Category: Blog

Indigenous Business Award
Nominations Open: June 1 – June 30

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Photo: Leigh Joseph – Skwálwen Botanicals

It’s time to #nominatenowBC for the 2021 Indigenous Business Award (IBA) program. The award program creates space for Indigenous entrepreneurs to share their dreams, their hard lessons and give a new definition to what success means in their world.  

The IBA program identifies and recognizes Indigenous entrepreneurs in BC, serving as a catalyst for progress and opportunity. The program allows for collaborative and strategic partnerships to thrive giving voice to Indigenous entrepreneurship while modelling success.  

Indigenous businesses are a driving force in the economy of this province and deserve to be recognized for their effort, skill and courage. Be part of it and share these stories of building resilience in business excellence by nominating worthy Indigenous businesses for the 2021 program. 

If you are an Indigenous business or if you know an individual or business that demonstrates excellence in their entrepreneurial skills and leadership, nominate them for a 2021 Indigenous Business Award.  

Categories are:  
Young Entrepreneur of the Year  
Business of the Year
Community-Owned
Business Partnership of the Year

“It is crucial to acknowledge excellence, and increase Indigenous representation, in the business and entrepreneurship space. Representation matters. The more Indigenous businesses that are successful, the more inspiration there will be for up and coming Indigenous entrepreneurs to pursue their entrepreneurial path. The more stories of resilience, strength and innovation that are shared from Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs the more we as a society shift the narratives of trauma and deficit that are often at the forefront of news stories amid ongoing anti-Indigenous racism that exists in our country.”

Leigh Joseph, Skwálwen Botanticals, 2020 IBA Awardee

Support Indigenous Business in our communities and inspire achievement throughout BC. Be part of it!  

Nominate now at bcachievement.com now until June 30th.  

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.

Fulmer Award in First Nations Art
Nominations Open: June 1 – July 7 

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Photo: Evelyn Vanderhoop – Raven’s Tail Robe 2

Are you an artist, or do you know an artist who demonstrates excellence in traditional, contemporary or media art? Nominate them now for a 2021 Fulmer Award in First Nations Art! Read more!

Be a part of celebrating art and culture, while honouring traditions in carving, beading, weaving, painting, and more! Help recognize First Nations artists throughout our province by nominating them for the Fulmer Award in First Nations Art. 

The Fulmer Award honours excellence and inspires achievement in First Nations Art throughout the province. It celebrates the intersection of art and culture, while honouring First Nations artistic traditions, creating a platform for community engagement, mentorship and storytelling.     

“I have been weaving, teaching, and researching the Northwest Coast textiles for more than 30 years. This is the first award acknowledging my many years in the art of weaving. The Fulmer Award is, at this point in my career, encouraging and validates my efforts in bringing the traditional arts of the textiles forward to future weavers as well as making the textiles more known in the milieu of Indigenous arts.”

Evelyn Vanderhoop, 2020 Award of Distinction

Visit bcachievement.com and #nominatenowBC! Nominations open now until July 7. 

BC Achievement is grateful to The Fulmer Foundation for its generous support of the First Nations Art program.  

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.

Carter Wosk Award in Applied Art + Design
Nominations Open: June 1 – July 14 

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Photo: 2020 Awardee, Benjamin Kikkert, Amethyst Glasses & Decanter

June is Nominate Now month and the 2021 Carter Wosk Award in Applied Art + Design is now open for your nomination. Help honour excellence and inspire achievement in Applied Art and Design (AAD) throughout the province. 

Celebrating British Columbians whose work directly contributes to the cultural and economic fabric of the province, the Carter Wosk Award shines a light on functional art which enhances day-to-day life for individuals while enriching our collective experiences.  

This award program is open for self-nominations or third-party nominations of applied artists and designers in BC. Artists and designers whose work has a practical or functional application can be considered for this award. This includes, but not limited to, furniture, textiles, jewellery, ceramics, weaving, glass, fashion, and industrial design. 

Do you know someone whose work is deserving of recognition? Someone whose achievement derives from their dedicated effort, expert skills and undaunted courage? Nominate them for the Carter Wosk Award and help elevate skillful people creating inspiring art. It’s important for the field of applied art and it has a lasting impact on the awardees who are key drivers of BC’s creative economy.  

Concrete jewellery designer Karen Konzuk reflects on the impact of receiving the Carter Wosk Award in 2020. “It was a very exciting moment for me to hear I was recognized for my work, especially knowing this group of awardees was recognized for innovation. I feel this is a key element to my design that helps me to stand out from my competition.” She also feels it is important to acknowledge artistic excellence in applied art and design. “The world of art and design is extremely saturated and at times, it is hard to stand out. With social media and everything being digital there are a lot of copycats. To be recognized for the dedication we put into original design, attention to detail, and innovation brings us to the forefront and gives credibility to the work we have achieved.”  

