VYC Kindred Community Workshop

FREE VYC Kindred Community Workshop
Indigenous singing and hand drumming with Indigenous leaders Deanna Gestrin & Russell Wallace

Presented by Vancouver Youth Choir
in collaboration with NOW Society

You are invited to our multicultural, intergenerational space to participate in an Indigenous hand drumming and singing circle. Learn about Indigenous music and cultural traditions. Hand drums will be available for use. Be prepared to connect, reflect, and have fun! Space is limited to 30 participants, so please register early.
Join us afterwards for light refreshments and socialization.

November 26, 2023 @ 2:00-4:00pm
8EAST, 8 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC, V6A 1T1

*Limited to 30 participants. Please register early for your FREE ticket!

About our facilitators:

Deanna Gestrin
Deanna Gestrin is a vocalist, choral conductor, clinician, composer, Burnaby music educator, and newly hired faculty associate at Simon Fraser University. Her family comes from the St’at’imc Territory in the interior of British Columbia. Inspired by her many wonderful musical mentors, Deanna decided on a career in music education at the age of thirteen, and holds degrees in professional music, jazz, secondary education, and she will soon complete a Master of Counselling degree. Deanna performs in classical, choral, jazz, contemporary, and Indigenous music settings, and has recently joined the award winning Vancouver-based vocal ensemble, musica intima.
Community wellness is integral to Deanna’s work. She has designed a community program that aims to enhance empathy, resilience, connection, and communication through Indigenous teachings, drumming, singing, movement, and personal storytelling. She is also the program lead for an intergenerational Indigenous drumming and singing circle called VYC Kindred, sponsored by the Vancouver Youth Choir. Kindred is a free program that brings together immigrant and Indigenous youth with Indigenous leaders to learn about hand drumming, singing, and Indigenous culture. Through her educational, musical, and cultural work, Deanna’s ultimate goal is to increase community wellness by building cross-cultural, intergenerational bridges between people, families, and communities.

Russell Wallace
Russell Wallace is an award winning composer, producer and traditional singer from the St’at’imc Nation (Salish) in Canada. His music has been part of a number of film and television soundtracks and theatre/dance productions. In 2022, Russell was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Award in recognition of his music and contributions to arts and culture in British Columbia as well as had his composition “Journey” performed at Biennale Arte 2022 in Venice this past September. Currently, Wallace is the Director of the Indigenous Vocal Ensemble at Vancouver Community College and works with the Vancouver Youth Choir’s Kindred Program alongside Deann Gestrin.
NOW Society Workshop Policies

8EAST Venue Information:
Masks Recommended

Open windows and door

3 HEPA Air purifiers

Please do not come to this event if:

• You have experienced any signs of being unwell in the last 5 days;

• You have been in contact with anyone suspected of having or who has COVID-19 in the last 5 days.

8EAST ventilation: open windows and door, three air purifiers, updated HVAC system with UV lights. Mask wearing is recommend inside 8EAST and in the Chinese Cultural Centre washrooms. Masks and Hand Sanitizer will be available.

~ 8EAST ACCESS STATEMENT ~
The 8EAST social space for new culture is a project of the NOW Society, located on the Territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh and səlil̓wətaʔɬ Peoples, in Chinatown in Vancouver.

We recognize that access is an ongoing and evolving discussion, and acknowledge that this statement may be insufficient. Please do not hesitate to contact us with suggestions.

We are committed to making 8EAST a safer, welcoming and more accessible space. We present events at 8EAST with conditions to keep our communities as safe as possible. We do not tolerate discrimination based on age, gender, neuro a-typicality, disability, place of origin, cultural background, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We do not tolerate racism. We do not tolerate sexual agression, assault, or harassment which can inlude unwanted touch or comments that objectify or sexualize.

Concerns can be addressed, discussed or expressed anonymously by emailing now@nowsociety.org.

Restrooms will be available to the public. A wheel chair accessible washroom is available. Wheelchair seating is easily accommodated. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to assist.

The 34 inch wide main entrance to 8EAST has a threshold of approximately 0.5 inches high. There is no door automation. There are no ramps or stairs to navigate. Internal floors are smooth concrete. Outdoor plaza events are held in a 30ft square area on concrete pavers, some are uneven. Provided seating, wooden stackable chairs without armrests, is easily movable to create equitable seating location accommodations.

8EAST has a wheelchair accessible, non-gendered toilet on site with a door width of 35 inches. Additional toilets are located in the adjacent hallway. They are not wheelchair accessible. If you are attending an event with food and have specific allergies, please contact now@nowsociety.org. Service animals are welcome.

GETTING THERE AND PARKING:
8EAST is located within 50 meters of buses 004, 007, 019, 022, 209, and N19 on Pender Street. Stops for buses 003, 008, 014, 016, 020, N8, N20, and N35 are located within 250 metres on Hastings Street. Stadium–Chinatown SkyTrain Station is approximately 400 metres away.

General metered street parking is available on surrounding streets. A passenger drop-off zone without a curb is located within 50 metres at 531 Carrall Street. For Accessible Parking locations consult: https://vancouver.ca/streets…/accessible-parking.aspx.

BIKE PARKING:
There is a bike rack on the SW corner of Pender and Carrall Street across the street from 8EAST. It is possible to view the bike rack while inside 8EAST and also while on the 8EAST Plaza. Covered bike parking is available at the Main Street – Science World Skytrain Station. From the Main Street – Science World Station, one can take the #3 bus from Main Street – Science World Skytrain, then walk West down Pender to 8EAST (c. 5 mins) or one can ride one skytrain stop to Stadium – Chinatown and walk Northwest to 8EAST (c. 5 mins). Walking to 8EAST from the Science World Skytrain Station would take approximately 15 minutes (directions here).

The closest Bike Locker to 8EAST is located at VCC Clark (more information here). From the VCC Clark Station on can take trains to Stadium – Chinatown Skytrain Station and walk NorthWest to 8EAST. Learn more about the Bike Parkade program here: https://www.translink.ca/…/bike-and-ride…/bike-parking. Learn more about the Bike Parkade program and how it works: https://vancouver.ca/streets…/accessible-parking.aspx