A Welcome to Territory (or a Land Acknowledgement) is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on, and a way of honoring the Indigenous Peoples who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial.

We generally look at this as passing the mic to a local person for a couple of minutes, and have had lots of different types of presentations. Some have been short speeches that recognize whose land it was originally that we are going to be performing on, and others have been full-on drum circles. The audience is generally people in their 20s and 30s who are out to have a good time, so we want it to be a positive and compelling experience, and the set times are tight, so we always stick to the 2-minute rule for presentations.

Every partner engaged around the Pass The Mic process receives an unrestricted $500 grant from the PTM Fund, designed to support their work on the local level. Visibility is important, but so is funding. We believe these are two sides of the same coin, and are committed to putting our money where our mouths are.

If you are interested in incorporating a Pass The Mic moment into your performance, there are many resources you can tap into on the local, regional, national, and international level. To get started or learn more, contact Pass The Mic Director Logan Lynn HERE and our team will help connect you.