Visit bcachievement.com to #nominatenowBC! Nominations are open until July 14. 

BC Achievement is grateful for the generosity of the Yosef Wosk Family Foundation toward the Carter Wosk Award program.  

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.

#Shinethelightbc on BC’s Community Awardees: Ignite the spark!

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Photo: 2021 Awardee, Zeba Khan

The 2021 Community Award #shinethelightbc campaign honouring the accomplishments of 25 outstanding community builders is at its midpoint and we are privileged to salute their achievements. As we emerge from the COVID circuit breaker in British Columbia after more than a year of living with the social restrictions and limits to our communal interaction it’s important we pause to reflect on the impact these remarkable individuals have on their respective communities. Their stories are varied and diverse, yet all are innovative change makers who have made a difference to the lives of others – pre-, during- and now, a soon to be post-COVID. They are models and examples of excellence in community service, and we can all learn from their example. 

We encourage you to join this conversation, celebrate the achievements of the 2021 awardees and help amplify their stories of community excellence throughout our province as we all work together for a better BC. Follow us on our social media channels and support this movement. With a mission to honour excellence and inspire achievement – we aim to create a platform where this discourse can be celebrated and acted upon. Awardees have a strong voice within this platform, and we urge you to listen and follow their lead.  

Program alumni contribute to the conversation too and provide a perspective on their own recognition, how it affects them and how it helps drive their work. Here are a few words of wisdom to consider: 

“I think we all have a responsibility to give back as well as to receive services throughout life. It is a kind of stewardship to life itself. If we can get this message out in a convincing form of communication by this important foundation, we have created others who will see community work as a reward.” Mary Ann Cooper (2020 Awardee) 

“We all know there are thousands of people across British Columbia who are also change makers in their communities. I hope we all can continue to ignite the spark within each of us to inspire the generations around us. Thank you to our wonderful nominators for sparing your time to highlight our work… Together, I know we will continue to make British Columbia the most beautiful province to live in.” Sukhmeet Singh Sachal (2019 Awardee) 

“I believe it is true that the celebration of something is also the encouragement of it…but even more grateful than our shared goal — of creating strong, connected, caring, prosperous, healthy, vibrant, and safe communities – is not only being celebrated, but also – and more importantly – being encouraged. Much good will surely come of this!” Mary O’Neill (2018 Awardee) 

Celebrate with us – check out the 2021 changemakers and enjoy the second half of #shinethelightbc on Facebook, Instagram Twitter and LinkedIn through @bcachievement. 

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.

2021 Community Awardees: Building legacies for a better BC

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“I hope we each find inspiration in the work that we can do to make British Columbia a better place for future generations.”  Dom Bautista, 2020 Mitchell Award of Distinction Recipient 

From May 10 until June 4, BC Achievement is honoured to celebrate the remarkable 2021 Community Awardees who build better, stronger, more resilient communities and shine as examples of dedication and service. Through our social media #shinethelightbc campaign each of their respective stories will be showcased and shared leading the way for others to follow. 

We invite our followers to amplify these stories of British Columbians giving back in so many unique ways that inspire innovation in our province. Individuals who have dedicated themselves to the well-being of others–expanding hearts and changing lives along the way. While the stories may differ, each recipient has worked to foster strong, vibrant and inclusive communities.  

As community leaders and volunteers, their work serves as testimony to the power of the individual to create remarkable positive change. By shining a light on them, the 2021 Community Award elevates the spirit of engagement that thrives in British Columbia. 

BC Achievement programming creates authentic spaces, celebrations and relationships in which awardees have a voice, and are recognized and honoured. Their stories inspire others to use effort, skill and courage towards a better BC. 

Details on each of the 2021 Community Awardees can be found at bcachievement.com 

Photo: 2021 Awardee, Dr. Jane Jae Kyung Shin

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.  

Community Award 2021 – Creating impact at home

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This week BC Achievement announced the 25 recipients of the 2021 Community Award. The Award program recognizes and celebrates the contributions of extraordinary British Columbians who build better, stronger, more resilient communities and shine as examples of dedication and service.  

Details on each of the newly minted awardees can be found at bcachievement.com 

These individuals have made contributions through their volunteer or professional work and many of them are unsung heroes who don’t seek the limelight, and who accept the award with utmost humility. They are remarkable British Columbians who have been serving their communities tirelessly, working quietly behind the scenes, or leading initiatives with gusto. Each one of them deserves the Award and we are honoured to shine a light on their accomplishments. 

“This year’s recipients exemplify the spirit of the Community Award. Celebrating their achievements honours the very best of our province and inspires us all to public service and excellence.” Anne Giardini, BC Achievement Board Chair. 

