Pjila’si! Bienvenue!
Relational Wellness:
Prioritizing connections that matter in Sustaining Rural, Island, and
Northern Communities
June 16-23, 2026 | Western Newfoundland
Join us for a unique, week-long event that brings together local communities and visitors across Western Newfoundland. From Port Aux Basques to the Great Northern Peninsula, and Labrador to explore rural life through art, science, Indigenous knowledge, and shared stories.
SHORE TO SHORE is a series of unique gatherings in Western Newfoundland that will happen June 16–23, 2026 in a region that stretches 750 kilometres from Port Aux Basques in the southwest, to the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula in the north – travelling through mountains, over rivers, into fjords, past the icebergs at sea, via thousands of miles of coastline connecting communities all along the shore. This week-long event will bring people from the local communities with folks from away, together in art, science, local and Indigenous knowledge, to share stories, wisdom, food, music, and intersect with an exploration of the excitement of, and the challenges in, our rural communities.
A good idea can come from anywhere — and a good idea can be adapted from one community to another. The central theme of the gathering is “Relational Wellness” and local knowledge. Inside that are questions: how can art, creativity, and story in community connect with healthy aging in rural places? How does the convergence of human artistic creativity connect with the natural world? Connect us to each other? How can nature’s complex patterns inspire innovative expressions, new perspectives on understanding, and appreciation of where we are? And as importantly – where we could be going? Up for discussion is food security, Indigenous research partnerships, water, climate change and environmental stewardship.
Presentations, panels, workshops, and field trips hosted by the North Atlantic Forum (NAF), Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) and Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland will take place in Corner Brook, NL as part of the 2026 CRRF annual conference and bi-annual NAF event. Keynote addresses, panels, and parallel sessions in Corner Brook will feature papers, creative works, and poster presentations. Off campus field trips and activities in Corner Brook and Elmastukwek / Bay of Islands will also be incorporated. Following the Corner Brook portion of the event, the program will extend into two connected community focused events titled Shore2Shore (S2S). These follow-up gatherings are designed to deepen the connections and conversations initiated during the first three days of the conference, providing opportunities to share stories and further discuss and experience practical applications of the ideas discussed in two different community settings. S2S is inspired by the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity’s highly successful Rural2Rural (R2R) events held in Ontario over the past ten years. Read the origins of S2S here.
These collaborations aim to foster knowledge sharing on rural development and community engagement at both national and international levels.
Grenfell Campus, Corner Brook, NL (June 16-18)
Shore to Shore Community Gatherings
Norris Point, NL (June 18-20)
Flat Bay, NL (June 20-23), with participation in and celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day events.
Register for the NAF/CRRF Conference and Shore to Shore
More information including events and schedules coming soon!
Key Themes:
- Relational Wellness: How art, creativity, and community connect with healthy aging, nature, and each other.
- Environmental Stewardship: Discussions on food security, climate change, water, and Indigenous research.
- Culture and Sense of Place: Discover the value and wisdom of local and Indigenous knowledge.
- Two-way Knowledge Sharing and Co-Creation: Engage in a collaborative art project Our Common Threads that captures knowledge from the conference and translates it through the universal language of art.