Summer Speaker Series
Qwelmínte Secwépemc has undertaken a summer speaker series showcasing a variety of guest speakers, facilitating intergenerational knowledge transfer to build up the next generation. Guests of the speaker series will include both Elders and Knowledge Carriers from Secwépemc communities and representatives from the Province, sharing their expertise, knowledge, and experiences. The knowledge and expertise provided by speakers allows the members of Team Skú7pecen to better understand and practice Walking on Two Legs, giving the ability to implement the concept into our lives and communities so that we may be great and good.
Summer Speaker & Secwépemc storyteller Kenthen Thomas with the 2020 Qwelmínte Secwépemc interns.
A key goal of the speaker series is to allow the Qwelmínte Secwépemc interns the opportunity to both build relationships and gain valuable knowledge in order to foster a vibrant and resilient network of practitioners, grounded in both Secwépemc and Western knowledge. While intern experience is one of the goals of the speaker series, it is not the singular outcome. Through the speaker series we also hope to provide educational content for our media platforms, as well as using the content from the series to support and develop a Guardians curriculum. The knowledge and expertise from the summer speaker series provide inspiration not only for our interns, but to the entirety of Team Skú7pecen.
Importance of Walking on Two Legs
The concept of walking on two legs refers to the usage of both Western and Indigenous Knowledge in harmony. Similar to the concept of seeing through two eyes, walking on two legs means being able to approach the world through both a Western and Indigenous lens. To move forward in a good way, we need to use both legs equally. If one leg is stronger or more dominant than the other, we will not be able to work together cohesively. The speaker series is one of the ways that Qwelmínte Secwépemc is working to create individuals that walk on two legs.
2020 Summer Speakers
2020 was the inaugural year of the Speaker Series. The interns were grateful for the numerous opportunities to learn on the land from a wide variety of speakers.
2021 Summer Speakers
With a larger group of interns this year, Qwelmínte Secwépemc worked to travel throughout Secwepemcúl’ecw to reach Knowledge Carriers from around the territory. It was a pleasure to share time and space with our valued speakers.
2022 Speaker Series
In 2022, Qwelmínte Secwépemc expanded the Speaker Series to include both the intern and summer guardian cohorts, encouraging intergenerational relationship-building and mentorship between the two groups. It was a successful experience that QS plans to build upon in the coming years.
Header photo credits to Ash Simpson