Who We Are

Grounded Futures is a group of self-identified women, gender nonconforming and trans folks, who are dedicated community artists. We are responding to a strong desire for the building of more sincere connections and vibrant communities between youth artists, cultural makers, and our communities—a place to meet and share ideas and passions and to ultimately connect our work to larger social struggles and issues.

carla joyfully hugs a red cedar tree with a forest behind her.

carla JOY bergman

— COFOUNDER, COPRODUCER, AND LEAD CURATOR

carla Joy bergman is an autonomous scholar, writer, curator, and mom. She has spent the past two decades working with community to create collaborative and intergenerational multi-media that ranges from print to films. Trust animates her creative works, and is woven together with threads of radical social change, cultivating thriving, amplifying voices at the edges, and connecting emerging and new voices with well-known folks. carla also loves to zoom in on the in-between happenings and issues, and bust binaries. She is the coauthor of Joyful Militancy, editor of Trust Kids! and Radiant Voices. carla is currently practicing poetry and songs, and writing a couple books. Check out the rad pamphlet series called, lowercase at Listening House Media.  carla is also a consultant (radical guide!) and curator: visit her website to read more.  (she/her/they/them)

Jamie-Leigh Gonzales

— COFOUNDER, COPRODUCER, AND TECH MENTOR LEAD

Jamie-Leigh is a Portuguese/Squamish artist and mother who roots her work in storytelling, collaboration, and trust. With an education in filmmaking, photography, and podcasting, Jamie-Leigh has been exploring how to use the tools of technology to tell stories for over a decade. Through work experience, mentorship and friendtorship she has also expanded her skills to include illustration and design. She is a mentor and mentee across many disciplines, but most notably is learning from her 3 year old on how to be a rad human.

Photo of Melissa from the shoulders up, smiling into the camera. She is standing in a park with trees behind her. Her hair is dark and slightly waved. She is wearing wide clear frame glasses, a black turtleneck, and a green fleece jacket with a collar.

Melissa sharp

— COFOUNDER, COPRODUCER, AND LEAD COMMUNICATIONS

Melissa Sharp is a writer, mediamaker, and communicator, as well as a union worker and renter living on stolen Sḵwxwú7mesh, xʷməθkʷəym, and səlilwətaɁɬ lands. She works in university-community engagement at SFU, promoting public programming in partnership with community and co-producing podcasts as a form of public scholarship. Melissa loves storytelling, textile art, container gardening, walking the dog, and building collective power.

Digital Illustration of Liam

UILLIAM JOY (Uli/Liam)

— CO-HOST OF GROUNDED FUTURES SHOW, youth mentee

Uilliam Joy spends most of his time with his friends and family, sharing, making food, and talking about surviving capitalism. He loves working on the Grounded Futures show, and feels really lucky to be part of the crew. Uli is excited to have conversations with all the guests in the coming years. He is 19, and feels cautiously hopeful for the future. Uli uses he/it pronouns.

 

-drawing by Robin Carrico

Photo of Rebecca from the shoulders up, head slightly tilted, looking unsmiling into the camera. She has her hair cut short and is wearing dangling earrings in the shape of eyes. She is wearing a dark blue, ribbed, turtleneck sweater.

Rebecca Peng

— Coproducer of Mentorship in motion, Peer Mentee

Rebecca is a writer and editor, currently residing on the stolen lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. In professional roles as a publicist and communicator, she’s had the privilege of supporting emerging and established authors, filmmakers, and podcasters. She enjoys generous criticism, radical experimentation, and unexpected connections. Rebecca can be frequently found in a comfortable chair with her cat, Bug.

Photo of Nadya from the bust up. She is leaning on a brick wall with a half smile. She is looking at the camera with her head angled to the side in a playful way.

