ALCHEMIST OF ANCESTRAL SERVICES

RICKY-LEE WATTS

"Ricky-Lee Watts (Aamiitlaa) is Nuučanuł from Hupačasath First Nation. He is a visionary leader, motivational speaker, traveler, passionate dreamer, and 1st-generation University Graduate. Identified as “young elder” by his colleagues, Ricky-Lee's vision inspires people to connect and embrace their power, finding beauty within themselves, their communities, and the world around them."

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QUICK INFORMATION

HERE'S A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THEIR PROFILE.

PRONOUNS

He / Him

IDENTITIES

Male, Nuučanuł (First Nations, Indigenous), heterosexual, Pacific Northwest (mountains, ocean, old growth rainforest), English.

LOCATION

Port Alberni, BC, Nuučnauł territories. Histaqšiƛaḥ tsuu-ma-as (I am from tsuu-ma-as "Somass River").

LANGUAGE

English, reclaiming Nuučanuł.

EXPERTISE

Grief, loss & healing. Trauma therapy, motivational psychology, facilitation, strategic planning, personal empowerment, team development, nature's relationship to well-being, personal development & growth, peak performance & productivity, resilience & adversity. Connection to Identity. Motivation, Empowerment, and Purpose. Leadership. Goal-Setting and Habit Formation. Relationship Building. Emotional Regulation. Healthy Living. Interpersonal Communications & Conflict Resolution. Engagement, Mobilization and Social Change. Community Development. Indigenous Reconciliation. Cultural perspective and world-views. Nature's Impact on Wellbeing

PAST WORK

Councillor | Hupačasath First Nation Motivational Speaker & Content Provider| TakingITGlobal Youth Lead Program Manager | Indigenous Clean Energy Project Coordinator | Provincial Health Services Authority, Indigenous Wellness Indigenous Youth Internship Program | Council of the Haida Nation Indigenous Youth Internship Program (Policy Analyst) | Ministry of Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation, Community & Social Innovation Branch Indigenous Student Recruitment Officer | University of Victoria, Student Recruitment & Global Engagement

A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

SOME REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD LOVE THEM
AS MUCH AS WE DO.

Ricky-Lee Watts (Aamiitlaa) is Nuučanuł from Huupačasath First Nation. He grew up in his home community of tsuu-ma-as, in the Pacific Northwest of Canada, and has since lived and travelled in other communities globally. Named after his late father, he dedicates gratitude to his ancestors for being the human he is today and continues to lead with values of humility, curiosity, and gratitude.

As a first-generation University graduate, traveller, passionate dreamer, and visionary leader, Ricky-Lee embraces life with love, courage, and curiosity. Catalyzing growth, Ricky-Lee radiates an aura of vibrancy that inspires confidence, connection, and hope. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Victoria, focusing on personal empowerment, team development, and nature's relationship to well-being.

Experienced in working with Indigenous communities, universities, and government, he regularly speaks at conferences and with TakingITGlobal’s #ConnectedNorth Program and models with SuperNaturals Modelling, an Indigenous agency. Additionally, he is an Alchemist with Future Ancestors Services, a youth-led social enterprise operating at the intersection of climate and racial justice. Ricky-Lee also recently finished his term as an elected councillor for his nation and recently created and led Generation Power, a national Indigenous youth career and capacity-building program rooted in interconnectedness, advancing sustainability and equity.

Identified as “young elder” by colleagues, Ricky-Lee inspires people to connect and embrace their power, finding beauty within themselves, their communities, and the world around them. Stemming from Nuučaan̓uł roots and teachings, his vision inspires values of ʔiisaak and hišukʔiš c̓awaak -- respect for all creation having a common origin and that everything is one. Most of all, Ricky-Lee strives to be the role model he needed when he was younger, inspiring hope in what's possible in life.

BIOGRAPHIES AND HEADSHOTS

CONNECTING

CHECK OUT THEIR TAYHKAY DI MIYOOTOOTOW - DIRECTIONS OF RESPECT - BEFORE REACHING OUT TO THEM.

EMAIL

ricky-lee@futureancestors.ca

RESPECT

clear, direct, honest communication. 3 months notice for contracts; loves to connect on social media.

TIME ZONE

Pacific Standard Time

MY TAYHKAY DI MIYOOTOOTOW

BEYOND THE BIO INTERVIEW

WE'RE SO MUCH MORE THAN A TITLE AND CV.

How does your lived experience and identity contribute to your qualification as a service deliverer?

I am the ancestral connections I carry through my mother and father, who braved incredible challenges throughout their lives. My mother endured the insufferable impacts of colonization, residential school, sexual abuse, and other traumas; my father withstood hardships of foster care abuse, his teenage years growing up on the streets of Montreal, and afflictions associated with drug use. It is essential to name their circumstances as it informs who I am today.

Through my upbringing as an emerging leader in my community, I’ve overcome many circumstances. I honour my ancestors and communities who held steadfast to their teachings during periods of upheaval and disruption. Their strength, dreams, and wisdom further empower me to help create a more equitable and sustainable world for my nation. A world that actions decolonization and embodies interconnectedness.

Nuučanuł means “all along the mountains and sea,” and Hupačasath means “people residing above the water.” In the pacific northwest, I come from a place connected to the ocean, rivers, salmon, old-growth rain forests, mountains, cedar medicine, and natural abundance. We have a ceremonial culture characterized by potlatch and many values that deeply permeate into our ways of being, such as ʔiisaak and hišukʔiš c̓awaak — respect for all creation having a common origin and that everything is one.

To this present moment, I’m deeply honoured and grateful for all the experiences I’ve partaken in and humbled by the impact created and kinship cultivated.

My way of being, modus vivendi, is fully informed, grounded in, and shaped by ʔiisaak and hišukʔiš c̓awaak. These values are deeply instilled within me as part of my culture, teachings, and experiences. My experiences give perspective and insight into understanding the interconnectedness of all things and the crucial global need for Indigenous self-determination. Promoting equity and justice for all people and the planet cannot be suitably sustained without it.

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Photo by / par Larissa Crawford