Community Engagement

The Royal BC Museum is undertaking a multi-year, province-wide engagement plan to learn from the public, First Nations, and Metis Nations, how they the envision the future of the museum. With your help the museum is committed to creating community connections, educational programs, and inclusive, thought-provoking experiences for all British Columbians and the world. We welcome your ideas, your feedback, your voice. If you would like to be part of the conversation, email us.

This approach, evolving through different stages of public engagement, will help the museum and its diverse audiences envision the future of the museum together.

Community Engagement Phases

Phase 1: Dialogue with British Columbians

This spring, information and dialogue sessions were held across BC to both inform and spark conversations within communities. These sessions were hosted in Victoria at the Royal BC Museum, within 13 communities across the province, and also held virtually. A total of 28 sessions were completed and we talked to close to 700 people, with 684 people also filling out a province wide benchmark survey. The intent of this survey was to connect with British Columbians and understand how they’d like to be engaged and how the museum can create dialogue and spaces that foster safe, thoughtful and honest communication and information-sharing.

This first phase was an opportunity for the museum to hear from its members, donors and volunteers, close business partners (including the tourism industry, GLAM sector, and educational institutions), and diverse cultural partners (including Indigenous communities, youth, and local and non-local visitors). Royal BC Museum team members also discussed the museum’s goals for ongoing community engagement, updated participants on immediate operational plans and set the stage for larger discussions during Phase 2 engagement, which will roll out later this fall.

All of the information collected in Phase 1 is now being analyzed by staff and engagement consultants to inform the formal Phase 2 Engagement Strategy.

To learn more about what we heard during these dialogue sessions, join us for our virtual session of Community Engagement So Far on Zoom or Facebook live. You can also read our latest Community Engagement Summary or watch a recent Zoom recording of a Dialogue Session to learn more about the discussions held during Phase 1.
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Phase 2: Deeper Engagement Through Consultation

In Phase 2 the museum will embark on deeper engagement throughout the province to encourage active participation, feedback and collaboration from diverse voices and perspectives on the future of the Royal BC Museum and its experiences. This co-designed approach will allow communities to be the authority of their historical and current lived experiences and stories (narrative sovereignty). This feedback will allow the museum to bolster public knowledge, education and discourse about our provincial history as well as our modern-day experiences..

We aim to listen to everyone objectively and strive to understand what matters to British Columbians while identifying what will encourage and welcome them to be a part of the Museum’s future and ongoing engagement.

As per best practices, Phase 2 will conclude with a publicly-available report to the Board, and Province, as well as for stakeholders and the public. Following feedback and approvals, the museum will either enter into Phase 3 (continued engagement) or begin preparing an action plan that advances a revised, public-informed concept of a modern museum.

The Journey so Far

Since its inception in 1886, the Royal BC Museum has changed and evolved alongside the rest of the province. Today’s Royal BC Museum is committed to creating community connections, gathering spaces and educational programs, and to providing opportunities for critical thinking, self-reflection, and thought-provoking experiences to people across BC and around the world.

The archives were founded in 1894 and in 2003, both organizations joined together to become BC’s combined provincial museum and archives, with its purpose being to broaden the understanding about our province. We are passionate about inspiring curiosity and wonder, while sharing BC’s story with millions of visitors who walk through our doors and explore our website each year.

Updating our aging facilities and infrastructure is a critical part of modernizing the museum and archives, but so too is rethinking our methods and processes. It’s a significant task. Modernizing the museum requires fiscal responsibility, enormous creativity and—above all else—an approach that welcomes and includes the perspectives of all British Columbians.

The Collections and Research Building

In September 2020, the Province of BC announced plans to build a new Collections and Research Building (CRB) in Colwood, BC. This purpose-built, sustainable facility will house the Royal BC Museum’s archives, collections and research department. It will improve research activities by providing dedicated research labs and learning spaces and improve public access to the province’s vast collections.

Learn more about the Collections and Research Building here

Who Do We Hope to Listen to?

The Royal BC Museum’s goal is for British Columbians of all demographics and lived experiences to feel a sense of belonging, ownership and pride about the provincial museum and the stories it shares with the world.

We are asking everyone across BC to participate in public engagement and are making a special effort to have conversations and collect feedback from:

Municipalities across the province
First Nations, Urban Indigenous, Métis and Inuit peoples
Culturally-based/focused groups
GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museum) sector partners
Business partners and Chambers of Commerce
Post-secondary institutes and school districts
Special interest groups, such as mental health associations
LGBTQIA2s+
Youth
People with accessibility needs

Your involvement now, and throughout the community engagement process, can help us better understand how the people of BC envision their Royal BC Museum of the future. We are open to listening and open to your feedback.

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