts to learn both the Anishnabai and French languages.
Tanya moved to BC to further her education while also continuing her career with the Friendship Centre Movement, which dates back to 2001. She currently works for the Victoria Native Friendship Centre as the Director of Management Supports, a position that supports research, reconciliation, partnerships, and education efforts of the Friendship Centre. She has also held positions at the provincial and national level of the Friendship Centre Movement. In her consulting role, Tanya’s most recent work has centred around the topics of Reconciliation, TRC Calls to Action, UNDRIP and financial literacy.
Tanya graduated from the University of Victoria with a B.A. in Fine Arts focused in Creative Writing and attended the Banff Arts Centre in the Aboriginal Emerging Artists Program. She can often be found sharing her stories at local public readings. Tanya also holds a double Humanities B.A. in Native Studies and Law & Justice from Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON.
Tanya is married to a Gitxsan man and they have two small children, a girl and a boy.