Virginia Aspinall

nłeʔkepmx Programs Manager, Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly

Virgnia is an nłeʔképmx woman, born in Vancouver but raised in the Nicola Valley. She grew up off reserve leaning a lot from her yeyeʔ. After graduating Merritt Secondary, Virginia spent the last decade gaining various work experience, making new connections to her community and volunteering in several different programs. Virginia started with the Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly in September of 2021 in the Employment and Training Department. Then in January of 2022, she stepped into the role of Program Coordinator.

It has been a welcome challenge to navigate how we interact with each other post covid-19. Since then, the team has grown and she is honoured to now be leading the department in bringing people together, learning new things and finding support in community. Our goal within the Programs Department is to support wholistic wellbeing, taking care of mind, body, and spirit. We have a large focus on food security and are continuously looking for ways to facilitate nłeʔképmx food sovereignty. Sustainable and responsible harvesting along with proper food preservation anchors us to this important work.