2026 - 2027 REFLECT cohort
The REFLECT program offers individuals who are community-focused cultural leaders a funded, cohort-based learning experience to support, strengthen, and expand their leadership in the cultural sector. The selected participants will engage in a year-long process of learning, sharing, building, rethinking, and leading alongside a community of peers.
This second cohort of the REFLECT program is a joint initiative between The Cultch and GVPTA, in collaboration with City of Vancouver - Arts and Culture.
Who is this program for, and why now?
REFLECT aims to build an intergenerational cohort with a focus on underrepresented, equity-deserving individuals, including Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit), Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+, Deaf, and disability communities, and/or those whose practice centres underrepresented and equity-deserving communities. The program is open to individuals within the arts, culture, and heritage sector who are interested in (re)building community, sharing experiences, and learning together.
Leadership, for the purposes of this program, is defined broadly. Applicants may come from different age groups; they may hold formal leadership roles or lead through community-rooted practices. What matters is a demonstrated ability to inspire, engage, and empower others.The inaugural cohort took place in response to the pandemic, offering a space of reflection and growth. While the context has shifted, the need for intentional spaces that support responsiveness, care, and adaptive leadership remains urgent in a time marked by precarity, polarization, and global turbulence.
REFLECT is an opportunity for participants to commit time to exploring curiosities related to their work or practice, share and learn within a cohort, and contribute to their own leadership development. Past participants left the program with deepened confidence, renewed clarity in their leadership values, and a stronger sense of belonging.
Exploration will take on various forms based on the individual and their career aspirations.
How will participants be selected?
Participants will be selected through a two-step application process. Step one is submitting an Expression of Interest. A shortlist of applicants will be selected from this pool and invited to an interview. All applicants invited to step two will receive remuneration.
Up to eight (8) participants will be selected.
Application Timeline
| March 24, 2026 at 3-4pm PT | Information Session (on Zoom) |
| April 8, 2026 at 4:00pm PT | Applications close |
| May 4 - 15, 2026 | Interviews over Zoom (for shortlisted applicants) |
| Mid-June 2026 | Selected participants will be notified |
| September 2026 | Start of program |
Program Time Commitment
Approximately 36 hours of programming and activities.
All sessions are in-person at The Cultch (1895 Venables St., Vancouver, BC)
- Thursday, September 24th, 2026, 10 am-4 pm
- Thursday, October 29th, 2026, 1-4 pm
- Thursday, November 26th, 2026, 1-4 pm
- Thursday, January 28th, 2027, 1-4 pm
- Thursday, February 25th, 2027, 1-4 pm
- Thursday, April 29th, 2027, 1-4 pm
- Thursday, June 24th, 2027, 1-4 pm
- Thursday, September 23rd, 2027, 1-4 pm
- Thursday, October 28th, 2027 (Time to be confirmed)
- Thursday, November 25th, 2027, 10 am-4 pm
Plus, optional activities between meetings.
Program Fee
Participants will receive a fee of up to $8,000 for the duration of the program.
Eligibility
- Must live or work within the City of Vancouver, or be engaged with and have a direct impact on individuals or organizations within the City of Vancouver.
- Be available to attend in-person meetings throughout the program.
- Identify as an individual who is Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit), Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+, Deaf, and/or living with a disability; and/or whose practice centres equity-deserving and underrepresented communities.
- Open to individuals working or engaging in or with any arts or cultural discipline or practice, including artists and arts and culture workers.
Who do I contact for more information?
Feel free to contact any one of the following program organizers:
- Kenji Maeda, GVPTA - kenji@gvpta.ca (For program information or technical issues with the EOI form)
- Heather Redfern & Nicole McLuckie, The Cultch - reflect@thecultch.com (For program information)
- Joyce Rosario, City of Vancouver - joyce.rosario@vancouver.ca (For program information)
REFLECT: Radical Empathy For Leaders:
Equity, Connection, and Time
The REFLECT pilot program (Radical Empathy for Leaders: Equity, Connection, and Time) offers individuals who are community-focused cultural leaders a funded opportunity for a cohort-based learning experience to support, develop and enhance their leadership in the cultural sector. REFLECT is a joint initiative between The Cultch and the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA), in collaboration with the City of Vancouver Arts Culture and Tourism.
“As the past few years have been a period of disruption and isolation, or pause and discovery (or more likely, a combination of both) this program aims to create space for reflection and growth.”
–Joyce Rosario, City of Vancouver Arts, Culture, and Tourism
“We received 101 applications for 8 spots in this pilot program. The volume and quality of those applications allowed us to better understand the different perspectives of leadership within our community and indicated a real need for a program like this. For those who consented, the GVPTA is compiling aggregated data to make a case for future programs of this nature.”
–Kenji Maeda, GVPTA Executive Director
The application process took place in Summer 2023, and in September 2023, the selected participants began a year-long process of learning, sharing, building, rethinking, and leading alongside a community of peers.
Webinar: REFLECT: A Conversation about Leadership in the Cultural Sector
Learn about what worked, and how we navigated challenges programmatically, and hear directly from the cohort through a series of peer-conversations. Whether you’re thinking about developing a cohort-based program, or want to be a ‘fly on the wall’ to witness conversations on the theme of ‘leadership’, this session will offer some insights relevant to our sector.
Who do I contact if I have questions?
Kenji Maeda, GVPTA - kenji@gvpta.ca
Heather Redfern & Nicole McLuckie, The Cultch - reflect@thecultch.com
Joyce Rosario, City of Vancouver - joyce.rosario@vancouver.ca
REFLECT is a joint initiative between The Cultch and the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA), in collaboration with the City of Vancouver office of Arts, Culture and Tourism.
