Festival of What Works
Returning November 2-7, 2021
Stay tuned for our 2021 launch on Sept 28th, or browse last year’s sessions below.
Sunday, Nov 15
1:00pm
1:00pm - 2:00pm PST (1 hour)
Opening Ceremony and Festival Welcome
Welcome to the Festival of What Works! Hear voices from throughout the bioregion about people’s hopes for the Festival, and for Salmon Nation itself.
Sunday, Nov 15
2:00pm
2:00pm - 3:00pm PST (1 hour)
Public Meet & Greet with Ravens
We invite you to meet some of our Ravens and hear first hand about what they do, what they hope for, and where there might be opportunities to join us.
Sunday, Nov 15
4:00pm
4:00pm - 4:45pm PST (45 minutes)
Salmon Canning Behind The Scenes
Brigette McConville from Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon shares the intricacies and traditions of salmon canning at Salmon King Fisheries, her Indigenous-owned company that catches and cans wild salmon.
Sunday, Nov 15
6:00pm
6:00pm - 8:00pm PST (2 hours)
Indigenous Knowledge Holders
What wisdom do elders from different Indigenous nations in Salmon Nation want to share with future generations? Three elders speak to what is important to them in this powerful, warm afternoon of storytelling and knowledge sharing.
Monday, Nov 16
10:00am
10:00am - 11:00am PST (1 hour)
Healing with Donna Morton
Activists, artists and entrepreneurs have hearts of fire and require special care. Loving ourselves is the platform from which we can love anyone and anything fully.
Monday, Nov 16
11:00am
11:00am - 11:45am PST (45min)
Heritage Grains and Local Production
Cortney Morentin founded La Reinita, previously known as Wyld Bread, to grow closer to her roots and explore her identity as a Colombian Mexican American through making pan dulce, empanadas, cookies, and tortillas commonly found in panaderias.
Monday, Nov 16
1:00pm
1:00pm - 2:00pm PST (1 hour)
BIPOC Farming Panel: Farming in the Revolution
Leaders from four Portland-area farms—Good Rain Farm, Black Futures Farm,Happiness Family Farm and Mudbone Grown—explore why BIPOC farming is essential to disrupting the status quo, and the importance of representation in agriculture.
Monday, Nov 16
3:00pm
3:00pm - 4:00pm PST (1 hour)
Bring-Your-Own-Art/Craft for Show and Tell
Informal get-to-know-you arts and crafts hang out. Meet other festival attendees from the bioregion, share what you are working on and relax in an informal artsy social hour.
Monday, Nov 16
4:00pm
4:00pm - 5:00pm PST (1 hour)
Food Democracy at Scale
How do we scale local food production not only across geography but across institutions? What does food security look like when viewed through the lens of local jobs, local ecosystems and long-term investment in our region?
Monday, Nov 16
5:00pm
5:00pm - 6:00pm PST (1 hour)
Learn to Make Bannock with Annita McPhee
When was the last time you had the opportunity to learn to make bannock from an Aboriginal Woman of Distinction and three-term First Nation president?
Monday, Nov 16
7:00pm
7:00pm - 8:00pm PST (1 hour)
Musical Performance with Stephanie Anne Johnson
Stephanie Anne Johnson’s mantra is “Find your joy and go there” and it shows in their performances, which can bring a crowded dive bar to a collective hush and also get one of the biggest audiences on the planet to a collective standing ovation.
Tuesday, Nov 17
9:00am
9:00am - 10:30am PST (90 Minutes)
Salmon Warriors: An End to Engineered Fish
This in-depth conversation between remarkable scientists, activists, Indigenous stewards and community leaders will explore the consequences of fish farms on local ecosystems —and how we can save our wild salmon and communities moving forward.
Tuesday, Nov 17
10:30am
10:30am - 11:30am PST (1 hour)
Healing with Evelyn Erickson
Evelyn Erickson will share how she was able to form the first community garden in Half Moon Bay and how her work with Native Conservancy is creating sustainable models for a bright future.
Tuesday, Nov 17
12:00pm
12:00pm - 1:30pm PST (90 minutes)
Indigenous science: it’s a matter of trust
Indigenous-driven science can offer uniquely powerful benefits to ecosystems and human communities, especially in an era of diminishing trust in government-led science and its conflicted influence on resource policymaking.
Tuesday, Nov 17
2:00pm
2:00pm - 3:00pm PST (1 hour)
A Future in Salmon
Thousands of youth in the bioregion are getting involved in their watersheds, learning how important it is to secure their own future by taking charge of stewardship of their lands and waters.
Tuesday, Nov 17
3:00pm
3:00pm - 4:00pm PST (1 hour)
Chill-out Coloring Hour
This is for those who love coloring within the lines, outside the lines, or in their favorite coloring app.
Tuesday, Nov 17
4:00pm
4:00pm - 5:00pm PST (1 hour)
SeaBank: Nature’s Dividend
Southeast Alaska has one of the most diverse, intact ecosystems left in the world. Mountains, rivers, old growth forest, rivers and—of course—salmon: its landscape embodies much of the gifts of our bioregion.
