Penelakut Island Trail Building Initiative
Donation protected
Summary
This funding will be used to support the Story Trails Initiative on Penelakut Island during the 2020/2021 season. This community health project brings youth and adults together in a forest work setting, where they build accessible trails on their traditional territory. This program offers the community a new way to connect with the land, on their boat access island reserve. The community members also partake in a variety of other educational activities, as well as mountain biking, on the trails they build. Funding will be used to support costs associated with the program, including trail building and mountain biking equipment and maintenance. More details below. Thanks for your support.
Backstory
Penelakut Island is an island between the east coast of Vancouver Island, and the mainland of British Columbia. In 2018, the community began a trail building initiative, which is closely connected with the Penelakut Island Elementary School. The aim is to include more land based learning experiences in the day-to-day education of the students, creating a balance between contemporary and traditional education, creating jobs for adults, and the initiative is focusing on its role as a community health initiative. So far, outcomes from the initiative have been hugely successful, and the band, school, and community plan to continue the program.
Mountain Biking
As well as building these multi-use trails for the community, the students have also taken to mountain biking on the trails.
Mountain biking has been embraced by the youth, and they've even created a riding club, which they named The Storm Riders.
Some of the elders on the island were, at first, slightly reluctant about the introduction of mountain biking, as the Penelakut people are traditionally a people of the water. However, after seeing the students getting outside, getting fresh air, getting exercise, connecting with the land, and connecting with one another, the value of riding bikes on the trails has become a lot more clear to the community.
Funding
Penelakut has ongoing plans for community minded trail development on their Island. Any funds obtained will go 100% towards costs associated with running the trail building initiative on the island, such as:
- tools
- supplies
- safety equipment
- transportation
Whether we meet, exceed, or fall shy of our funding goal, any and all funds donated will go directly into the community trail building initiative.
Future
The trail building initiative has recently expanded to include an adults employment and skills program, to compliment the ongoing elementary school program. The adults program is going well so far, and the elementary school program will start up again this autumn.
The goals of the trail building initiative are:
- to continue running the elementary school trail building program
- to continue running the adults trail building program
- to continue to merge traditional and contemporary learning
- to encourage community health on the island
- to develop a beautiful multi-use trail network around Penelakut Island
- to develop a self-sustaining mountain biking scene on the island
Covid-19
For anyone concerned, the trails building initiative will continue to follow suggested practices for safe behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic.
GoFundMe Organizer
Jason Mannings is a filmmaker who made a documentary film about the Penelakut Island trail building initiative, called Hwuy'xwet Pune'luxutth. After seeing first hand the good work that was happening, he decided to help organize a fundraiser. 100% of the funds go directly to the trail building initiative.
Hwuy'xwet Pune'luxutth (Trailer)
https://vimeo.com/445050426
Hwuy'xwet Pune'luxutth (Feature Film)
https://youtu.be/0Ayin1Wd-QY
Thank You
Your support of the trail building initiative on Penelakut Island is greatly appreciated by everyone involved.
Follow
To follow along with glimpses into the trail building experience on Penelakut Island, follow the Story Trails Instagram account below:
https://www.instagram.com/story_trails/
This funding will be used to support the Story Trails Initiative on Penelakut Island during the 2020/2021 season. This community health project brings youth and adults together in a forest work setting, where they build accessible trails on their traditional territory. This program offers the community a new way to connect with the land, on their boat access island reserve. The community members also partake in a variety of other educational activities, as well as mountain biking, on the trails they build. Funding will be used to support costs associated with the program, including trail building and mountain biking equipment and maintenance. More details below. Thanks for your support.
Backstory
Penelakut Island is an island between the east coast of Vancouver Island, and the mainland of British Columbia. In 2018, the community began a trail building initiative, which is closely connected with the Penelakut Island Elementary School. The aim is to include more land based learning experiences in the day-to-day education of the students, creating a balance between contemporary and traditional education, creating jobs for adults, and the initiative is focusing on its role as a community health initiative. So far, outcomes from the initiative have been hugely successful, and the band, school, and community plan to continue the program.
Mountain Biking
As well as building these multi-use trails for the community, the students have also taken to mountain biking on the trails.
Mountain biking has been embraced by the youth, and they've even created a riding club, which they named The Storm Riders.
Some of the elders on the island were, at first, slightly reluctant about the introduction of mountain biking, as the Penelakut people are traditionally a people of the water. However, after seeing the students getting outside, getting fresh air, getting exercise, connecting with the land, and connecting with one another, the value of riding bikes on the trails has become a lot more clear to the community.
Funding
Penelakut has ongoing plans for community minded trail development on their Island. Any funds obtained will go 100% towards costs associated with running the trail building initiative on the island, such as:
- tools
- supplies
- safety equipment
- transportation
Whether we meet, exceed, or fall shy of our funding goal, any and all funds donated will go directly into the community trail building initiative.
Future
The trail building initiative has recently expanded to include an adults employment and skills program, to compliment the ongoing elementary school program. The adults program is going well so far, and the elementary school program will start up again this autumn.
The goals of the trail building initiative are:
- to continue running the elementary school trail building program
- to continue running the adults trail building program
- to continue to merge traditional and contemporary learning
- to encourage community health on the island
- to develop a beautiful multi-use trail network around Penelakut Island
- to develop a self-sustaining mountain biking scene on the island
Covid-19
For anyone concerned, the trails building initiative will continue to follow suggested practices for safe behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic.
GoFundMe Organizer
Jason Mannings is a filmmaker who made a documentary film about the Penelakut Island trail building initiative, called Hwuy'xwet Pune'luxutth. After seeing first hand the good work that was happening, he decided to help organize a fundraiser. 100% of the funds go directly to the trail building initiative.
Hwuy'xwet Pune'luxutth (Trailer)
https://vimeo.com/445050426
Hwuy'xwet Pune'luxutth (Feature Film)
https://youtu.be/0Ayin1Wd-QY
Thank You
Your support of the trail building initiative on Penelakut Island is greatly appreciated by everyone involved.
Follow
To follow along with glimpses into the trail building experience on Penelakut Island, follow the Story Trails Instagram account below:
https://www.instagram.com/story_trails/
Organizer and beneficiary
Jason Mannings
Organizer
Chemainus, BC
Riley Mcintosh
Beneficiary