The Trails Society of BC (Trails BC) is seeking volunteers to serve on our Board of Directors. If you have passion for the land and trails and have a commitment to reconciliation, diversity and inclusion, we would appreciate your help and perspective! Experience in any role in the trails and outdoor recreation related sectors would be an asset but not essential.

Please consider applying for this position even if you don’t have the experience below. You can assist us by providing your insight in Trails BC matters!

• Strategic planning
• Fundraising
• Indigenous rights and title
• Legal background
• Previous non-profit experience and governance
• Website design
• Mentorship and career development

We currently have two staff and one ongoing contractor. We will likely be hiring more people soon. Experience on the board or as executive director of a charity with 4 or more staff would be most helpful.

Requirements
You must be at least 14 years old and be a member of Trails BC either an individual or group member. Renew your membership or become a member at: https://trailsbc.ca/about-us/become-member/

Time Requirements
Board meetings are held virtually. Expect 6 board meetings per year although the new board will make the final decision.
Around 4 hours per month is required for basic board work including meetings, emails and communications.
Additional time may be required for work related to your areas of interest. We will be updating our strategic plan over the next year so there will be some additional time related to that.

Apply
Please fill out the application form before Sept 19 if you are interested or if you would like to offer your volunteer time in other ways.

Thanks for your consideration!

About Trails BC
The Trails Society of British Columbia is a non-profit organization that focuses on equity within the context of trails and active transportation throughout the province. As a provincial non-profit, we work with First Nations, stakeholders, municipal governments, and the provincial government to inform policy changes directed towards reconciliation, equity and inclusion regarding trails and active transportation.

A key objective is more funding and policy improvements to build, maintain and repair greenway trails connecting communities and First Nations throughout BC.

In 2020, Trails BC researchers published the Greenways for All Research which looks at the inequity in active transportation in rural British Columbia. Through this, Trails BC has established recommendations to push for equitable practices in regards to active transportation infrastructure and policies. We know that the trail and outdoor recreation space has been dominated by tourist ventures and small businesses that are representative of settler-folk. As an organization, we have actively been working to address this ongoing issue indicative of the continued act of colonization. This project comes out of this work and is a component of Trails BC’s goals in regards to reconciliation and equity in the outdoors.

The goal of the Indigenous Women and Youth Leadership in Access to the Land and Trails initiative is to change the dominant narrative regarding the decision-makers over trails, active transportation and outdoor recreation. Most decisions pertaining to trails and outdoor recreation are conducted by predominantly well-off male settlers. Even those working for First Nations in these areas are often not Indigenous. This lack of Indigenous professionals leads to a lot of ongoing land-use issues pertaining to trails. We will help increase inclusivity and equity in this sector by helping to bring in Indigenous women and youth to this conversation in leadership roles.

We are refining and helping put into practice the policies and recommendations of our Greenways for All project through further engagement with Indigenous peoples facilitated by initiatives led by Indigenous women in three regions: the Okanagan, the Lower Mainland, and along Highway 16. Through these initiatives we will provide Indigenous youth with jobs, engage the youth and others in the community on barriers to access to the land through trails, and develop policy and program recommendations to address these barriers.

In the Okanagan, the Tmixʷ Trails initiative led by Sage Kruger provides an interactive learning opportunity for Okanagan moms and youth to engage with Elders and community members from the Syilx Nation.

In Metro Vancouver, Tsawwassen First Nation Elder Xwasteniya is leading the development of the First Nations vision and route prioritization for sməq̓ʷaʔxeł, the Great Blue Heron Way, working with the Indigenous youth we will hire to engage First Nations youth, elders and community members.

Along Highway 16, building upon our experience with Tmixʷ Trails and Great Blue Heron Way, we will work with First Nation to develop and fund similar youth-led projects.