Organisational Framework
Vision, Mission
& Mandate
"From Dialogue to Action. From Roots to Belonging. From Africa to British Columbia — and Beyond."
Our Vision
Our Vision
The Great Lakes Networking Society of BC is guided by a bold and hopeful vision for the future — a vision rooted in justice, dignity, and the full belonging of every person and every community.
"A Canada — and a world — where people of African descent and all communities stand tall in dignity, equity, and belonging. Where diverse cultures are recognized, respected, and celebrated not as exceptions, but as the very foundation of our shared society. Where justice is not a distant ideal but a living daily reality — and where everything we build is grounded in harmony with Indigenous lands, knowledge, and leadership."
Our Mission
Our Mission
Our Mission defines what we do every day to bring our Vision to life. It is our purpose, our drive, and our commitment to the communities we serve.
"The Great Lakes Networking Society of BC exists to engage, connect, empower, and uplift people of African descent and underserved communities through arts, culture, education, sports, and advocacy. We create intentional spaces for dialogue, reconciliation, and celebration — advancing anti-racism, equity, and social cohesion across British Columbia and beyond, in partnership with Indigenous peoples, community allies, and international partners."
Our Mandate
Our Mandate
As a registered not-for-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors, the Great Lakes Networking Society of BC is mandated to support, promote, and advance community arts, culture, heritage, education, and sports programming in service of underserved and equity-seeking communities.
We organize festivals, dialogues, cultural celebrations, and community programs that promote the artistic and civic development of local and grassroots initiatives that amplify underrepresented voices across Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, and the global civil society.
✓ We Are Specifically Mandated To:
Advance arts, culture, and heritage
Creating platforms where diverse communities, particularly people of African descent, express, share, and celebrate their identities, histories, and traditions with pride and dignity.
Promote education and dialogue
Through facilitated conversations, panel discussions, workshops, and reconciliation programming that deepen intercultural understanding and advance anti-racism in our communities.
Support underserved and newcomer communities
Including refugees and newcomers from the Africa Great Lakes Region, by providing access to support, services, referrals, and community connection.
Champion equity, inclusion, and social justice
Advocating for the rights, visibility, and full participation of Black, African diaspora, Indigenous, and minority communities in all aspects of Canadian society.
Deliver community wellness and empowerment programs
Addressing mental health, addiction, homelessness, financial literacy, seniors' storytelling, youth mentorship, and community sports.
Build and sustain partnerships
With Indigenous peoples, local organizations, national institutions, and international partners, grounded in mutual respect, shared purpose, and a commitment to collective action.
Support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the Second International Decade for People of African Descent
Affirming our commitment to recognition, justice, and development for people of African descent globally.
"In all that we do, we are guided by the belief that culture is not a luxury — it is a right. That belonging is not a privilege — it is a foundation. And that a community which celebrates its full diversity is a community that is stronger, healthier, and more just for everyone who calls it home."
Practical Steps
Our Objectives
Our Objectives define the specific, concrete goals we work toward every day — the practical steps that turn our Vision and Mission into meaningful change for our communities.
Promote Arts, Culture, and Heritage
To organize, support, and promote festivals, cultural celebrations, and heritage programs that showcase the richness of African and diaspora cultures, amplify underrepresented voices, and nurture the artistic development of local and grassroots artists across British Columbia.
Advance Anti-Racism, Equity, and Social Justice
To create intentional spaces and platforms for dialogue, education, and advocacy that challenge racism, discrimination, and systemic inequality — advancing equity, inclusion, and justice for Black, African diaspora, Indigenous, and minority communities in Canadian society.
Foster Reconciliation and Intercultural Understanding
To build bridges between Indigenous peoples, people of African descent, newcomers, and diverse communities through facilitated dialogue, storytelling, reconciliation programming, and shared cultural experiences that promote mutual respect, understanding, and healing.
Support Underserved and Newcomer Communities
To provide accessible support, services, and referrals to refugees, newcomers, and underserved community members — particularly those from the Africa Great Lakes Region — connecting them to resources, networks, and opportunities that strengthen their settlement, safety, and wellbeing.
Deliver Community Wellness and Empowerment Programs
To design and deliver programs that address the holistic needs of our communities, including mental health awareness, addiction support, homelessness outreach, financial literacy, seniors' storytelling, sound arts, and intergenerational youth and senior mentorship.
Empower Youth and Future Generations
To invest in the next generation through mentorship, education, arts programming, sports, and leadership development — equipping young people of African descent and underserved communities with the tools, confidence, and identity to thrive and lead.
