How to become a Friend of Nawalakw

Your generous donation creates consistency for our staff, elders, youth and participants and ensures we can stay committed to our mission to save our language, protect our sacred lands, inspire youth and elders, heal and reconcile the complex history that came before us — G̱ilakas’la | Thank you.

Become a Friend of Nawalakw by visiting the donation submission page and filling out the form or contacting us at connect@nawalakw.com. We are grateful for your generosity and want to connect with you directly, we will be in touch.

Mu’lala – have gratitude, giving thanks for everything we have

Friends of Nawalakw

Wiga’xan’s ga’walap’a | hold each other up

Language & Culture Camps

The Nawalakw Culture Camp is medicine. It is a deep connection to the values of our ancestors about how to live in harmony with nature and with each other. Bond Sound, Hada, is where our people began and today we get to bring our people and create a reconnection to the land, our language, and culture for our children and children yet unborn. 

Fund a week of camp           $55,000 

Multi-year commitment        $70,000+

Immersive Language Programs

Healing for Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw youth begins with a reconnection to our language and pride in our cultural heritage. With less than 70 fluent Kwak’wala speakers and Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw elders, the time to revitalize our language is now. We take pride in our Language Apprentices and Mentorship process — the first cohort of apprentices become mentors for the next, together we can increase the number of fluent Kwak’wala speakers for generations to come.

Fund a Language Apprentice for a year        $55,000

Ensure a Language Apprentice can commit to multiple years of study    $110,000+

Food Security, Grow with Love

Empowering our remote communities to have access to, and control over, healthy food based on our cultural values. By sharing our learning, connecting to Indigenous-led food networks, and involving youth in growing, harvesting and distributing food, we deepen our connection to one another and have long-lasting impacts on our health and wellness. 

Food Security + Food Sovereignty contact Verna Ambers at verna@nawalakw.com

Capital Projects

We celebrated the grand opening of our Language & Culture Camp at Hada, hi’ma̱nis ḵ̓aḵ̓ut̓ła̱’at̓si, in July 2022. The 2400 sq. ft solar-powered camp has capacity for 24 students, teachers, and support staff for year-round cultural and language revitalization programs. 

We’re not done yet. Phase Two — the Healing Village & World-Class Eco-turism Destination will host early immersion language training and certification, healing programs, and ecotourism with local Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw guides.

Our 3 Phased Approach

Phase 1 – Culture Camp – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – Healing Village and Sustainable Destination Development

Phase 3 – An Interpretive Center and Artist in Residency Program

At the Core

At the core, Phase 2 aims to create a social venture that is a catalyst for healing, cultural connection and sustainable Indigenous enterprise. The opportunity centers greater Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Indigenous healing, reparations and equity – to do what our Indigenous leaders, Elders and communities are asking of us – to build the restored and regenerative future grounded in the Nawalakw vision and values.

The fuel to support this sustainable revitalized ecosystem is a world class eco-tourism resort – a progression towards our Phase 2 vision. The resort will operate annually from June to September, while operating as a healing village or wellness programming centre for the remainder of the year. The resort will offer the experience of an insider’s view of our traditions through the eyes of our elders, and a contemporary and one-of-a-kind artistic and culinary experience rooted in our local and ancient harvesting techniques.

To do this in a sustainable way we want to build a circular local economy. Anticipated surplus revenues will support our charitable language and culture work and are part of the long-term strategic vision of Nawalakw to become a sustained and leading Indigenous social enterprise. Net earnings from eco-tourism are estimated to largely fund operating expenses at Nawalakw.

  Capital Total             $37M 

Operational Support

We do our best to run efficiently and scale with our programs. If you believe in our mission, consider funding capacity building, training dollars for staff, the Nawalakw summer student program, marketing and communications, or day-to-day operational costs and we’ll put that funding toward where it’s needed most.

We gratefully acknowledge the visionary organizations and individuals who share our passion and support our mission.