Member, Kamloops Heritage Engagement Group
Verification HERE.
I was first introduced to this group by connecting with Dr. Andrew Yarmie, former TRU history professor, who was documenting the homes demolished in the City Gardens project, which I was working on salvaging. Ironically, another member of this group would later connect with me to salvage a door for her home from this same project. Volunteering seemed a natural fit, and now as a member of the Kamloops Heritage Engagement Group, I have the opportunity to share ideas around historical preservation, sustainability, and development, particularly in conversations around the process of updates the Kamloops Cultural Strategic Plan.
Attending the recent community conversations workshops in this volunteer capacity, I learned that evidence gathered in the initial cultural mapping research shows residents perceptions of local culture are strongly connected to the offerings of the Kamloops environment, clearly identifying that environment is essential to Kamloops. At the session I attended, housing and preservation were top concerns for inclusion in the cultural strategic plan. I was able to share experience my experience with reconciling the divide between preservation and development through a salvage lens, and contribute to community environmental sustainability awareness. I am looking forward to continuing this ongoing conversation.