Currently in its 18th year, the Community Award serves to uplift excellence and inspire others to be of service, to lead and to create an impact in this province we call home. Last year’s awardee, Andrea Walsh, put it this way, “Acknowledging community service allows us to demonstrate the many ways that British Columbians work together to strengthen our relationships across diverse cultures, economic predicaments, and geographic regions, in ways that matter to the lives of individuals in our province…such acknowledgement supports work being done in the present, but it also inspires our futures.” 

The recipients of the 2021 Community Award are: 

Amber Anderson C.C.C., Vancouver 
Harbhajan Singh Athwal, New Westminster 
Ann Blaauw, Langley 
Doug Chinnery, Hornby Island 
James Robert (Bob) Coates, Victoria 
Kal Dosanjh, Surrey 
Norah Flaherty, Vancouver 
Dr. Balbir Gurm, Surrey 
Yúya’ainux̌v Anita Hall, Bella Bella 
John & Joyce Henderson, Salmon Arm 
Teresa Kazemir, Port Coquitlam 
Zeba Khan, Vancouver 
Angelika & Peter Langen, Smithers 
Dr. Christine Loock, North Vancouver 
Lil Mack, Williams Lake 
Pulchérie Nketsap Mboussi, Victoria 
Jack McGee, West Vancouver 
Elaine Monds, Victoria 
Marcia Nozick, Vancouver 
Nirmal Parmar, Terrace 
Dr. Jane Jae Kyung Shin, Port Coquitlam 
Lurana Kikuko Tasaka, Vancouver 
Rosemary Thomson, Kelowna 
Linda Williams, Sechelt 
Cheryl Young, Aldergrove 

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.  

BC Achievement: elevating excellence in reconciliation

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Highlighting excellence has always been about more than the individual. BC Achievement elevates the communities that nurture and benefit from the people we recognize. The effects of their work ripple outward, building momentum and enriching countless lives.   

BC Achievement’s mission is to honour excellence and inspire achievement throughout British Columbia. In doing so, we call others to act to build stronger and more engaged communities.   

The British Columbia Reconciliation Award 

The British Columbia Reconciliation Award represents the apex of our mission and values, underscored by a deep and urgent sense of purpose. In launching the British Columbia Reconciliation Award we are privileged to work in partnership with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor under the leadership of the Honourable Janet Austin. 

The Reconciliation Award draws inspiration from the work of the Honourable Steven Point, 28th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, and a founder of the Award. His hand-carved red cedar canoe, Shxwtitostel, was created as an enduring symbol of reconciliation, recognizing, in his words that “we are all in the same canoe” and must “paddle together” to move forward. 

Celebrating Awardees 

This week, we shine a light on the inaugural recipients of the British Columbia Reconciliation Award, recognizing individuals and organizations who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, respect and commitment to furthering reconciliation or inspired others to continue reconciliation efforts. We’re honoured to recognize those, who from a place of deep respect and understanding, work to further reconciliation of Indigenous Peoples. This award celebrates the individuals, groups and organizations who have respectfully furthered reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in British Columbia. They are tenacious leaders and compelling changemakers whose work inspires people across the province. 

At its heart, reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and we recognize that it is an ongoing journey. Recognizing past injustices and healing those wounds will lead us all to a brighter future. 

Lasting and meaningful change will take continued, consistent and committed effort. Recipients of the Reconciliation Award urge us forward. 

We encourage British Columbians from all communities to reflect on the stories of these remarkable people and to learn from their perspectives and to be inspired by their accomplishments.   

It is our honour to ELEVATE their excellence, and SHARE their success so that together, we may INSPIRE change. 

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.  

BC Achievement alumni: leadership in action

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Looking for a mentor, an ambassador or a successful business model? Tap into BC Achievement’s archive and explore the leadership resource this province has to offer.  

Program alumni are a talented, motivated and inspiring group of individuals and businesses who do amazing things to make their communities better.  

For 18 years, BC Achievement has been celebrating the accomplishments of the province’s most inspiring entrepreneurs, innovators, artists, leaders, visionaries and volunteers. Through each of its programs: Indigenous Business, First Nations Art, Applied Art + Design, Community and the inaugural BC Reconciliation Award, recognition is used as a tool to showcase excellence and inspire change. Each awardee’s journey begins with their selection as a leader in their field by an independent jury. And that is just the beginning. 

Along the way, awardees become alumni who continue to lead, create and build; often becoming mentors in their field, connecting with fellow alumni and sharing ideas. Some find that receiving recognition in their field strengthens their self-confidence and sets them on the path to take the next step and grow further. 

Take for example, Paul Natrall, owner and operator of Mr Bannock Indigenous Cuisine and recipient of the 2019 Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Indigenous Business Award. Since receiving the Award, Paul has expanded his business and added partnerships with other Indigenous businesses.  

