Naramata Slow Community Conversations Event on Cittaslow

Last month I was lucky enough to co-host an event, Community Conversations, with Jennifer Cockrall, a Slow Food expert and writer, for Naramata Slow, a non-profit community group that I have been volunteering with for the last few months. Naramata Slow helped Naramata (citxʷs paqəlqyn, House of Bald Eagle) become designated as a Cittaslow community, which is a designation for towns that started in Italy and focuses on community, culture, local food systems/businesses, and caring for the environment. Community Conversations was a part of the 2026 International Cittaslow Planning Committee Meeting, so we were fortunate enough to have delegates from Italy and Turkey attend our event. As well as other Canadian Cittaslow communities (Cowichan Bay and Lac-Mégantic) and people from communities and groups in the Similkameen and Southern Okanagan Valley who are interested in Cittaslow, building community, and creating connections.

The lead up to the event involved a lot of preparation and I have not posted till now since there has been a lot of background work to gather materials, including a video, on Cittaslow for participants.

Naramata Tour

The day was lovely and started with a tour of Naramata and the projects that Naramata Slow has had their hands in. It’s very different to have the opportunity to see the projects come to life in front of you, such as the School Garden. James has the kids planting seeds, tending the crops, and already sent home 40 bags of kale! An opportunity like this project connects kids to food, where it comes from, and hopefully shows how important food is. He talked about the joy kids have eating food they helped grow. Another project was Laneway Beautification with Bonny and Alice, demonstrating how flowers and determination can transform a space into something people want to spend time in and appreciate. The weather was perfect and showed off how beautiful Naramata is.

Community Conversations – Panel

The Community Conversations started with a panel of experts who each gave a talk on a range of topics relating to Cittaslow and Slow Food. Pier Giogio Oliveti from International Cittaslow started off the panel with a discussion of the Cittaslow framework using the example of three Cittaslow towns and how they connected them with trails. This project created connections that wouldn’t have been apparent at first, since these towns were in different regions and weren’t direct neighbours but due to Cittaslow they gave this opportunity to have towns that have similar Ideals and experiences for tourist to be connected. Demonstrating how the Cittaslow framework can be used to create new opportunities for communities.

Miranda Halladay, President of Naramata Slow, was the next speaker and she discussed the inception story of Naramata Slow, how it started out as an idea by a group of businesses that wanted to improve upon the business and tourism in Naramata. Then languished for a while until volunteers picked up the helm who were interested and passionate about the values linked with Cittaslow. This passion and connection with the values are demonstrated by the projects Miranda discussed, such as the community sign which allows information about the community to be accessible. The Harvest Supper that allows for neighbours in Naramata to get to know each other thus creating community. The Community Markets that provide a place for local businesses to sell their warehouses, connect the local food system, and create an opportunity for community. As well as the Centre Beach Parkland acquisition, which was influenced by the value the community placed on outdoor spaces that was only emphasized during Covid.

After this, we heard some words from Mara Jernigan of Cowichan Bay which is the first of the Cittaslow designations in Canada. She discussed how important it is to hear about an imperfect Cittaslow community as it gives permission to keep trying. Next was Julie Morin Mayor of Lac-Mégantic and the experience of creating a community from scratch again and how to intertwine the Cittaslow values throughout the town, allowing it to be a place that had Slow tourism while considering what the community wanted. By creating a network of trails along the river, which created beauty and created more green spaces for people and environment.

The last speaker was Pauline Terbasket, Executive Director of Okanagan Nation Alliance, and Slow Fish expert. She talked about her journey with Slow Food and Slow Fish, which started over 10 years ago and how much influence it had with the Syilx Okanagan Nation as they have brought the salmon back to the Okanagan Valley over 19 dams. She talked about how much influence she had from travelling for Slow Food and Slow Fish and seeing Slow Tourism, Slow Fashion, Slow Dentist. We all laughed, but it was this moment where I could see it. I could see this future that she envisioned for us, for our grandchildren, our children, our great grandchildren, and how blessed we would be if we could achieve it.

Community Conversations – Group Discussions

The panel was followed by facilitated group discussions, each group balanced by those with and without experience in Cittaslow and centered around themes connected to the Cittaslow values. Very little facilitation was needed as each group immediately started discussing the questions, Naramata Slow Board Members and the International delegates discussing the projects from their own communities, and those who were interested in Cittaslow envisioning what they could do in their own community. Real connections were made between people but also local communities. We wrapped up and heard from each group, it was amazing to hear about how inspired everyone was at the potential for Cittaslow, for Slow Living, for sustainability and for creating and building community.

Evening

In the evening we were lucky enough to be addressed by Chief Greg Gabriel, of the Sn’pinktn Nation, who discussed how important it is to have food, salmon, and life for our future generations and shared how hopeful he is with seeing so many people. Dinner was made of many dishes from many chefs from across the Okanagan Valley using overwintered ingredients, including salmon from the Sn’pinktn Nation. The night ended with a Dark Sky event, with a knowledge keeper from Sn’pinktn Nation and astronomers from across the Okanagan provide us with their knowledge and telescopes. Allowing us the chance at Manitou Park to really see what a dark sky does. All I could think was “Look up, we are so lucky”.

Conclusion

Community Conversations is an event that I have been working on since January, and I was lucky enough to create it with Jennifer Cockrall. We put our brains together and over many iterations, a lot of discussions with those in Naramata Slow, especially Miranda and Nicole, and contemplation we ended up with an amazing event. Overall, this event was huge, took so many volunteers, so much time, and was a highlight of my winter and spring. It was exciting to see sustainability and community in action and how few people it takes to really make a large impact. I am interested to see the ripples that come from it.