Award-winning Inigenous filmmaker Cowboy SmithX will be the keynote speaker in an upcoming conference organized by local Rotary clubs and Baha鈥檌 groups.

The Peace Builders Gathering takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Splatsin Community Centre by Enderby on Saturday, Sept. 21. The event is a step towards bridging divides and building positive peace 鈥� personally, in our families, in our
communities and in the world, said organizer and Salmon Arm Rotarian Mike Boudreau. 

The event's goal: "to begin on-going conversations to encourage kindness, respect, and peace that emanate from the Okanagan-Shuswap to impact the world."

The keynote speaker, , will be talking about how building peace is everyone's responsibility. A Blackfoot filmmaker from the Piikani Nation and Kainai Nation in Southern Alberta, Cowboy SmithX has acted in, co-produced and directed short films and music videos. His best known work is a full-feature documentary co-produced with Chris Hsiung called Elder in the Making, a
film about reconciliation between non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. He is also the founder and curator of the International Indigenous speaker series REDx Talks, and discusses the important steps to empower his people and keep them resilient while sharing insights with audiences for discourse and philosophical consideration.

Boudreau, another of the speakers, will be teaching meditation, and speaker Garrett Brisdon will be teaching transformational dialogue 鈥� how to communicate well to understand people with different views.

The seven-hour Gathering includes speakers, workshops, lunch and snacks. Entry is by donation 鈥� to remove financial barriers to participation. However, attendees are asked to register in advance at peacebuilders.world.

Boudreau is the Peace Building Committee chair with the Shuswap Rotary Club.This year, Shuswap Rotary became a Peacebuilder Club, a club mandated to play a vital role in 鈥�.鈥�

Boudreau, the club and First Community (Salmon Arm First United Church) host a Peace and Pizza event on the third Friday of each month. Entry is by donation and the events feature a peace speaker and fireside chat.

For more information, call Boudreau at 250-833-6158.