Power To Be x BC Parks Foundation: A Partnership Rooted in Inclusion and Connection
Our partnership with the BC Parks Foundation is a full-circle story of collaboration, shared values, and a mutual commitment to making parks more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Since 2020, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside their team to co-create meaningful experiences and tools that support both of our organizational visions.
From the beginning, BC Parks Foundation joined us in our Welcome Project – a workshop we co-facilitate with Parks Canada and BC Parks. As their team grew, so did the opportunities to deepen our collaboration. They invited us to help develop an e-learning platform tailored for their Discover Parks Ambassador team, which launched last year. This platform became a cornerstone of their seasonal onboarding and training, and it also helped us bring our Inclusive Approaches to Working With Diverse Populations workshop model to life.
Together, we’ve explored co-facilitation models to support youth-based community organizations, contributed to the development of the Discover Parks program, and supported seasonal staff development through workshops. We’ve also been part of important conversations around accessibility and inclusion in the parks sector – consulting on everything from language, maps, and visuals, to the design of teaching spaces and self-discovery tools.
At Power To Be, we dream of a future where Canada’s parks are the most accessible and inclusive in the world. BC Parks Foundation shares this vision and works closely with BC Parks to advance their Commitment to Inclusion. As they protect more natural spaces and grow their Discover Parks Ambassadors program, we’re proud to help bring our participants, groups, and partners into those spaces – knowing they’ll be met with a welcoming and inclusive approach.
A Few Summer Highlights
This season has been especially exciting, with several opportunities for co-facilitation between our teams:
Cypress Provincial Park: In June, as part of the Learn to Be in Nature event hosted by BC Parks, our teams co-led a group hike with 50 community members. It was a joyful day of exploration and connection.
Goldstream Provincial Park: In July, Discover Parks Ambassadors led an inclusive nature walk for our Victoria participants. As Power To Be facilitator Paul Blood shared, “We had a wonderful time with our Ambassador who gave us time to connect our senses to the place, explore the nature centre, and teach us about the biodiversity of Goldstream while keeping it accessible and inclusive.”
Golden Ears Provincial Park: In August, our Vancouver participants joined Discover Parks Ambassadors for a thoughtfully planned nature walk. The team ensured the route was suitable for everyone and shared rich knowledge about the forest’s history, native plant species, and the wetland ecosystem.
These experiences have not only created meaningful connections to nature for our participants but also allowed the Discover Parks Ambassador team to put their inclusive training into practice – planning and facilitating programs for diverse populations across the province.
We’re deeply grateful for this ongoing partnership and the dedication of the BC Parks Foundation team. Their work to steward natural spaces in a welcoming and meaningful way is helping to create more access and opportunity for all. Together, we’re creating real change in how inclusion and access are experienced in parks – and we’re just getting started.