The British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation is contributing nearly $164,000 to Aspiral Youth Partners Association to undertake a community initiative through a Job Creation Partnership Program. A new team with five new faces and one returning member came together for the first time at the end of February to began the restoration of the original wooden Taiwanese dragon boats.
These six boats, made of camphor wood, were brought to Salmon Arm in 2015 as part of a community development initiative and partnership with Paddle Row Shuswap, the Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre Dragon Boat Association and Aspiral Youth Partners.
Participants Harold Fitzpatrick, Shelby Young, Dwayne Sampson, and Ernest Heise will be spending the next seven months in Studio C and D in the Salmon Arm industrial park, in the former home of Access Precision Machining Ltd. They will be scraping, sanding and grinding in order to repair the 46 foot wooden boats that require restoration after years of challenging west coast paddling.
The individuals working on the project will gain work experience and new skills in woodwork, restoration, painting, power tool operation & team building, as well as obtain certification for Occupational First Aid, forklift and overhead crane operator training, and WHMIS. These skills and tickets will help improve their ability to pursue future job opportunities throughout the local labour market and broader provincial economy.
At the end of the project in October, the boats will be restored including painting of the finished scales, claws, heads and tails that were part of the original design of Master Boat Builder Liu Ching-Cheng when the boats were imported to Vancouver in 2003.
Team members Chad Forman and Stephanie Sweet work on the community engagement side of the project and will gain valuable work experience assisting with special event planning, media and marketing activities supporting the project.
In partnership with Paddle Row Shuswap, the participants will be part of the team to plan and organize the Canada 150 Original Wooden Dragon Boat Festival that will be held July 15-16 at Canoe Beach.
The participants on this project will also learn to develop a marketing strategy and prepare media releases to tell the full story of the restoration project. Their skill development will be enhanced by writing news articles and creating advertisements and videos for film festivals and promotional events.
Participants have moved five Hong Kong teak dragon boats that were recently restored on a previous Job Creation Partnership project. They are currently on display in public spaces in the Mall at Piccadilly in Salmon Arm.