We are thrilled to welcome Julia McDougall to the RAVEN team as our Administrative Assistant. In her short time with the team, we have seen Julia’s active, goofy, yet organized and passionate nature. Growing up in Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc territory (Kamloops), Julia has a stacked background with an undergraduate degree in Animal Biology from the University of Guelph and a Master’s in Conservation Research from Oxford Brookes University in the UK. Julia also has experience in the non-profit world, working with the LifeCycles Project Society before joining RAVEN. Environmentalism is at the core of everything Julia does. Read on to learn more about how Julia sees the ties between environmentalism and Indigenous sovereignty, how she connects to the land, and how she likes to push the limits.
What drew you to working with RAVEN?
I feel hugely aligned with RAVEN’s mission. Environmentalism is at the root of everything I do and everything I’ve done. Giving Indigenous Nations decision-making powers is a vital component of that, especially in Canada. Overall, Canada relies on such a carbon-intensive economy, and it’s so painful to see nature crumbling around us. Nature is such a big part of my life. For me, taking large-scale action is essential, and I love that RAVEN takes such significant action. I’m proud to be part of a team that sparks influential movements and supports Indigenous-led litigation. I think our partnership with Indigenous Nations is so powerful.
What is your favorite part of the job so far?
I’ve enjoyed getting to speak to donors! They’re so kind and sweet. They’re eager to learn and excited to be a part of a movement. That’s a running theme I’ve seen since working here, that people want to be part of something bigger. Even if that just starts in their local community. I’ve also enjoyed learning more about our campaigns and the reach of our work. I’m impressed and in awe since starting to work here to learn the scope of RAVEN, and we only have ten employees! It’s impressive, and not only do we do it, but we’re not scraping by. We’re doing an effective, impactful job, and it’s because of our partner Nations, our donors, and the community that is so excited about what we’re doing. Overall, my favorite part of the role is getting to work on something I’m passionate about and excited about. I’m proud to be a part of RAVEN.
What does Indigenous sovereignty mean to you or look like to you?
Indigenous sovereignty means giving Nations the power to make their own decisions and govern their own lands as they see fit. It goes hand in hand with effective environmentalism. To me, Indigenous sovereignty is showing settlers that we have so much to learn from Indigenous Nations and that what we might see as novel environmental practices are practices that they’ve had in place for so long.
What makes you feel connected to the land or water? Do you have any practices that keep you grounded in the natural world?
Being active outside is my biggest connection to the land, it maintains my ties to nature. In my free time, I like to hike, surf, camp, swim, and kayak. Getting to do that always makes me feel grounded, happy, and calm. My favorite part of living in Victoria is that nature is easily accessible. You can escape the city and be on your own with nature. Growing up, my parents lived on a green belt, it was their house and then just the woods. It’s changing now because of development, which is sad, but when I was growing up, I’d have friends over and we’d say, “see you in five hours at dinner,” and we’d go out in the forest with my dogs for hours sledding or mountain biking.
We also used to do yearly kayak or canoe trips, which would be five to eight days long. Being outside and connecting with the land is a huge part of who I am.
How would your friends describe your interests?
My friends would describe my type of fun as type two fun. It may not be enjoyable during, but you come out with the best memories. I was always the friend who was pushing everyone to have an adventure. I wanted, good or bad, to come out with a story from our experience. I would take them on hikes that were way too long, or push people to go on these cool trips with me, or go on multi-day camping trips when they’d never done one before. I always found that whether it went well or not, it was always so much better because you came out with a funny story that you could laugh about later. They’d say I like to do things that push people’s limits a bit. We’d run into wildlife, like bears, and my friends would freak out, and I’d think it was so cool. If whatever we’re doing isn’t fun right now, it’ll be funny later. I also enjoy art. I’ve always enjoyed photography and painting, they’re calming. I probably have one or two paintings on my walls, but more so, I make them and send them to friends. If you were to go into my and Lucas’ apartment, everything on our walls would be our own photos. It’s nice because both of us are photographers. So, when we surf or do activities together, we take turns taking photos of each other.
What’s something that brought you joy in the last year?
Something that brought me joy was moving somewhere new, creating roots, and feeling the excitement of being in a new place and making it home. Lucas and I moved here, and we got a dog, Phoebe, and it was exciting to start exploring the island, knowing we’re going to be here for a while. We’re not exploring because we have to; we’re exploring because this is our new home for a while. Something else that brought me joy and made me feel proud this past year was that I trained for and completed my first full marathon. It wasn’t something I thought I was going to be able to do, and it wasn’t
something that I think everyone around me thought I could do, so to be able to do it and do it well was something that made me proud. There was a group of women that I trained with, which ended up being way more fun than I expected it to be. It was cool to see how far I could push my body. Those are the main things. And then spending time with friends and family, generally outside.