Arc’teryx (2015) and Mustang Survival (2016) joined forces to create protective gowns for frontline healthcare workers early in the pandemic. These two companies, Carter Wosk Award of Distinction recipients in Applied Art + Design, came together to find an innovative solution using each of their skill sets, experience and passion to serve their communities. 

Sukhmeet Sachal, 2019 Community Awardee has expanded his volunteerism from his work as an advocate for inclusiveness, gender equality, mental health and survivors of domestic violence, to helping lead volunteers in creating and disseminating culture-specific communications on COVID safety. 

Fulmer Award in First Nations Art recipient Sonny Assu (2011) was recently selected as one of five artists to receive the prestigious 2021 Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship. 

BC Achievement shines a light on the incredible accomplishments of its awardees, creating a platform for their story to be celebrated to inspire others. British Columbians can see themselves in these remarkable examples and then take the first step to create stronger, more engaged communities throughout the province. 

We encourage British Columbians from all parts of this great province to reflect on the stories of these individuals and learn from their perspectives and follow in the path they have carved forward. 

Want to know more about these inspiring folks? Check out the Awardee page on our website or view the short Awardee recognition films on our YouTube channel. And contact info@bcachievement.com for more information. Be part of it! 

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.  

Photo Credit: Brad Kasselman

Indigenous Business alumni leading the way:
How Tea Creek Farm is driving innovative change

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Now more than ever, it’s valuable to find stories of people doing inspiring things to build up their communities. Look no further than Tsimshian entrepreneur, Jacob Beaton. Jacob is a 2009 Indigenous Business Award (Young Entrepreneur of the Year) recipient, recognized for his innovative full-service Indigenous communications company.  

These days he’s pivoted to a new career, and ever the entrepreneur, he’s bringing innovation to this new role as well. Jacob and his wife Jessica, run Tea Creek Farm on a small farm near Kitwanga, between Smithers and Terrace. During COVID their region was particularly hard hit by food insecurity.  

Jacob and Jessica knew they had to help increase local agricultural production. They set on a mission to make produce more accessible and more affordable to their local community partly by helping train others to use agro-ecological techniques to increase food production. 

To take it a step further, Jacob began collaborating with local First Nations to offer them agricultural training. However, there was a shortage of skilled workers to farm the land so the Beatons started a pilot project, called Indigenous Youth Works. 

On Tea Creek farm, 46 Indigenous youth have recently completed a two-month skills training program through Indigenous Youth Works. Teaching agro-ecological techniques, training northern First Nations communities, and increasing production and self-reliance is all part of the plan. “In order to have a resilient economy we need a diverse and well-trained workforce.” says Jacob. 

The benefits have been many so far, providing a culturally relevant experience, teaching skills to youth — many who come from low-income families, and bringing in partnerships for financial support. Along with training and mentorship, the youth also received an employment wage. “Through our food sovereignty program, we focus on a wide range of skills training and experience in a culturally safe environment that also produces a lot of food!” 

It’s a win-win for northern communities and another example of Indigenous businesses strengthening the BC economy.  

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.  

It’s this tenacity and willingness to work hard for the better good that’s strengthening our communities and our province: elevate excellence, share success and inspire change

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As we sit here today, just over a year into the pandemic, we consider the evolving COVID-19 global situation and how it continues to impact our communities.

Many have suffered great loss, many have been ill, and some have found a way to push forward into new opportunities. But the forced change and the lack of physical contact leaves all of us feeling a desire to connect with each other in meaningful ways. 

During this past year our program alumni continue to run their businesses, create their art, and pour themselves into supporting communities they care about. It’s this tenacity and willingness to work hard for the better good that’s strengthening our communities and our province. And it is why BC Achievement continues to recognize stand-out individuals for their contributions. We will continue to do so, despite not being able to gather in one physical shared space and celebrate.  

To that end, BC Achievement will be honouring program awardees through a digital Shine the Light campaign. We look forward to announcing the 2021 BC Achievement Community Awardees and the 2021 British Columbia Reconciliation Awardees in the weeks ahead. 

The next suite of 2021 programs: Indigenous Business, Fulmer Award in First Nations Art and Carter Wosk Award in Applied Art + Design are currently being developed along with their respective calls for nominations. We look forward to engaging with our stakeholders and anticipate online nominations for these programs opening on June 1, 2021.  

BC Achievement’s goal to nurture and elevate excellence within BC’s communities is more important now than ever. On our social media channels, we will continue to share your stories of success and highlight opportunities to inspire achievement and support communities.  

Together, we will continue to hold each other up and celebrate those who lead the way while carving a path forward for others to follow. 

BC Achievement: Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.