On March 9, we invited the Youth Program at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC) to dine with us at Pizzeria Prima Strada Cook Street to experience an authentic southern Italian meal. It was a unanimous decision by the Prima Strada team to volunteer their time for the project including the donation of all food.
“The Youth Program at the VNFC seeks to expand the experiential opportunities of young Indigenous peoples in Victoria, and when those experiences are offered in partnership with community, especially non-Indigenous community, they also move forward the greater dialogue of reconciliation,” says Tanya Clarmont, Youth Department Team Lead.
Dedicated to improving the quality of life for Indigenous peoples in the Greater Victoria area, the VNFC is a vital resource for individuals and families and is strategically positioned to play a major role in the development and forward movement of the reconciliation dialogue on southern Vancouver Island.
“We’re always keen to participate in the communities we live and work in and the VNFC event was an exceptional opportunity. To have our entire team volunteer to make a special experience for this group – I’m awed, “ says Cristen DeCarolis Dallas, President of Pizzeria Prima Strada.
The opportunity to collaborate on the project was presented by Cortney Baldwin, a rock star Prima Strada employee and graduate student in the Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies department at the University of Victoria. With a commitment to thrive in the community, the partnership developed between Prima Strada and the VNFC Youth Program and the event came to fruition.
