Stories that Strengthen Networks
From June 10 to 12, the Mastercard Foundation brought partners, Indigenous young people, Elders, community leaders, and changemakers together in Saskatoon for the 2026 EleV Network Gathering.
Held under the theme Harnessing Networks for Change, the gathering created space to exchange knowledge, strengthen relationships, and explore how collective action can support Indigenous youth and communities in defining and building their own futures.
The Indigenous Prosperity Foundation was honoured to participate and share how relationship-based communications can help Indigenous entrepreneurship stories reach wider audiences.
Photographer: Tenille Campbell
Webs of Strength
The gathering opened with reflections on webs of strength and reciprocity, and on the understanding that flourishing does not happen in isolation. These teachings reflected the approach IPF brought to the gathering. The conference was thoughtfully designed to bring Indigenous ecosystem partners together to build relationships, exchange best practices, share insights, and learn from one another.
It created meaningful space for organizations working across education, entrepreneurship, community development, philanthropy, and youth engagement to explore how they could better support one another and strengthen their collective impact. Throughout the gathering, it became clear that strong ecosystems are built through trust, shared learning, and a willingness to contribute knowledge for the benefit of the wider network.
Photographer: Tenille Campbell
Storytelling Indigenous Entrepreneurship in Motion
Marylou Linklater, Communications Coordinator at IPF, presented Launchpad: Storytelling Indigenous Entrepreneurship in Motion during the session Communicating Your Impact: Strategies for Digital Media, Media Relations and Reaching Diverse Audiences.
The presentation explored how IPF introduced Launchpad through a communications approach grounded in people, relationships, trust, and community. Rather than focusing only on program features, IPF’s communications strategy centred the people bringing Launchpad to life. The campaign introduced the program gradually, beginning with clear information about what Launchpad is, why it was created, who was involved, and how Indigenous entrepreneurs could participate.
As the campaign developed, the focus expanded to mentorship, community relationships, participant experiences, and the stories behind emerging Indigenous businesses. Watch our Indigenous Launchpad for Entrepreneurs Story video.
Creating a Moment of Connection
A central part of the case study was the first Launchpad Showcase, held during the 2026 NACCA Indigenous Prosperity Forum. The Showcase provided five Indigenous entrepreneurs with an opportunity to present their businesses, speak about their journeys, and connect with mentors, partners, funders, and supporters. Watch our video on IPF's first Launchpad Showcase. Produced with Double Barrel.
For IPF, the Showcase became more than a single event. It became a communications moment that demonstrated what Indigenous entrepreneurship can look like when people are provided with meaningful support, trusted relationships, and space to share their own stories. Through photography, video, social media, participant profiles, partner recognition, and event coverage, IPF was able to extend the experience beyond the room and introduce broader audiences to the entrepreneurs, mentors, and community members involved. The strongest engagement came not from simply promoting a program, but from allowing audiences to see the people, relationships, courage, and ideas behind it.
Photographer: Tenille Campbell
Redefining How We Communicate Impact
The EleV Network Gathering also encouraged participants to think more broadly about how success and impact are understood. Communicating impact is not only about presenting numbers. Data helps demonstrate reach and growth, but stories help people understand what that growth means.
Impact can be found in the confidence someone gains when sharing their business idea for the first time. It can be seen when an entrepreneur finds a mentor who understands their goals, when a participant begins building a network, or when a young person sees someone from their community creating a business and realizes they can do it too.
Photographer: Tenille Campbell
Indigenous prosperity is not built by one person, one organization, or one program. It is strengthened through relationships, shared responsibility, mentorship, partnership, and a long-term commitment to creating pathways for others.
Carrying the Learning Forward
IPF left Saskatoon with a renewed appreciation for the strength of the EleV network and the importance of creating spaces where partners can learn from and support one another.
During the closing, an Elder shared a teaching about embers and the way each one carries warmth, energy, and the potential to keep a fire going. The reflection offered a meaningful way to understand the gathering and the contributions each participant carries back into their work and communities.
Photographer: Tenille Campbell
Like embers brought together, these contributions can sustain momentum and strengthen the networks through which Indigenous young people, entrepreneurs, families, and communities can thrive.
The gathering also reinforced that storytelling can do more than promote an initiative. It can build trust, strengthen relationships, make opportunities more visible, and help people and communities see themselves reflected in the work. IPF is grateful to the Mastercard Foundation, the EleV network, and everyone who generously shared their teachings, experiences, and perspectives throughout the gathering.
Photographer: Tenille Campbell