Three Days.
Built Together.

How a relationship with Tla-o-qui-aht Nation helped bring young people together for basketball, mental wellness, mentorship, leadership and cultural connection.

By Legacy North AcademyEvent: August 5–7, 2026Story + Community Acknowledgments

On court at the Pacific Youth Basketball & Wellness Summit in Tofino.

Every young person’s place at the Pacific Youth Basketball & Wellness Summit was free. It was an invitation to play, learn and connect.

From August 5–7, 2026, the Summit brought 70 young people to Wickaninnish Community School in Tofino. Across three days, basketball shared space with mental wellness, mentorship, leadership and cultural connection. The experience was free for every participant.

Making that possible took people who were willing to contribute their time, resources and local knowledge. The story of the Summit belongs to those relationships as much as it belongs to the activity on court.

A Relationship at the Heart of It.

The relationship with Tla-o-qui-aht Nation was foundational. The Nation’s Development Corporation led the hosting work, helping put the practical pieces in place so the Summit could happen.

That hosting work helped bring the Legacy North team to Tofino and the program into Wickaninnish Community School. Our team stayed at Tofino Wildpods. Local knowledge, welcome and practical coordination helped turn an idea into a gathering young people could attend.

For Legacy North, working alongside a Nation begins with listening to local leadership. The people who know a community help shape an opportunity that belongs there.

Some of the people behind the Summit, brought together by a shared commitment to young people.

The Champions on the Ground.

Nik Vischschraper helped connect the idea with the place: arranging the school booking, bringing people into the conversation and leading the hosting work through the Nation’s Development Corporation.

Iris-Arlene Frank and Kara brought local youth knowledge into the planning. Kara’s advice about the U13 program helped open the Summit to ages 9–18, so its youngest players could be included. Listening changed a practical part of the program.

At the school, Bobby Lax, Karen Habib and Ben Mackay from the District of Tofino helped coordinate access and equipment. Basketballs, tables, chairs and an on-site contact may sit outside a highlight reel, but they help make a welcoming day possible. The school’s facilities team supported the space around that work.

That care matters before the first drill: a young person arrives at a place that people have prepared for them.

Space for the Whole Person.

Basketball gave the gathering a shared starting point. The Day 2 coaching plan connected skill games and movement with a simple reset: breathe, choose a positive cue and decide on the next action. It gave coaches a way to connect a difficult moment in a game with a wider conversation about responding to challenges.

That combination reflects what we want young people to find in our programs: opportunities to develop their game, adults who make time for them, and room to grow as people. Tofino Breath & Meditation also delivered two age-adjusted wellness sessions. These were opportunities to explore wellbeing alongside the game.

What Free Participation Took.Canada Basketball’s Unified Assist and the First Nations Health Authority helped support the Summit alongside Tla-o-qui-aht Nation and community partners. Together, they helped make basketball, wellness and connection accessible to young people.

Support took practical forms. Adriana’s Sandwich Shop provided the first-day sandwiches, while Surfside Grill contributed a hot-dog and fruit lunch. Maaqutusiis Hahoulthee Stewardship Society / Ahousaht supported boat fares for youth. Skanii Athletics helped supply Summit shirts, and Erica McLean joined the Summit leadership team. Topinoy joined the community of businesses supporting the Summit.

Free for families takes real work from a community of people.

That is the story we want to keep telling: what became possible when a Nation, local businesses, funders, coaches and families brought their contributions together around young people.

Support That Continued After the Summit.

That follow-through is part of the story too: continuing a relationship so a contribution can support another opportunity for young people.

The People Behind the Opportunity

A Community Behind Three Days.Every contribution helped: local leadership, meals, transport, wellness sessions, gifts and time. Meet the people and organizations behind the gathering.Host Relationship & Program SupportView Names & Contributions

Tla-o-qui-aht NationThe foundational relationship behind the gathering, with the Nation’s Development Corporation leading the hosting work.
Tla-o-qui-aht Development CorporationHosting coordination, practical support and local connections.
Canada Basketball — Unified Assist ProgramPresenting funding for the first Pacific Youth Basketball & Wellness Summit.
First Nations Health Authority (FNHA)Funding support through Tla-o-qui-aht.
Tin Wis ResortRecognized as part of Tla-o-qui-aht’s hospitality family and hosting relationship.
Tsawaak RV Resort & CampgroundRecognized as part of Tla-o-qui-aht’s hospitality family and hosting relationship.
Tofino WildpodsThe Summit team’s accommodation, arranged through the Nation’s Development Corporation.

Community PartnersView Names & Contributions

Westland Insurance — TofinoCommunity Partner supporting the 2026 gathering.
Tofino Gallery / Tofino Beach CollectiveCommunity Partner supporting opportunities for local youth.
Sea Wench NaturalsCommunity Partner supporting youth basketball and wellbeing.
Pacific Sands Beach ResortCommunity Partner helping make the first Summit possible.
Cermaq CanadaCommunity Partner supporting the Summit’s youth programming.
Long Beach Lodge ResortAn in-kind Community Partner supporting the Summit.

Friends of the SummitView Names & Contributions

Blue Crush ConciergeA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Creative SalmonA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Tofino Bike CoA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Jen McLeod PhotographyA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Tofino Sea KayakingA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Heartwood KitchenA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
West Coast Shapes / Ukee PokeA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Long Beach Golf Course & CampgroundA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Wickaninnish InnA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Tofino Resort + MarinaA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Tofino Co-opA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.
Hazelwood Construction ServicesA contribution to the community effort behind the 2026 Summit.

Community ChampionsView Names & Contributions

Sacred Stone SpaCommunity support for the 2026 Summit.
TopinoyCommunity support for the 2026 Summit.
Jamie’s Whaling StationCommunity support for the 2026 Summit.
Landolt Financial GroupCommunity support for the 2026 Summit.

Meals, Wellness, Access & GiftsView Names & Contributions

The Shed TofinoCoach and volunteer meal gift certificates.
Adriana’s Sandwich ShopSandwiches for the first day of the Summit.
Surfside GrillA hot-dog and fruit lunch for youth and coaches.
Tofino Breath & MeditationTwo wellness sessions adapted for the different age groups.
Maaqutusiis Hahoulthee Stewardship Society / AhousahtBoat-fare support that helped youth reach the Summit.
Skanii Athletics / Erica McLeanHelp supplying Summit shirts and Erica’s contribution to Summit leadership.
Roy Henry Vickers GalleryA framed Aim High print.
Chocolate TofinoGift certificates and chocolate.
Picnic TofinoA gift certificate.
Ucluelet AquariumA community contribution in support of young people.

The People Making It Work LocallyView Names & Contributions

Nik VischschraperLocal hosting leadership, introductions and practical coordination through Tla-o-qui-aht Development Corporation.
Iris-Arlene Frank and KaraCommunity planning with Tla-o-qui-aht. Their input helped shape the age range around local youth and the U13 basketball program.
District of Tofino — Bobby Lax, Karen Habib and Ben MackayCoordination of school access, basketballs, tables, chairs and on-site contacts.
Wickaninnish Community School and its facilities teamThe space and practical site support for three days of activity.
Legacy North’s Coaches, Organizers and VolunteersProgram preparation, coaching, family communication and the daily work of welcoming young people. Thank you to every person who gave time to this gathering.

Visit the Summit Partner Directory ↗

The Gathering.

When

August 5–7, 2026

Where

Wickaninnish Community School
Tofino, BC

Participation

70 Young People

Cost to Participants

Free

An original Legacy North story about the people and partnerships behind our programs.

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