Successful Wet’suwet’en Youth Movie Night and Fundraiser

Date

mercredi 22 janvier 2025

On January 3, our Northwest field team presented at a successful community-focused movie night fundraiser for the Witset Youth Ski & Board Team Mountain Mentorship Program in the Wet’suwet’en Nation. This was a significant milestone in our efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in avalanche education awareness. 

The event, originally conceived during the 2022-23 season by Avalanche Canada Northwest field team member Emily Jones, aimed to strengthen ties with the Wet’suwet’en Nation and others within the Smithers community, and expand avalanche education to marginalized communities. An initial attempt to host the event in 2023 was postponed, but renewed planning efforts this fall led to the successful event. 

A goal of the evening was building community connections, and it was a collaborative effort from key community members, including Kayla Mitchell, Director of Youth Engagement for the Office of the Wet’suwet’en, and Nancy Cody of the Smithers Bridging Committee. Their involvement was pivotal in fostering engagement and ensuring the event’s success.

What made the event successful? “Seeing communities of all walks of life together. We saw folks who would normally never be in the same space, and it was so great to witness the connections made, and friendships reignited,” says Mitchell. 

The evening raised $622 through a silent auction, with proceeds benefiting the Witset Youth Ski & Board team Mountain Mentorship Program. Avalanche Canada played an active role by securing the event venue and providing Northwest field team member Madeline Martin to assist and present about avalanche awareness during the evening. Volunteers from the Smithers Bridging Committee also contributed to the event’s success, handling setup, cleanup, and attending as participants. Cody called “the beauty of the event” its collaborative nature.

They screened three movies: Beyond Begbie by Nat Segal, Surviving Our Story by Connor Ryan, and Riding Red by Chelsie McCutcheon, and had a Mountain Mentorship alumni youth panel discussion. 

This fundraiser is an example of Avalanche Canada’s commitment to fostering partnerships with Indigenous and marginalized communities, removing barriers to accessing avalanche safety education. The event serves as a blueprint for future collaboration with Indigenous communities on avalanche awareness.

“Events like these are examples of what can happen when organizations unite around common goals,” said Avalanche Canada Outreach and Education Manager Nancy Geismar. “We encourage anyone interested in incorporating avalanche awareness into their events to reach out to us.”