jodi gravelle - ʔaq̓am Community Government

Today on Heart of the Community, we are featuring Jodi Gravelle, Chief Administrative Officer for the ʔaq̓am Community Government.

How has the current Covid-19 situation affected your daily operations?

We were very quick to shift to a work-from-home model when the concerns about the spread of COVID 19 began. Thereafter, we immediately began to think outside of the box at how to ensure the members and students in the community could be best served. Our workloads definitely increased, but we are all so grateful to be able to keep working, keep busy and keep in touch with community members.

What positive or uplifting things are you seeing during this time?

My ultimate happy moment was watching the videos of our ʔaq̓amnik̓ students receiving their homework packages via parade. I am also so proud and happy when I see the photos of our kids and elders spending virtual time together.

What are you doing to find joy right now?

I absolute love going for walks and seeing all the creative ways that people are finding to share inspirational messages with each other. With nothing better to do in the evenings I, like many, am finding renovation project after renovation project to tackle…the joy doesn’t kick in until the project is done though.

Is there anything specific you’d like to share, or wish people knew right now?

We have all demonstrated so much strength and restraint during this pandemic and we will be better off because of it. We know that we will never look at our “normal” lives in the same way and that’s okay, we have accepted that change and new normal may be just what we needed. We are more together than ever.