Dialogues Project
The Vancouver Dialogues Project aims to build increased understanding and strengthened relations between Aboriginal and immigrant/non-Aboriginal communities. It is convened by the City of Vancouver, in collaboration with a diverse range of community partners.
The first phase of the project (January 2010 - July 2011) included five main initiatives: dialogue circles, community research, cultural exchange visits, youth & elders program and legacy project.
Now in its second phase, current project initiatives aim to build on the connections made and ideas raised during Phase 1. Some highlights are: a stronger youth engagement component, further opportunities for cultural exchange and the development of a newcomer’s guide to First Nations and Aboriginal communities in Vancouver.
Project activity highlights
Dialogues Youth
Visit dialoguesyouthyvr.com to find out how youth are engaging with the Dialogues Project. A series of dialogue sessions and a youth conference will be held in the coming weeks. Join the dialogue!
Food dialogue and sampling event
Chef Daryle Nagata and Stephanie Lim,
coordinator of the Renfrew Collingwood
Food Security Institute
In partnership with the City’s Food Policy team and Collingwood Neighbourhood House, a food dialogue and sampling event was hosted on May 5. The event brought together chefs and community food organizers from Aboriginal and immigrant backgrounds for a discussion on the relationships between food, culture and community.
The speakers included chefs Daryle Nagata and Andrew George and community food activists, Stephanie Lim and Cease Wyss. Together with the Collingwood kitchen, including Najia Elacel, Barry Londry and volunteers, a selection of fusion samples was specially created for participants to sample.
Chef Andrew George
Cease Wyss, indigenous food activist
The speakers addressed the role food plays in bringing diverse communities and newcomers together, through initiatives ranging from small community kitchens to large international events. They also discussed the importance of accessing indigenous foods as a source of livelihood for many First Nations communities.
Barry Londry, community kitchen and
garden organizer
Najia Elacel, Collingwood community
kitchen chef
Photos courtesy of Jason Hseih
Artist panel discussion – Intercultural dialogue on Race and Representation in the Media
Intercultural dialogue panel
On March 10 the Dialogues Project co-hosted an intercultural dialogue panel in collaboration with urban ink Productions. Following the performance of the play Confessions of the Other Woman, the panel was part of a series of post-performance dialogues.
The panelists included Marie Clements, founder of urban ink; author Valerie Mason-John; filmmakers Mina Shum and Loretta Todd; vocal/musical artist and facilitator Rupinder Sidhu; and actress Valerie Sing Turner (who wrote and performed in the play).
The discussion touched on the challenges around accessing resources and support for artists of colour. The panelists spoke to the continued need for advocacy for racial minorities in the arts and media and some strategies for going from the margins to the mainstream.
Our Roots - Stories from Grandview-Woodlands
Traditional Grandmothers and
Grandfathers group performing at the
Story Festival at Britannia
A story gathering project called Our Roots was organized as a Dialogues legacy project in the Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhood. Stories from Aboriginal and immigrant community members connected with the neighbourhood were collected and showcased at a Story Festival at Britannia Community Centre on October 22, 2011. See the story board posters and listen to a selection of audio excerpts.
Our Roots is currently being extended to include additional stories from local residents. The project is seeking interviewees who are interested in sharing their stories. Please see the poster 
(92kb) for more information.
Our Roots participants and story gatherers
Vancouver Dialogues book
Vancouver Dialogues books on display
at the VPL Central branch
The project’s book features the activities and stories that came out of the first phase of the project. It is available as a downloadable pdf (4.50mb) and in print. Hard copies may be requested by contacting the project at dialoguesproject@vancouver.ca.
A Chinese translation of Vancouver Dialogues will be available soon!
Some Vancouver Public Library branches, including Central, Mount Pleasant, Britannia and others, have been assisting with promoting the book and providing free copies to library patrons.
Key funding is provided by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, through the BC Welcoming and Inclusive Communities and Workplaces Program 
.
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