Future Generations Graduate, Mavis Windsor, Raises Over $400,000 for the Heiltsuk Nation for community initiatives that support the culture and heritage of the Heiltsuk Nation

Students visit the Adirondack State Park in the United States during Term II

Graduate, Mavis Windsor, has used her master’s degree skills to raise more than $400,000 to fund capacity building projects for her island community of Bella Bella. Home to the Heiltsuk Nation, her community is located on the Central Coast of British Columbia, which contains one of the largest remaining tracts of temperate rainforest left in the world, the Great Bear Rainforest.

Mavis, recently elected to the Tribal Council of the Heiltsuk Nation, contributes to the preservation of the Heiltsuk culture, tradition and customs through program development projects that build capacity and leadership skills. She describes these projects as, “capacity building initiatives for the members of my community. The projects not only offer work experience, but life and essential skills to enhance each participant's employability skills." 

Mavis’ practicum/thesis for her Future Generation’s master’s degree focused on the impact of colonization of Heiltsuk lands and recommended solutions for strengthening tribal culture and identity. Of great concern is that “Heiltsuk culture and knowledge of the conservation of our valuable lands is becoming lost with each passing year, and our native language is nearing the point of extinction.”  Her proposed strategy to reconnect the people to the land included rebuilding the Heiltsuk centuries old culture, government, and stewardship practices. She proposed that the Heiltsuk people achieve this through a respectful process of enculturation and resiliency. 

The idea of a cultural component was drawn from an assignment for a course taught by Dorothy Knapp. This assignment was instrumental in successful proposal writing and has led to one project that added a cultural immersion component to a summer Youth Skills Link Project. The project's cultural component included an eight-day camping session, concluding with a Canoe Journey. She and her staff witnessed incredible growth in the youth who had an opportunity to reconnect to their land and culture. “This renewed interest is critical to the very foundation of who we are as Heiltsuk. Our Hemas (traditional leaders) and Elders believe that knowing who we are and where we come from provides the foundation of a strong productive Heiltsuk citizen." 

During a recent discussion with Mavis, she was grateful for the skills she attained as a student of the Master’s degree program saying that, "One of the best things that came out of my studies with Future Generations is a more solid understanding of non-profit management. As part of my work with the Heiltsuk Community Service Society and the Heiltsuk Social Development Agency, I have used the tools and skills from the non-profit management class to raise more than $400,000 to fund projects within the last two years."

Presently, Mavis continues her work as the Director for Social Development Programs and as an On-Reserve Councillor for the Heiltsuk Tribal Council. She continues to develop similar programs, especially those focused on building career skills. She is a dedicated member of her nation, believing that the Heiltsuk Nation can continue to move forward in a respectful and honorable way.