Tuesday, Nov 17
5:00pm
5:00pm - 6:00pm PST (1 hour)
Stock of Ages: Wild Salmon with Ray Troll
It’s like David Attenborough meets Bill Bryson: Ray Troll is beloved across Salmon Nation— and beyond—for his “scientific surrealism.”
Tuesday, Nov 17
6:00pm
6:00pm - 7:00pm PST (1 hour)
A Conversation (“Wauwau”) with When the Salmon Spoke Collaborators
When the Salmon Spoke collaborators share excerpts and reflections from this innovative digital production that features the captivating life stories of Tlingit and Tahltan community members of the “transboundary” Stikine River, juxtaposed with the colonial history of this iconic watershed.
Tuesday, Nov 17
7:00pm
7:00pm - 9:00pm PST (2 hours)
Film: The Wild
In 2014, Mark Titus’s first feature film, The Breach won best international documentary at its world premiere at the Galway Film Festival.
Wednesday, Nov 18
9:00am
9:00am - 10:00am PST (1 hour)
Food solutions during the pandemic
When the pandemic hit, people in the Skeena watershed in north-central British Columbia rapidly solved for one of the most pressing challenges in its wake: food security.
Wednesday, Nov 18
10:00am
10:00am - 11:00am PST (1 hour)
Healing and Resiliency with Oren Shai
You’re committed to your inner work. You care about the impact you’re making in the world. But sometimes it feels like there’s this blind spot that’s preventing you from showing up as powerfully as you know you can.
Wednesday, Nov 18
11:00am
11:00am - 12:00pm PST (1 hour)
Tourism as a force for good
This panel explores how businesses can adequately support tribal partners, and how to pursue regenerative tourism business ventures across Salmon Nation, as told by Brophy Tyree and Justin Randolph of Untrodden, and Trina Notman from Accent Inns.
Wednesday, Nov 18
12:00pm
12:00pm - 1:00pm PST (1 hour)
Reimagining Entrepreneurship
In late-stage capitalism, the drive for successful business development often comes at the cost of communities and environment.
Wednesday, Nov 18
1:00pm
1:00pm - 2:00pm PST (1 hour)
Seeding a restoration economy
What if we had the ability to restore forest health and mitigate climate change in a way that is economically viable and culturally appropriate?
Wednesday, Nov 18
2:00pm
2:00pm - 3:30pm PST (90 minutes)
Reimagining Philanthropy
Philanthropy needs to change with the times — and fast. How do we invest, now!, in people and practices that bring human activity more in tune with natural systems.
Wednesday, Nov 18
4:00pm
4:00pm - 5:00pm PST (1 hour)
The Power of Community: Economies of Cooperation
We are at a planetary inflection point. COVID-19 has exposed how our current system of resource management (globalization) is not only unjust and disempowering, but highly fragile and unsustainable.
Thursday, Nov 19
10:00am
10:00am - 11:00am PST (1 hour)
Healing and Resiliency with Steve Havill
Ancient wisdom across millennia and diverse cultures have understood the significance of living and leading from heart-based intelligence.
Thursday, Nov 19
11:00am
11:00am - 12:00pm PST (1 hour)
A feminist approach to tools
Strap on a tool belt and join Adriana Ermi-Sprung in her workshop at the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University British Columbia.
Thursday, Nov 19
12:00pm
12:00pm - 1:00pm PST (1 hour)
Conservation in wine country
97% of all white oak in the wine-rich Willamette Valley has been lost. The Oak Accord works to protect the last that remains of the species, while offering a successful model for conservation through business support.
Thursday, Nov 19
1:00pm
1:00pm - 2:00pm PST (1 hour)
Carbon sequestration in the 21st century
To keep our climate from warming more than 2 °C we need to change our systemic behaviours—and rapidly.
Thursday, Nov 19
2:00pm
2:00pm - 3:00pm PST (1 hour)
Restoring Fire-Adapted Ecosystems
Following the forcible interruption of indigenous cultural fire stewardship—and the subsequent 100-150 years of fire suppression policies and monoculture industrial forestry—the frequent-fire ecosystems of the West are overly dense and degraded.
Thursday, Nov 19
3:00pm
3:00pm - 4:00pm PST (1 hour)
Interactive storytelling
An hour of interactive theatre games in small groups using imagination and oral storytelling practices.
Thursday, Nov 19
4:00pm
4:00pm - 5:00pm PST (1 hour)
Forests Across Generations
Joe Martin is one of the most respected Indigenous leaders in British Columbia, whose canoes and bentwood boxes are honoured across Salmon Nation and around the world—as is his activism in the protection of old-growth forests.
Thursday, Nov 19
7:00pm
7:00pm - 8:00pm PST (1 hour)
Portugal.TheMan in Concert
Chances are if you haven’t heard of rock band Portugal.TheMan (PTM), you’ll have inevitably moved to their irresistible, boundary-breaking works of electro-rock-pop.
Friday, Nov 20
9:00am
9:00am - 10:00am PST (1 hour)
From rhetoric to real rights
In 2015 the work of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission came to an end amid promises to repair the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the rest of Canadian society.
