Join the Port of Vancouver and Canada Place for a free celebration of World Maritime Day in Vancouver on September 24th. This annual event will take place on the North Point of Canada Place, with exhibitors along the west promenade. Enjoy live music, performances, and interactive activities and exhibits that celebrate life in a port city.
World Maritime Day – Photo Submitted
World Maritime Day in Vancouver
When: Sunday, September 24, 2023 from 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Where: North Point & West Promenade of Canada Place
Admission: Free!
Exhibitors include BC Ferries, Canadian Forces Navy, Vancouver Aquarium, and more. Here’s the stage schedule for the day:
11:30am to 12:05pm Traditional welcome
12:05pm to 12:45pm Zynth & Co.
1:00pm to 1:40pm Chris Ho
2:00pm to 2:4pm The Matinee
3:00pm to 3:45pm Ché Aimee Dorval
4:00pm to 5:00pm Myc Sharratt
Follow the Port of Vancouver on Facebook for more info about the day.
World Maritime Day – Photos submitted
World Maritime Day was established by the International Maritime Organization, with celebrations held internationally to recognize the importance of shipping safety, maritime security, and the marine environment. The theme for this year is “MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on.”
MARPOL is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. The implementation of the MARPOL Convention is an important part of Canada’s participation in the prevention and reduction of ship-source water and air pollution globally. Participation in the development of these global pollution reduction measures will help improve pollution standards and regulations in Canada.
Miss604 is a proud sponsor of World Maritime Day in Vancouver 2023
This year’s Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival will be bigger than ever, with new collaborations and a longer run that sees the festival expand to five days. Canada’s first and only outsider arts festival promotes equity while amplifying artists and performers who live and work outside of the mainstream.
Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival. Photo by Jamie Poh.
Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival 2023
When: October 12 – 17, 2023 from 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Where: The Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver
Admission: Free exhibitions, performances, and workshops. RSVP online.
VOAF 2023 will feature 56 artists from across Metro Vancouver’s diverse art scenes, including 40 visual artists, 13 performing artists, and three art groups. The festival’s visual art exhibition and performances will be complemented by a series of new workshops.
Visitors will be able to learn from artisan Chantal Cardinal about the craft of handmade felt objects and from Vancouver Ikebana Association member Cecily Chang about the art of Japanese flower arranging. Additional workshops will be offered through a new partnership with BC Culture Days: independent dance artist and choreographer Fiana Kawane will teach Kathak Movement, or South Asian classical dance, and multimedia artist Bethany Pardoe will facilitate a collaborative character design session.
A collaboration between VOAF and OAF from Helsinki, Finland, will culminate in a short film presentation at the Roundhouse Community Centre on October 16. OAF’s inclusive artistic team has curated a collection of short films featuring Finnish outsider artists from the suburbs of Helsinki and the rural area of Karelia: Mika Ruohola, Kati Kallio, Anne Kalliola, and Miska Tuononen. An online meet and greet with the artists will be hosted following the screening, and will be accessible online at OAF Online Stage.
Following the festival’s close, the VOAF exhibition will travel to the Port Moody Arts Centre from January 11 – March 4, 2024.
VOAF 2023 Participating Visual Artists
Alini Garcia, Andrea Grey, Andrew Woods, Ania Salmina, Barbara-Lynn Pollard, Ben Roback, Brandy Mars, Cathy Watters, Colin Mitchell, Courtney Lee, Daniel Poggenpoel, Erin Audley, Federico Airaudo, Glenn Hesse, Hazel Yuhang Zhang, Jaclyn Lord-Purcell, Jasper Berehulke, Justine Clark, Kaela Ho, Katalina Guerrero, Komal Saxena, Lee Abbott, Leigh Press, LittleBenefit, Madison Gill, Mahdieh Pourghannad, Marianne Powley, Marko Hirny, Mason Meghji, Max Mueller-Langer, Nickole Lewis, Nicole Parekh, Rowan Wright, Sandra Yuen, Shamsah Mohamed, Sheila Letwiniuk, Tim Varro, Tom Moody, Trevor Buddin, Vee CR
VOAF 2023 Participating Performing Artists
Argel Monte de Ramos, Cèsar Contreras, Co-Creating Love, Eva Cho, Fairything, Farrah Vading, Hampton G, Jerry LaFaery & Leef Evans, Joe Joe Johnson, Kandy Roar, Mako Fujimoto, Niki Kennedy, Rocky & the Gems
VOAF 2023 Participating Art Groups
ART & Justice, The Art Studios, Gathering Place Community Centre
Follow Community Arts Vancouver on Facebook for more information.
BC Culture Days are almost here and in Metro Vancouver you can enjoy three creative and colourful weeks of cultural, artistic, and community-based celebrations! Immerse yourself in creative and interactive programs (either free or pay-what-you-may) that highlight the artistic and cultural personality of every community. This is Canada’s largest public participation campaign for the arts!
