One of the greatest assets I gained here in Vancouver is to get to know how to work with people on the ground. I was serving in headquarters and capitals. In this environment, you know the people you engage with. You expect a certain knowledge level from your counterparts, whether they’re in government or are diplomats. So it was the first time to work with ‘Real People’, citizens who live and DO NOT think like diplomats.

Consider how your family’s journey has shaped who you are today” is the request shared at the base of the large velvet red banner at the entrance to the small gallery coated in black paint. Framed photos in birch hang in neat disorder, like the way a family would hang a mass of images in their living room. Voices emit a combination of anger, hope and sadness in the background, while fragments of their lives flash across a projected screen.