Connect Program
Still Moon’s Connect program links youth who belong to underserved communities to their environment, artistic creativity and one another.
Participants attend a workshop every week for six weeks (look below for some examples of the workshops we’ll be running). This program is FREE and we’ll even provide snacks, bus tickets, and an honorarium to make it easier for you to participate.
The Connect program is open to youth from underserved groups (e.g. individuals who self-identify as IBPOC or 2SLGBTQIA+, refugees & newcomers, folks with disabilities and low-income individuals, etc.).
By taking part in Connect, you will:
- Learn about the Still Creek watershed located in East Vancouver/Burnaby through a historical, artistic, and ecological lens
-
Create art using natural materials
- Engage in hands-on environmental restoration work
- Develop a sense of community belonging through arts, ecology, and culture
Program Logistics
Where: At or near Renfrew Ravine Park (exact location will be announced prior to each session)
Participants: Ages 15 to 30
Number of Participants: Up to 16
Honoraria: $40 upon completing the program (must attend at least four of the six workshops).
Includes: Snacks, 1-zone Translink tickets
Registration
2023 Fall Session: October 14 – November 18|Registration closed
2024 Winter Session: Details coming soon | Preregister: Be notified when registration opens
Workshop Samples
Please note: each workshop is not guaranteed within the Connect Program.
A workshop outline will be discussed in the exploratory phase with the program facilitators/participants.
1. Interactive Art and History Walk in Renfrew Ravine
[Year-Round]
A walking tour of Renfrew Ravine Park speaking to the history of the space.
Along the way, there will be an opportunity to learn about the impacts of non-native and native plants, their role in the local ecology, and their traditional Indigenous uses.
2. Weaving Invasives with Gratitude
[Year-Round]
Learn about English ivy and its place in our ecosystem.
We will safely remove ivy and prepare it for weaving, while picking up garbage and carefully avoiding native plants. Then, we will use the collected ivy to weave baskets using a simple twining technique.
3. Indigenous Knowledge Sharing / Salve Making
[Year-Round]
Use local plants such as calendula to make healing salves.
In this session, we will invite one of our Indigenous neighbours to join us and share stories about the land, indigenous history, and traditional uses of native plants.
4. Working in Colour Me Local Dye Garden
[Spring, Summer, Fall]
You will be introduced to the Colour Me Local Dye Garden located on the North-West edge of the Renfrew Ravine.
Together, we will explore basic gardening techniques and get our hands in the soil. We will do some of the following activities depending on the season/needs of the garden: weeding, watering, harvesting and garden maintenance.
5. Natural Dyeing
[Spring, Summer, Fall]
In this session, you will learn how to naturally dye textiles!
We will be working with either the bundle dye or immersion dye techniques, using freshly harvested plant materials from the Colour Me Local Dye Garden.
6. Connecting with Nature Through Sound
[Year-Round]
A follow-up to the Walking Renfrew Ravine session, this workshop will present the history of Still Moon’s work within Renfrew Ravine Park through acoustic ecology.
We will engage with one of Still Moon’s iconic art pieces, the Renfrew Ravine Labyrinth, and enjoy the flourishing Ravine greenery along the way. Experience sound in the ravine through deep listening exercises. You’ll also get to experience unheard sounds through aided listening through special microphones and sound devices.
7. Working the Land – Planting
[Spring, Fall]
We will plant native plants in one of our restoration sites / colour me local dye garden.
You will have the opportunity to be active, move your body, and get your hands in the soil while learning planting techniques. We will then share a warm beverage and light snack, and reflect on the program.
8. Create a Living Sculpture
[Winter – End April 2024]
Participate in the creation of public art made from woven living willow.
Learn about the process of planting and weaving living willow into a shape or structure. In this session, you will work with Still Moon artist Carmen Rosen on ‘Beaver Pond(er)ing Lodging’, a living sculpture in the form of an 8-foot-long beaver and RV on the banks of Still Creek.
9. Building with Natural Materials
[Spring 2024]
Participate in finishing the cob shed at the Colour Me Local Dye Garden!
In 2023, Connect participants helped to create a shed using cob to build sturdy structures. This Spring we will have fun smoothing on a final outer layer of plaster, and decorating the exterior with details like shapes, patterns, and sculpted creatures.
10. Seed Paper Making
[Summer]
In this session, we will recycle scrap paper into new paper that is pressed with seeds (harvested from the Colour Me Local Dye Garden).
The dried seed paper can be written on and planted to grow dye plants of your own!
Still Moon’s Values
Art – Art is a means to individual exploration, creative expression, and community building.
Positive experiences in nature – Positive experiences in nature elicits experiences of unity, interconnectedness and create moments that are “greater than self”.
Radical inclusivity – Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in Still Moon programs regardless of age, class, gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, ability, indigeneity, and any other intersection of experience that excludes people in society.
History – We recognize systemic and structural inequalities as a result of ongoing colonization.
Diverse cultural traditions – We acknowledge and celebrate diverse cultural traditions as an opportunity for community building, intercultural learning, and allyship.
Environmental stewardship – It is our duty to respect, steward and learn from the earth which supports us. We seek to reimagine a world where land and people are good medicine for one another.
Collective action – We are better when we’re doing it together; Action holds more value than words.
Funders & Supporters