Celebrate arts, culture, and heritage in your community through interactive events. The celebratory spirit in British Columbia is thriving, evidenced by growing registration and over 400 events across 50 diverse communities across the province.
Highlighted events in Metro Vancouver can be found below. For a full list of events throughout the province, visit Culture Days online.
The #CHVCatchUp is a monthly series featuring the latest updates and news from Covenant House Vancouver (“CHV”). Miss604 is proud to be the Official Blog Partner of CHV. This month’s post has been written by Jason Bosher.
With your support, the young people of today can become the community leaders of tomorrow.
About Covenant House Vancouver
Covenant House Vancouver (CHV) offers a continuum of services that incorporate evidence-informed theories and practices to ensure that they care for the whole person — mind, body, and spirit. Services and programs range from Outreach and our Drop-In Centre to short- and long-term housing and support services, like counselling, that enable youth to successfully transition to independence. CHV staff work with youth individually to develop case plans that are tailored to each youth’s specific needs and goals.
One way that CHV helps youth pursue the futures that they envision for themselves is by enabling them to receive the education that they require to make their visions a reality.
CHV is over 90% privately funded, which means that youth who come to CHV thrive because of community support. As such, CHV would like to share a few stories to illustrate how it truly takes a community to raise a young person.
Meet David
David is a refugee whose parents were killed by rebels, in his homeland. He was hidden by family and made his way to Canada on a student visa…
David is a refugee whose parents were killed by rebels, in his homeland. He was hidden by family and made his way to Canada on a student visa.
David started his life in Canada with nothing. He found CHV and entered the Crisis Program.
David learned English, he went back to school, and after six months, he entered the Rights of Passage program. Here he learned life skills that would equip him for the next part of his journey.
David is now in the Hollyburn program and is now a permanent resident. He has graduated from the Community Support Worker program and works casual shifts. David also works at Deltaport. He is applying for scholarships as David wants to be a heavy equipment operator.
“I stared from zero. Everything I now know, I learned at Covenant House. They are a family to me—they taught me life skills, gave me direction, taught me what was right and wrong in Canada, they helped me get a job and go back to school.”
Meet George
George had a dream. He wanted to be a counsellor…
But, his dream didn’t fit with his parents’ plans for him. They had aspirations for their son to be a doctor or a mechanic. In an attempt to make their son concede and go along with their wishes, they restricted his TV, Internet, and even food access, so that he could not engage in his post secondary dreams. “They did everything to try and destroy my dreams.” George said.
Wanting to pursue his dream, George became estranged from his family.
George’s first engagement with CHV came through interactions with their Outreach team. The team referred him to the Crisis Program. While in the Crisis Program, he participated in cognitive behavioural therapy and regularly met with counsellors. He eventually moved into the Rights of Passage program, and has now transitioned into Hollyburn. He was initially connected to Foundry for additional support, who, in turn, connected him to a clinic closer to his home.
Thanks to generous donors who fund educational opportunities at CHV, George received a scholarship and is now in the Child and Youth Care program at Douglas College. He is on his way of fulfilling his dream of becoming a counsellor.
Meet Amalie
You have to leave everything and everyone that you know behind…
Imagine, you’re a teen who has just graduated from high school. You love your city, and you have your network of friends. Your father is known in the community as a supporter of women’s rights. Then things change. Your dad becomes a person of interest to a group in power. Suddenly, every night, one of your siblings has to stand watch, while the rest of you sleep. One day, there is a direct threat against you. What do you do?
Amalie found refuge in CHV’s Rights of Passage program. She believed in the importance of education, but there were many hurdles, such as a new language, technology, and the fact that her high school certification was not recognized here, so she had to take courses from grade 10 to 12 over again.
Amalie aspires to become a dental hygienist because she know that newcomers to Canada often suffer from poor dental hygiene and she wants to make a difference.
Amalie is one course away from being able to apply to university. A detailed account of Amalie’s journey is available on CHV’s website.
Back to School with Covenant House Vancouver
Youth who access CHV’s programs and services are resilient and highly motivated, but require community support to succeed. There are many ways in which you can support youth on their educational journeys: you can make a monetary donation to one of CHV’s programs, you can help youth with school supplies and electronics, and you can get involved by becoming a mentor.
September 30th marks the third official National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to recognize and reflect on the legacy of residential “schools” in Canada. As of 2023, this is now also a stat holiday in BC. Below you’ll find a list of events around Metro Vancouver as well as additional actions and resources.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Events Around Vancouver
If you are looking for a way to commemorate and recognize this day of active listening, and action (on top of wearing an orange shirt, which is a good start!) here are a few events in which you can participate around Metro Vancouver.
