Rebuilding Trust, One Connection at a Time: How BEKH is Reshaping Outreach in Northern Canada
NBC Entrepreneurship Team (left to right):
Richard McAloney, Tracy Hall, Cynthia Williams, and Fryderyk Paczkowski.
In Canada’s northernmost communities, where the distances are vast and the networks tight-knit, reaching Black entrepreneurs requires more than sending out surveys or organizing webinars. It demands a deliberate, hands-on approach to outreach — one that the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (BEKH) has steadily refined through patience, partnership, and persistence.
When Tracy Hall joined BEKH in 2023, she faced a fundamental question: how do you engage Black entrepreneurs in a region where roads are sparse, flights are costly, and historical distrust runs deep?
“The traditional outreach models simply didn’t work here,” Hall explains. “We needed to be physically present and to build relationships from the ground up.”
The northern region, covering Northern British Columbia and the territories, had unique logistical and cultural realities. Many business owners operated without heavy reliance on social media, favoring in-person interactions over digital visibility. Previous encounters with outside organizations had often ended in disappointment, leaving communities reluctant to engage.
Recognizing these realities, BEKH shifted tactics. Instead of centralized events, the team leaned into direct relationship-building, collaborating with local institutions such as the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and Yukon University. These partners, rooted in the realities of northern life, became critical allies.
“They understood the landscape — not just the geography, but the nuances of trust-building,” says Hall.
The outreach extended beyond traditional academia. BEKH worked with a Francophone association in Prince George, opening new channels to French-speaking newcomers and entrepreneurs who had been previously sidelined.
What started as an outreach initiative evolved into something more lasting. Insights gathered from conversations with entrepreneurs revealed consistent needs: mentorship, financial support, and accessible, region-specific resources.
In response, BEKH supported the creation of the Magnifying Black Voices mentorship and bursary program at UNBC. Designed for both domestic and international Black students, it pairs financial assistance with mentorship — a deliberate strategy to address not only material needs but also the isolation often felt in the North.
One of the most ambitious next steps is a business conference planned for early March. The event will be offered in a hybrid format, mindful of the travel barriers that define the North. It will bring together established Black entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners, creating a forum for mentorship and peer connection.
“We’re trying to build something that lasts beyond a single project cycle,” Hall emphasizes.
Another key initiative is the development of a resource guide tailored to northern entrepreneurs. Rather than funneling them to services concentrated in major urban centers, the guide will connect entrepreneurs to regional support systems.
The work has exposed an urgent need to rethink conventional outreach practices. Hall suggests that future research initiatives start with the hardest-to-reach communities rather than treating them as an afterthought.
“Building trust takes time,” she says. “It’s not just about gathering data; it’s about creating relationships that outlast the research.”
While BEKH’s northern outreach is still evolving, its early results suggest a promising model for how institutions can engage meaningfully with communities often left on the margins. Through targeted partnerships, sustained presence, and a willingness to listen first, BEKH is setting a new standard for outreach that prioritizes connection.
“The work doesn’t end when the survey closes,” Hall concludes. “That’s when it begins.”