Tucked in a small building at the W̱SÁNEĆ School Board on West Saanich Road is a roomful of big-eyed youngsters who are part of a movement to revitalize their traditional language.

The group of eight preschoolers are part of a language nest – created by their parents’ generation to rebuild the SENĆOŦEN language.

“It’s a survival school,” says Renee Sampson the school co-ordinator and teacher. She’s one of seven apprentices in the language spurring a number of initiatives to rebuild the tongue, including the SENĆOŦEN LE,NOṈET SCULÁUTW̱ which means SENĆOŦEN Survival School.

When a couple of sea lions swam close to Chris Darimont as he was surfing, he realized that, with his wetsuit and surf board, he looked remarkably like a marine mammal.

That is when the idea came to Darimont, science director for the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, that there should be an opportunity for surfers to speak for the marine mammals of the Great Bear Rainforest and the threats they would face from oil tankers in northern B.C. waters if the Enbridge Gateway pipeline was approved.

The Victoria Street Newz began in 2004. Every month they release a new issue with local stories, opinion pieces, art, and poetry. Their paper relies solely on donations and street vendor sales. What makes the Street Newz unique is that the vendors (who may rely on disability or old age pensions, or may be unemployed) are able to supplement their income by selling directly to pedestrians who are passing by.

Pick up your copy of the Victoria Street Newz from any of the street vendors to read the People's statement of solidarity, and some thoughtful comments about the movement from various representatives of local communities. You might also consider purchasing a Hope in Shadows Calendar from your favourite street vendor. They are published on earth friendly paper, using photos taken by residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Proceeds are returned to the vendor, with a small amount supporting the Street Newz and Pivot Legal Society.