Friday, Nov 20
10:00am
10:00am - 11:00am PST (1 hour)
Healing and Resiliency with Rako Fabionar
Our individual and collective bodies can serve as potent expressions of ancestral healing and future insight. In this immersive workshop we will explore both as we inquire what is dying, emerging and blooming within each of us.
Friday, Nov 20
11:00am
11:00am - 12:00pm PST (1 hour)
Unbuild the Walls
The removal of the Elwha Dam in 1992 released something more than water; it released hope. The largest dam removal in US history proved that dam systems can be assessed and—if required—decommissioned.
Friday, Nov 20
12:00pm
12:00pm - 1:00pm PST (1 hour)
By the people, for the people
How can community planners evolve from making token inputs into established processes to ensuring community empowerment is a foundational part of planning design?
Friday, Nov 20
3:00pm
3:00pm - 4:00pm PST (1 hour)
Creativity for People Who Are Bad at Art
Intimidated by all the different techniques and supplies? Join for an hour of easy activities that spark imagination and subvert creative blocks.
Friday, Nov 20
4:00pm
4:00pm - 5:00pm PST (1 hour)
eDemocracy and Self-Governance: Sustainability Planning for First Nations in the Digital Age
This workshop will consist of a co-presentation by representatives of the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) Nation and Ethelo Decisions.
Friday, Nov 20
6:00pm
6:00pm - 7:00pm PST (1 hour)
The Rising Tide of Youth Climate Activism
Around the world youth are rising up to demand climate justice! Tune in for a candid conversation with young climate leaders, featuring the Ucluelet Secondary School Surfrider Youth Club, sharing their ideas for new waves of climate action.
Friday, Nov 20
7:00pm
7:00pm - 8:00pm PST (1 hour)
Gust of Wind Music Performances with Ms. PAN!K, Grizzly Waves, & More
Join us in iconic locations across Clayoquot Sound for performances with local musicians.
Saturday, Nov 21
9:00am
9:00am - 10:00am PST (1 hour)
In Conversation with Amy Gulick
Amy Gulick is one of the most celebrated nature and wildlife photographers in the United States; a founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award-winner; and a frequent contributor to national and international publications.
Saturday, Nov 21
10:00am
10:00am - 11:00am PST (1 hour)
Healing and Resiliency with Michael Brabant
Learn simple, profound and practical “micro-practices” to bring your full clarity and compassionate heart, from a sense of inner wholeness within, to creating revolutionary change in the world.
Saturday, Nov 21
11:00am
11:00am - 12:00pm PST (1 hour)
Preserving language and place
Tsimka brings to the Festival a presentation about engagement with language and, therefore, culture, community and landscape.
Saturday, Nov 21
12:00pm
12:00pm - 1:00pm PST (1 hour)
Honoring the sacred in stories from place
Let the spirit break through in the creative process of storytelling. Honor sacred responsibilities in creating and sharing narratives that transcend oppressive mythologies that divide us from each other, and from lands and waters that sustain us.
Saturday, Nov 21
3:00pm
3:00pm - 4:00pm PST (1 hour)
Mapping What Works
Maps help us make meaning of the world; not just geography but ideas, connections and possibilities.
Saturday, Nov 21
4:00pm
4:00pm - 5:00pm PST (1 hour)
In Conversation with Eden Robinson and Wade Davis
Hear about the importance of writing from place, in an exclusive conversation between Eden and Wade, moderated by Ian Gill.
Saturday, Nov 21
7:00pm
7:00pm - 8:00pm PST (1 hour)
Salmon: Soul and sustenance of a nation
Tuutahkʷiisnupšiƛ Joe Martin prepares a traditional salmon barbecue and that kicks off a searching conversation exploring nature’s law, the importance of language, our relationship to the land, traditional knowledge, the traditions of totem poles, sacred ceremonies, the role of birth keeping and the importance of standing up to protect our lands and waters.
Sunday, Nov 22
10:00am
10:00am - 11:30am PST (90 minutes)
We Become The Stories We Tell Ourselves
McMahon will take you into the world of podcasting through a high level 101 workshop experience while making stops at the industry, listener and publishing levels of this exciting medium.
Sunday, Nov 22
12:00pm
12:00pm - 2:00pm PST (2 hours)
The Biggest We in Human History: What’s it going to take and what’s in the way?
Mostly we fight, defend or debate. Increasingly, when diverse people with conflicting opinions need to work together—say to stop the collapse of earth’s life support systems—we need new and better collaboration tools.
Sunday, Nov 22
2:30pm
2:30pm - 3:00pm PST (30 minutes)
Our Global Rite of Passage: Keynote with M. Rako Fabionar
Something is dying, emerging and blooming simultaneously within each of us. And the same dynamic pattern is happening societally. With humankind in a race between consciousness and catastrophe, what can we do?
Sunday, Nov 22
3:00pm
3:00pm - 4:00pm PST (1 hour)
Raven’s Eye View
“Ravens” are the essence of Salmon Nation. They are leaders working in edge communities, whose passion is the basis for innovation and collaboration about what works.
