By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com

Patrick Lucas can now add filmmaker to his resume.

Lucas wrote and helped produce Dirt Relations: The Story of the Indigenous Youth Mountain Bike Program.

The 37-minute documentary about the program he founded 11 years ago will have its world premiere on Feb. 23 during the opening night of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival. The film will be screened at the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver.

Lucas, who lives in Courtenay, B.C., is a former community planner who worked with various First Nations throughout the province.

Since launching the Indigenous Youth Mountain Bike Program, he has helped build mountain bike trails for about 40 First Nations in B.C.

The program was featured in an episode of the series Return To Earth on Outside TV two years ago.

B次元官网网址淭hat was a great experience and it actually led to this (film) because itB次元官网网址檚 only on Outside TV,B次元官网网址� Lucas said, who is looking to expand the work of the mountain bike program.

While the episode on Outside TV kind of caught the idea of the program, it didnB次元官网网址檛 quite get it all.

B次元官网网址淪o we wanted to do it again. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what led to this project,B次元官网网址� he said.

Dirt Relations is not, however, simply a film. Lucas is hoping it will raise awareness.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 part of our goal,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e want to keep growing the organization. We want to keep getting more kids out on bikes and more trails built in First Nations communities and kind of keep that discussion around reconciliation and recreation going.B次元官网网址�

Lucas, who is not Indigenous, said improving relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people has become a huge part of the mountain bike program.

B次元官网网址淥ur primary goal with this is that conversation, sharing stories and getting people to talk about what does it really mean to engage in reconciliation,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淧eople throw that word around, and `decolonizeB次元官网网址�, like itB次元官网网址檚 a perfume or a cologne. But through our experiences, weB次元官网网址檝e learned really practical things, like reconciliation should be kind of centred on very practical day-to-day issues.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not all theory or academics. WeB次元官网网址檙e talking about building trails in a way that upholds Indigenous rights and title, that doesnB次元官网网址檛 uphold the colonial structure that has built around recreation, and about getting kids reconnecting to their lands and territories. ItB次元官网网址檚 basic stuff. I think thatB次元官网网址檚 where we need to return the conversation to because itB次元官网网址檚 been kind of hijacked in a lot of ways. And nobody really knows what reconciliation means.B次元官网网址�

Thomas Schoen, the programB次元官网网址檚 director of trails and parks development, believes trail building, involving Indigenous people from communities and non-Indigenous program reps, is an amazing tool when it comes to reconciliation.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e working side by side, in the dirt, weB次元官网网址檙e talking about the past, weB次元官网网址檙e talking about the pain, about the hurt,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no way to form a better bond than by working shoulder-to-shoulder to create something for the people.B次元官网网址�

Dirt Relations also focuses on Tom Eustache, a Simpcw First Nation member, who is a director with the Indigenous Youth Mountain Bike Program.

B次元官网网址淧atrick and Thomas gained my trust because they actually came out and built trails,B次元官网网址� Eustache said. B次元官网网址淭hey were some of the few people who came to the community and followed through on what they said they were going to do.B次元官网网址�

Lucas said the Vancouver festival is just the start of where the film will be shown. It has been submitted to various festivals around the world.

B次元官网网址淎nd weB次元官网网址檙e already getting a lot of requests for screenings,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 going to be really good.B次元官网网址�

Lucas said heB次元官网网址檚 emailed every mountain bike club in British Columbia. HeB次元官网网址檚 also contacted other clubs throughout Canada and the United States.

B次元官网网址淗opefully, weB次元官网网址檒l set up as many screenings as we can,B次元官网网址� Lucas said. B次元官网网址淲e might do a little bit of fundraising out of it. But mostly itB次元官网网址檚 just we just want the film to be seen by as many people as humanly possible.B次元官网网址�

Lucas is also hoping to expand the mountain bike program to other provinces and into the United States as well.

The program had its first out-of-province initiative last year when it worked with reps from the Namayagoosisagagun First Nation in northwestern Ontario. Plans were laid out and work was started on a trail in the community.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 always been groups that have contacted us and they want to work with us,B次元官网网址� Lucas said. B次元官网网址淭he struggle is that we donB次元官网网址檛 know the funding programs in other places. Like, I know the funding here (in B.C.). I can get money here. ItB次元官网网址檚 never been a huge issue. But once you get into, say Ontario, everything changes.

B次元官网网址淣ot only the funding changes but those are treaty First Nations, so the relationship with land base is dramatically different. But IB次元官网网址檇 love to do way more. And I hope this (film) will get more people calling us.B次元官网网址�

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