Honouring Our
Shared Home
We affirm, with respect, that Power To Be’s site is on the unceded lands of the W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations [these are the lands of the W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip) SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout) W̱SÍ,KEM (Tseycum) BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin) and MÁLEXEŁ (Malahat) First Nations], and the Lək̓ʷəŋən People (known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations).
The SENĆOŦEN name for Prospect Lake is the XOĆEs TŦE W̱SÁSENEĆ which translates as “lake of the little emerging mountain.”
Reconcili-action
Reconciliation &
We are committed to reconcili-action as a lifelong journey - centering Indigenous voices, showing up as community members, and continuously learning with humility and respect. Our valued, ongoing partnerships with local Nations inform and enrich our programming and operations.
Our staff acknowledges the land and history of the W̱SÁNEĆ nations by beginning every program with a land acknowledgement, sharing stories about the lands and water we are visiting and playing on. In our day-to-day operations, we remove colonial frameworks and learn Indigenous knowledge systems, taking SENĆOŦEN language lessons and incorporating them into our databases.
Knowledge keepers, elders, and Indigenous speakers that dedicate their time and teachings to our programs and events are payed honorariums to ensure everyone is compensated respectfully for their time. As community members, we show up for events, and see where and how we can help. We invite everyone to show up exactly as they are with no expectations.
We recognize that decolonization is a long-term commitment, and we continue to listen, learn, grow, and evolve.
"Contemplation" - Coast Salish by John Marston
"Harvest" - Kwakwaka'wakw by Stephen Bruce
"Transformation" - Nuu-chah-nulth by Moy Sutherland
Power To Be’s Prospect Lake site has come to be a place of great significance to our community. As we live, work, and play on this land, we honour the responsibility of caring for the natural world and respecting the Indigenous peoples who carry a deep-rooted connection with the land to this day.
As an act of honouring the traditional lands, we invited three carvers to create totem poles to live on the site. These totems will stand tall for years to come and we are thankful to the carvers for sharing their art and stories with our community.
Our Native Land
On our journey of reconciliation at Power To Be, we are always looking for ways to grow. We are committed to fostering positive change, and evolving our attitudes, perspectives, and behaviour so that we can be better community members, and better caregivers of the lands and waters we live, work, and deliver programs on. Our goal is to establish a shared community that includes and respects everyone – one where everyone shares a sense of belonging, safety, and well-being.
Our Indigenous Peoples Liaison Pāora and W̱SÁNEĆ elder STIWET met with Tchadas Leo from CHEK’s Our Native Land to discuss our actions to build a path towards reconciliation alongside WSÁNEC Leadership Council, connecting youth to the land where they live, work and play.
