S.O.U.N.D.S. initiates the good working relationships within the community for the purpose of self improvement in the native family structure. To encourage Status, Non-Status, Metis, and Inuit to participate in the wholistic healing of cultures in their personal and community affairs. To encourage transient native population and local residents of the community to participate in joint ventures in an attempt to eliminate and resolve their cross cultural attitudes and intergrating lifestyles. To encourage the public to take an informed interest in helping to promote these objectives and general well-being of the First Nations people and to sensitize the community service agencies to their social and cultural values. To communicate and exchange information with other native organizations in the district.
Some of the ongoing projects the society conducts are: workshops, medicine wheel presentations, faciliate anger management courses as well as to help develop skills and confidence within the native community.
Joyce Gray is the president of the society and conducts the day to day operation of the centre. Gray's work takes her throughout the district facilitating and convening seminars and instructional liaison between the native and non-native cultures. "In the beginning we knew there was no agency for Aboriginals in the South Okanagan catchment area for access to services that are conventional to the native community. Now that we have established a strong connection for the society, we can only move forward from here. We will continue to solidify our interconnectedness by networking and community building with respect to cultural diversity."
Dorothy Ward is a social worker for the Penticton Indian Band as well as a active member of S.O.U.N.D.S. and community service agencies in the South Okanagan Catchment Area. Ward stated"The number of transient off-reserve natives increases in the summertime because people of native ancestory come to the Okanagan to pick fruit. Also, most people on the reserve are related to those who do couselling there, and it makes it difficult when they have to go to a relative. It would be better if they could go to someone who is not a family member and the urbanized centre is good for this."
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