Strengthen Community Through Sports
To use sport as a powerful platform for dialogue, connection, anti-racism education, and community building — creating sporting events and programs that bring diverse communities together in the spirit of respect, fairness, and belonging.
Build Strategic Partnerships
To develop and sustain meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities, local organizations, government bodies, national institutions, and international partners — collaborating across sectors to deepen our impact, expand our reach, and advance shared goals.
Support Global Commitments to African Descent Communities
To actively support and promote the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the Second International Decade for People of African Descent — contributing to the global movement for the recognition, justice, and development of people of African descent everywhere.
Ensure Organizational Excellence and Accountability
To govern our organization with transparency, integrity, and accountability — maintaining strong volunteer leadership, sound financial stewardship, and a deep commitment to the communities we serve.
What Guides Us
Our Core Values
Our Core Values are the principles and beliefs that guide everything we do — how we treat people, how we make decisions, and what we stand for every single day.
Dignity and Respect
We believe every person, regardless of race, culture, background, origin, faith, or circumstance, carries inherent worth and deserves to be treated with dignity, honour, and respect. This principle guides every program, every conversation, and every relationship we build.
Equity and Justice
We are committed to fairness — not just equality of opportunity, but equity of outcome. We actively work to remove barriers, challenge systems of oppression, and ensure that underserved and marginalized communities have full access to the resources, spaces, and opportunities they deserve.
Ubuntu — I Am Because We Are
Rooted in African philosophy, Ubuntu reminds us that our humanity is bound together. We do not succeed alone — we rise as a community. Everything we do is grounded in the spirit of collective wellbeing, shared responsibility, and mutual support.
Cultural Pride and Celebration
We celebrate the richness, depth, and beauty of African heritage and all diverse cultures represented in our communities. We believe that cultural pride is not division — it is the foundation of self-worth, belonging, and intercultural understanding.
Reconciliation, Healing and Unity
We nurture and champion reconciliation — not only between Indigenous peoples and settler communities, but within our own diverse Black and African diaspora. We honour Indigenous lands, knowledge, and leadership in everything we do — and we also create intentional spaces where people of African descent, Caribbean communities, African Americans, Black Canadians, and Africans from the continent come together, heal historic divisions, and speak with one united voice.
We recognize that the rifts within our own communities — the distances between Caribbean, African American, Black Canadian, and continental African identities — did not happen by accident. They are the lasting wounds of colonization, slavery, and systems designed to divide us. At the Great Lakes Networking Society of BC, we believe that our collective liberation and strength begins with our own unity.
We also hold space for those who carry two worlds within them — the mixed-race and biracial children and adults born of Black parents and parents of other races and nations. Their experience of belonging is among the most complex and least spoken about within our communities. At the Great Lakes Networking Society of BC, we see them. We name their experience. We create space for their belonging — unconditionally, and without requiring them to choose.
"The person who hates one of us will not spare the others."
Look at us. Put us in a room together — the Caribbean, the African American, the Black Canadian, the continental African, the mixed-race/biracial — and without a single word spoken, the world sees one thing: Black. To that hatred, we are all the same. And so the question we must ask ourselves is this: if the world that diminishes us does not distinguish between us — why do we distinguish between ourselves?
"Reconciliation within is just as sacred as reconciliation without. A house united stands stronger than any force designed to divide it."
Inclusion and Belonging
We create spaces where everyone is welcome — where difference is not merely tolerated but genuinely celebrated. We work intentionally to ensure that the most marginalized voices are heard, valued, and centered in our programming and decision-making. Because belonging should never be a competition. And no child — of any shade, any accent, any background — should ever have to earn their place in community.
Resilience and Empowerment
Inspired by the enduring strength of African and diaspora communities throughout history, we believe in the power of people to overcome adversity, reclaim their narratives, and build futures full of possibility. We exist to empower — never to create dependency.
Education and Truth
We believe in the power of honest, courageous education. We are committed to teaching true histories, elevating lived experiences, and creating learning spaces that challenge ignorance, dismantle stereotypes, and build deeper understanding across communities. Our stories SHOULD forever belong to us. We MUST write them ourselves.
Partnership and Solidarity
We do not work in isolation. We build genuine, respectful partnerships with Indigenous peoples, community organizations, government bodies, health authorities, schools, colleges, universities, municipalities, and international allies — recognizing that the challenges we face require collective action and shared commitment.
Integrity and Accountability
We hold ourselves to the highest standards of honesty, transparency, and accountability — to our communities, our partners, our funders, and to each other. We do what we say, and we should say what we mean.
From dialogue to action. From roots to belonging. From Africa to British Columbia — and beyond.
"We are not a footnote in someone else's story. We are authors of our own."