What began as a desire to learn from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers grew into a tea-blending workshop that fostered reflection, connection, and community. Green+Leader Linh Ho invited an Indigenous ethnobotanist to guide her Strategic Operations and Medical Administration colleagues at BC Children’s and Women’s through an interactive tea-blending workshop, sharing teachings about local plants, their cultural significance, and the relationship between people, the land, and well-being.
Linh’s goal was to create a meaningful opportunity for her colleagues to pause, reflect, and connect while learning from Indigenous perspectives on the natural world, supporting the Ministry of Health’s Climate Change and Sustainability Plan. Inspired by her own experience, Linh shared, “As an immigrant, I felt truly fortunate to learn from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and wanted to create an opportunity for my colleagues to experience that same sense of connection and learning.”
To bring the workshop to life, Linh received funding through the Green+Leaders sustainability stream of PHSA’s Health Promotion Initiative Fund (HPIF). Her project supported inviting the mother-daughter team behind Raven & Hummingbird Tea Co.- an Indigenous-owned business featured on PHSA’s Supporting Indigenous Businesses List – to facilitate the workshop. Participants explored locally sourced plants, learned about their cultural and medicinal significance through Indigenous teachings, and created their own tea blends to take home.
The workshop created space to advance sustainability, wellness, and reconciliation by encouraging staff to spend time learning, strengthening their connection to local ecology, and supporting an Indigenous business. Through shared learning and hands-on participation, the experience promoted mindfulness, curiosity, and a greater appreciation for the relationships between people, culture, and the environment.
Several staff members participated, each gaining new knowledge about medicinal plants, harvesting techniques, and Indigenous practices. In the post‑event survey, 100% of participants said they could see themselves applying this knowledge in their own lives. Some noted they “plan to incorporate specific blends into daily routines… whether for relaxation, digestion, or general balance.”
Linh is proud that organizing the workshop allowed her team to deepen their understanding of Indigenous knowledge, and her initiative has sparked interest in future events. Following the tea‑blending workshop, Linh co-hosted a nature walk during Environment Week, demonstrating the power of leadership in shaping a culturally safe and sustainable workplace.
