In early 2025, the Vancouver Primary Care Networks hosted two events to foster experiential learning, and expanding perspectives on diversity and inclusion to continue the dialogue around cultural safety and decolonization in healthcare.
Event 1: Discover Chinatown: History, Art and Culture
Our first event took place on February 18th in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and focused on understanding Chinese history and culture in the city. 44 Primary Care Providers (including Family Physicians and Nurse Practitioners) attended the event, and were led through three activities.
Civic Historian John Atkins led participants on a walking tour around the garden site, and shared the fascinating history of the area. Participants also had the opportunity to participate in an interactive calligraphy workshop – to learn more about about how written Chinese has evolved over time, as well as a tea tasting, where they learned all about the importance of tea as well as other aspects of Chinese tradition.
Our event evaluation showed that a majority of attendees felt better informed about the rich history of Chinatown and Chinese culture as a result of participation. 97% of respondents were satisfied with the event. 100% of respondents said they would attend a similar event and recommend the event to a colleague.
What attendees liked about the event:
“I really like that it used a really fun and interactive experience to allow us to understand more about the history of Chinatown. I have many Chinese patients and I came to Canada from China when I was six, however, I didn’t know most of the things we learned. It was really eye-opening to understand the experiences of the early Chinese immigrants to the city, as well as to understand the history behind Chinatown, as well as engaging some cultural activities like tea tasting and calligraphy. I really enjoyed this event and hope that the Division will hold similar events in the future for other ethnic groups.” – Event Attendee
“It was nice to get together with colleagues to discuss and enjoy topics outside of medicine. It was helpful to learn about other cultures to bring this understanding into my multicultural practice.” – Event Attendee
“So respectful and authentic” – Event Attendee
Some great suggestions also came up from the evaluation including other cultural event suggestions, learning potential phrases in different languages, as well as follow up events to do a deeper dive into health issues impacting cultural groups.
Event 2: Indigenous Knowledge Sharing Experience at the Native Education College
Our second event took place on March 13th at the Native Education College in East Vancouver and focused on Indigenous knowledge and culture, centering on listening, learning and experience through cultural activities and amplifying Indigenous voice through dialogues on systemic racism and representation of Indigenous voices. 34 Primary Care Providers (Family Physicians and Nurse Practitioners) participated in this experiential event.
Attendees were led through an opening prayer and storytelling by an Indigenous Elder to provide a meaningful start and guide through cultural teachings and fostering deeper understanding. Attendees also participated in Indigenous Art Activity, creating a journey stick under the guidance of Prudence Reid, an artist and therapist from the Heiltsuk Nation. We also heard from two speakers, Holly Anderson, an Indigenous Metis social worker and educator for Indigenous children in care, as well as Amber Moon, an Indigenous youth advocate who shared powerful insights from their journey.
Our event evaluation was filled out by a limited number of attendees (10) showed that a majority of respondents felt better informed about indigenous perspectives and cultural resilience as a result of participation. 90% of respondents were satisfied with the event. 90% of respondents said they would attend a similar event and recommend the event to a colleague.
What resonated most with attendees:
“It was really helpful to hear firsthand experience of the healthcare system from the speakers especially the youth perspective.” – Event Attendee
“Opportunity to develop as a clinician outside of usual clinical focused topics” – Event Attendee
“I loved the talk about how to achieve reconciliation” – Event Attendee
You can download a copy of a resource list that was provided at this event here.
If you have questions about these events, please reach out to your Community Network Manager, or e-mail pcn@vancouverdivision.com.
