#BeTheDrum is an Entrepreneurial Outreach and Navigation Program developed by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC). It is designed to build skills of Indigenous women and gender-diverse people entering the spheres of business, management, and entrepreneurship.

Since 2012, the NWAC has hosted several AWBEN conferences to improve business, management, and entrepreneurship skills for Indigenous women and gender-diverse people. One request from past participants asked for ongoing support in the form of peer mentoring and navigation–hence, #BeTheDrum was born!

For most Indigenous people, the sound of a drum stirs a sense of belonging. Drumming provides a feeling of great joy in knowing we are all connected, and provides a sense of hope and community. The drum calls us to unite for healing, strength, and momentum toward greatness.

We are contributors, inventors, craftspeople, and most importantly problem solvers. #BeTheDrum is a calling to existing, and prospective, entrepreneurs to come alive with determination, strengthened through support of peer mentorship and navigation. Together we build solutions to bring our nation forward–to lift our communities and to break a new trail toward prosperity.

The impact of such support will increase the likelihood of business survival past the start-up phase, into successfully enterprise, and finally leading to higher presence in the economic landscape of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.