The Museum at Campbell River is adding a new indigenous wrinkle to its “Fun Friday” programming.
Elder Insights, beginning today (July 13), will be an afternoon of storytelling and First Nations culture, featuring Evelyn Voyageur, PhD, sharing her expertise on cultures along the West Coast.
This Elder Insights will include a guided tour of the First Nations gallery, storytelling, and a craft.
As a recipient of the prestigious Indspire Health Award, Dr. Evelyn Voyageur has dedicated her life to improving the health of Indigenous peoples through for almost all of the five decades in her nursing career. Voyageur is a fluent speaker of Kwak’wala and an active matriarch in the Kwakwaka’wakw culture and traditions.
The Indspire Awards represent the highest honour the Indigenous community bestows upon its own people. Over 25 years, the Indspire Awards have honoured 350 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement, and this year, Voyageur received her recognition, being called “a trailblazer in Indigenous health” by the awards committee.
Dr. Voyageur was a strong and vocal guiding force on the North Island Hospital Project (NIHP) which created the new hospital campuses in the Comox Valley and Campbell River.
A member of the NIHP Aboriginal Working Group, she was instrumental in the development of a culturally safe and inclusive environment at the new hospital campuses, including the creation of the Gathering Place – a non-denominational room at each campus for ceremony and quiet reflection for people of all cultures – and development of policy around use of the rooms.
She has also co-authored a number of publications on cultural safety and nursing, sharing her knowledge with generations of nurses to come. She was instrumental in the development of A’eka-lixl, a community-led health initiative where culture is the foundation of wellness in Wuikinuxv First Nation and D’zawada’enuxv First Nation.
From 1999 to 2003, Elder Voyageur worked with the Indian Residential School Society, where she supported survivors healing from the trauma they experienced.
The Fun Friday programs will be fun for all ages and will be taking place on July 13, and Aug. 3 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Fun Friday activities are included with the price of museum admission.
For more information please call the museum at 250-287-3013, email summer.programs@crmuseum.ca, or go to www.crmuseum.ca