The Backyard Sessions are supported by the BC Arts Council. These gatherings are organized by Lila Music and Nature Centre Ltd., with Cari Burdett serving as Artistic and Communications Director. We are grateful to be working in partnership with Sacred Cedar Centre and Quw’utsun’ Cultural Connections Society/Social Planning Cowichan, whose support helps us uphold right relations by ensuring Quw’utsun’ Elders are fairly compensated for their time, knowledge, and leadership.

The Backyard Sessions are rooted in a commitment to reconciliation and to building meaningful relationships on the lands we share. These gatherings are guided by local Quw’utsun’ Elders and knowledge holders, creating space for respectful learning, cultural exchange, and community connection. Through listening, making, and being together, we aim to foster deeper understanding, reciprocity, and care between Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants.

We begin each gathering with a welcome and a moment of gratitude, followed by an introduction and cultural teachings connected to the day’s skill sharing and harvesting. Participants are invited to bring their own lunch and tea, and the day will include hands-on making, creating, and crafting together. We close with a brief circle to reflect and share.

Please bring a snack, your lunch, water, a hat, a solid-blade knife, and something warm or comfortable to sit on, such as a blanket or mat.

These gatherings are open to people of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels. Everyone is welcome.

We encourage early registration, as space is limited. Each workshop is unique, and costs may vary depending on the materials required. Registration for each event will open as the dates approach.

No one will be turned away for lack of funds. If you would like to request a different contribution amount, please contact admin [at] Cariburdett [dot] com through Lila Music and Nature Centre.

These sessions are an opportunity to come together in community—through art, connection to nature, exploration, sharing, song, and storytelling—while learning new skills. In past years, workshops have included culture 101, songs and stories, plant work, canning, language and song, wool felting, cedar work, and basket weaving. As participation has grown, so too has the connection to traditional cultural knowledge and the importance of building right relations.