Nadya Geta

— Coproducer of Mentorship in motion, Peer Mentee

Nadya recently graduated at the top of her class at Capilano University’s Arts and Entertainment Management Program where she developed skills in marketing, administration and artist management. As a singer/songwriter, she is currently developing a custom love songwriting business, called “Love Lore.” Nadya has two decades of experience in lyrical and melody composition with roots in folk and pop music. She has an EP out called “Tea Party,” and continues to write music for the soul. Nadya also composed the theme music for the Grounded Futures’ show, Mentorship in Motion.

Tyne Johnson-Dhillon

— Resources curator and collaborator

Tyne Johnson-Dhillon is a multidisciplinary artist, earthling and communicator who lives and relies on stolen Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh land. Tyne is also a dreamer who strives for a reality that centres care, joy and rest. Uplifting others in the vibrant community of mediamakers and DIYers brings Tyne unbound happiness, as does sharing lessons and skills picked up along the way. Outside of creative adventures, you can find Tyne with loved ones and pets rewatching episodes of comfort shows.

Headshot of Jo smiling at the camera with an old architectural structure in the background

Jo Harcourt

— Social Media Support

Jo Harcourt (she/they) has a background in project management and communications. While currently residing on the stolen lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, Jo grew up in rural treaty 8 Territory in close relationship with the natural world. Ever inspired by her surroundings, Jo loves writing, crafting, and photographing the beauty of Vancouver Island.  Driven by an ethos of community care, she spends her spare time supporting food security initiatives in her community, and dreaming of collective liberation.

Who Else We Are

(Podcast hosts and Collaborators)

Black and white photo of Oceann, siting on a tennis court. They are wearing a blazer and looking over their shoulder at the camera.
Photo by Michael Tylo

Oceaan Pendharkar

— Solo Together Podcast Resident, Host of Resonant Rest 

Oceaan Pendharkar is a musician, songwriter, producer, and music educator of Indian and Dutch ancestry living as an uninvited guest on stolen lands of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. In addition to playing keys with various local artists and writing/producing/mixing their own music under the name Oatmeal Queen, they have recently started two new collaborative music projects: Glow Motive (with Anjalica Solomon) and the Tender Collapse (with Thomas Hoeller and Michael Tylo). Oceaan is also currently producing a podcast called Resonant Rest with the team at Grounded Futures about musicians, creative practice, and — you guessed it — rest. Oceaan loves friends, food, and hugs.

Eleanor Goldfield

— CO-HOST OF SILVER THREADS: STILL WALKING, STILL WAKING

Eleanor is a queer creative activist and journalist. Her work has appeared on Free Speech TV where she produced and hosted the weekly radical news show, Act Out! for five years. Her print work has appeared via Mint Press News, ROAR, Popular Resistance, RT and more. She is the host of the podcast Act Out! and the co-host of the podcast Common Censored along with Lee Camp. Her first long-form, deep-dive video piece, “Hard Road of Hope,” covers past and present radicalism in the resource colony known as West Virginia. Besides touring, performing and media work, she assists in frontline action organizing and activist trainings.

HardRoadofHope.com ArtKillingApathy.com 

TIA TAURERE-CLEARSKY

—Collaborator on video projects

Tia Taurere-Clearsky of Whaea Productions is Indigenous from the Ngā Puhi/Te Aupouri Nations of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Tia edited a beautiful short film from Aotearoa NZ in the Maori language called Te Wao Nui, The Great Forest, as well as assisting on a Theatre Replacement project with the installing and cuing of multiple video projections for an interactive exhibition. Tia has also begun preproduction for Coyote Science season 3, a children’s show for the indigenous channel APTN, and she was part of the editing team for seasons 1 and 2 for which she was nominated Best Editor of a Children’s series at the Leo Awards for both seasons. Another excellent indigenous short film Tia edited is Whale, shot in Nuuchahnulth Territory, Vancouver Island.  Two short Indigenous films, edited by Tia, premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festivals in 2019. One of her passions is striving to create International Solidarity by building synergies between Indigenous Creative communities. She believes in working towards Self Determination for all peoples, through Creative Resistance and Creative Communications. Tia has skills in multi media production, critical analysis of the world we live in today, and a deep respect for our Earth Mother Papatuanuku.