Cultural and Environmental Learning
The findings in Phase 1 and 2 of the Moving Mountains Initiative revealed ‘Cultural and Environmental Learning’ as a high opportunity area for collaborative solution building. Bow Valley civil society indicated a need to collaboratively build solutions that,
- Help unite the best of Indigenous and non-Indigenous civil society organizations, grassroots organizers and local administration in the creation, dissemination, and administration of community learning and planning solutions in a sustainable and enriching manner.
- Help reimagine collaborative learning practices and collaborative design processes in cultural, community, land based and environmental learning. Build up literacies, cultural histories and languages of many different cultures and peoples of the Bow Valley.
This Learn and Try group was activated in Phase 2 of the Initiative, attending a program of Wolf Willow Institute in Fall 2022 to help gain clarity on the problems they were trying to solve, and desired solutions to address them. The group described two core challenges experienced by Bow Valley civil society – 1) nonprofits in the Bow Valley function in siloes, at times even competing for funds or public engagement with one another, limiting the effectiveness and use of resources in the Bow Valley, and 2) organizational priorities and strategic goals are expanding to meet the growing needs of the Bow Valley, and this is taking a toll on Indigenous community leaders, individuals and organizations. The ‘wicked problem’ identified by the group was put forward in the frame of a question, ‘How can we effectively act on Truth and Reconciliation, while maintaining good relationships among organizations, and with Stoney Community, and not exhausting Stoney community members?’ The group identified a collaborative goal: to help reimagine collaborative learning practices and collaborative design processes in cultural, community, land based and environmental learning. This group advanced a multi-organizational program collaboration advancing Cultural and Environmental Learning. The program series was named “Stories of the Land”, a first-ever partnership between ArtsPlace, Yellowstone to Yukon, Biosphere Institute, Friends of Kananaskis and Banff Canmore Community Foundation. Read more about the Stories of Our Land program here:
Centering equity-deserving voices and amplifying voices not often heard are key principles of Moving Mountains. The initiative worked within a co-leadership model, and the leadership team held themselves accountable to including and amplifying youth, seniors, 2SLGBTQ+ and IBPOC communities in the Bow Valley.
Sage Shepherd is a young local videographer who has captured stories and learning of the Moving Mountain’s collaborative work on the ground, bringing a young person’s perspective and approach to the initiative’s work. As a community organizer, social entrepreneur, videographer and children’s programmer in the Bow Valley, her experience touches many intersections of Bow Valley civil society. View Sage’s conversation with Learn and Try Group Lead, Dynise Brisson below, and learn more about Sage here: https://www.facebook.com/ALLtheRageSAGE/about
