As the new Heritage Programs Manager at Heritage BC, I wanted to better understand our hosts and partners for the Me7 Elkstwécw-kt—Working Together conference in Tk̓emlúps (Kamloops).
When we began to reimagine our approach to conferences, we knew we wanted more than just a change of venue—we wanted a shift in mindset. We wanted to move away from centralized gatherings and toward something more grounded, responsive, and community-specific. In 2025, that brings us to Tk̓emlúps (Kamloops), a city whose history, people, and stories offer a foundation for the kind of meaningful conversations we hope to foster.
So, why Kamloops?
The answer lies in our commitment to place-based learning—and our desire to connect the threads of heritage work to the communities in which that work is deeply embedded. Tk̓emlúps (Kamloops) is not just a backdrop for the 2025 Heritage BC conference; it’s a collaborator, a source of inspiration, and an active participant in the conversations we’ll be having.
As we move to host our conference in different communities across BC, we aim to honour each region’s unique heritage and to deepen engagement across the province. While rooted in the host community, the conference is designed to serve the broader heritage community by sparking conversations, sharing diverse perspectives, and tackling province-wide topics. Host Partners play a vital role in connecting us with local speakers, identifying key sites, and shaping discussions that reflect their community’s identity. This approach fosters accessibility, celebrates diversity, and ensures the conference creates meaningful connections while addressing the shared challenges and opportunities in BC’s heritage sector.
That’s why we at Heritage BC are especially excited to be working in close partnership with the Kamloops Museum and Archives (KMA) and with the Secwépemc Museum and Heritage Park to shape this year’s conference. In this blog post and the next, we will highlight each of our partners and share more about how we are developing the conference together. View the 2025 conference schedule.
Meet Julia Cyr, Museum Supervisor at the Kamloops Museum and Archives KMA. I recently caught up with her to chat about the museum’s role in the community, the importance of place-based heritage work, and what she is most excited about for the 2025 Heritage BC conference.
As one of our 2025 Host Partners, Julia spoke about the KMA’s deep knowledge of the region, their passion for collaborative work, and commitment to ethical and inclusive heritage practices. Her team is helping to ensure the event is deeply embedded in their community and creating opportunities to learn directly from Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc and Kamloops’ experiences.
With a mandate to preserve and interpret the social and environmental history of the region, the KMA plays a vital role in safeguarding heritage and making it accessible to the public. Through thoughtful exhibitions, innovative public programs, and the stewardship of a rich archival collection, the museum invites community members and visitors alike to explore the stories that have shaped—and continue to shape—the region.
The KMA is more than a cultural institution; it’s a community connector and storyteller. Their insights are helping to shape a conference that doesn’t just take place in Tk̓emlúps (Kamloops)—but is meaningfully informed by it. Operating as part of the City of Kamloops, on Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc territory within the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of Secwépemc Nation, Secwepemcúl’ecw – the KMA recognizes that it has a large role to play in reconciliation and in fostering caring relationships with their communities.
One of the priorities of KMA for this conference is to create spaces where delegates can share ideas and learn from each other. This place-based learning approach is emphasized in the session “Building Relationships through Mentorship and Knowledge Sharing”, where Julia is one of the presenters, along with Jackie Jules and Lachlan Gonzales from the Secwépemc Museum and Heritage Park, and Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra from Belonging Matters Consulting. This session will be particularly interesting for delegates who are looking for a creative session to not only share ideas, but nurture new ideas with folks in other organizations and capacities. Delegates will leave the session with a renewed sense of collaboration that can transcend silos within their institutions, geographic limitations and organizational limits.
This partnership reflects the broader shift Heritage BC is making—away from a one-size-fits-all conference model and toward something more adaptable, relational, and reflective of our diverse sector. It also opens up space for new voices, local leadership, and the kind of place-based insights that make our gatherings more relevant and resonant. As a space to connect with and learn from heritage planners and developers, the conference offers an opportunity for organizations like the KMA to be more strategic and responsive to the heritage needs of their communities.
Stay tuned for our next post, where we’ll introduce our partners at Secwépemc Museum and Heritage Park and share their aims for a successful conference. In the coming weeks, we will also provide details on our field trips and accessibility to help you plan your trip to Tk̓emlúps (Kamloops). For now, we just wanted to share why Kamloops is the perfect place for this year’s conference.
~ Dr Maria Paula Arias, Heritage Program Coordinator for Heritage BC