Chief Francis Laceese has dedicated a majority of his lifetime to serving his community through leadership roles. Francis was elected Chief of Tl’esqox (Toosey First Nation) since 1998, as well as previously holding a council position from 1994–1998 and Band Manger position. Chief Laceese is on the Board of Directors for the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, focusing on issues related to rights and title, food security and the environment.

With a keen focus on international relations, Chief Laceese has been voicing concerns of the Tŝilhqot’in on a global scale through the United Nations and other Indigenous groups. Fighting for the full jurisdiction of Tŝilhqot’in lands has always been at the forefront of his work. Focusing also on family and child well-being, Chief Laceese has been the President of Denisiqi Services Society since 2017, serving on the Board of Directors for over a decade.

Nuskmata is from the Secwepemc and Nuxalk indigenous peoples, of modern day British Columbia, Canada.  She has worked with First Nations communities on the central coast and northern interior of BC as a community organizer, researcher and Self Government Coordinator regarding First Nations territory-related issues. She makes her home in Williams Lake, one of the communities affected by the tailings spill at Mt. Polley which resulted in Canada’s worst mining disaster.  Jacinda holds a Master of Arts degree from York University’s Communication & Culture Program, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria.

CO-FOUNDER

Born in Juchitán Oaxaca of Zapotec descent, she began to navigate outside her territory when, having graduated from the university of medical sciences, she decided to continue promoting the artistic spirit, that from the young age of 3, was expressed through singing, art and the study of meditation.

Influenced by social projects, she collaborated with Fundación Enseñarte in Bolivia, and Music for All and libraries in Favelas of Brazil. She entered the world of perma-culture when she lived in Puente a la Salud comunitaria in Oaxaca, where she studied art, social service and eco-construction, facilitating workshops, and developed recreational activities and educational models for different groups. This experience led to her opening her own temporary school in Juchitán in 2017, which was in service after the earthquake for 3 months. She studied English, singing, and theatrical arts in Europe before returning to Mexico to found the Ecoaldea Proyecto Yum Kaax in 2020 and collaborate with indigenous communities in Chiapas such as Raíces y Saberes del Socunusco.

She completed 3 years of full-time service at the Dhamma Makaranda meditation school in the Valley of Mexico, finishing in 2022.

CO-FOUNDER

Trevor Cazorla Mack has grew up on the Tl’etinqox community of the Tsilhqot’in nation. At a young age, Mack excelled at sports, namely hockey. At 18, he began competing in downhill ice cross at the Red Bull Crashed Ice world championships. He competed for six years at the world championships, while also beginning to produce films exploring his Tsilhqot’in identity and culture. His various short films, including The Blanketing, Clouds of Autumn, ?Etsu, In the Valley of Wild Horses, and Ts’eman Te?osh all take place within his Tl’etinqox community and also Tsilhqot’in nation, featuring cultural ceremonies, stories involving residential schools, and youth empowerment initiatives. His debut feature film, Portraits from a Fire, was the first Tsilhqot’in narrative feature film to have a national theatrical release, playing in over 70 movie theatres across Canada.

Mack has worked as a program coordinator for the Dasiqox-Nexwegwez?an initiative, a co-manager of the Tl’etinqox International Cultural Garden Centre, and has coordinated international cultural exchange trips with youth from Nuxalk, Secwepwemc, and Tsilhqot’in nations to take part in indigenous cultural events and ceremonies in countries such as Mexico and Peru.