| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What's Going On with YWIM
Summer 2026 Update
August 1, 2026
Upcoming Events
Request for Expressions of Interest
Membership year – reminder
Dawson City Honky Tonk Music Camp - August 5 - 7
Celebrating White Water Wednesdays
New Horizons Funding Application
CRA number
Raven Recycling
We’ve been busy! We had a very successful Arts in the Park concert, two fabulously well attended Cookshacks, Jamfest has opened registration (see below for details), Shirley Anne is busy moving the other projects along, and the Songbook used by YWIM at the Cookshacks and Normandy Living has been updated. Thanks Susie Ross and team!
1. Events for YWIM 2026/7 Season:
Cookshack Sessions: August 7-8 Teslin Lake; August 21-22 Moose Creek.
With Friday night singalong at 7pm
https://ywim.ca/cook-shack-
JamFest – Labour Day Weekend: September 4-6, 2026
Registration now open! Earlybird rate to Aug. 3
Still being scheduled:
Intergenerational Singalongs for kiddos and elders of all ages - coordinated by Lianne Cranfield
Three Senior Singalongs at our Long Term Care Facilities – coordinated by Jill Murdoch
House concerts in the fall and early new year
Other workshops involving playing together, leading jams, song writing and more!
Workshops in Southern Lakes and other rural communities
Watch for updates @ ywim.ca
Major funding has come from: Lotteries Yukon, Yukon Arts Fund, and New Horizons for Seniors, Government of Canada
2. Request for Expressions of Interest:
YWIM would like to hear from members who may have an interest in potential casual, ‘fair wage’ positions over the remainder of 2026 and early 2027. Some work may take place in the Southern Lakes and other rural communities, while other events will be in Whitehorse.
Event Coordinator tasks typically include: Workshop/event design and implementation based on YWIM Board planning, hiring and working with facilitators, securing venues and other relevant tasks in consultation with the project manager. Could also include facilitating in some cases. Coordinators typically manage a small budget, arrange payment of sub-contractors and report on outcomes after events conclude.
Facilitators: If you’re skilled at mentoring others to play together, leading jams and/or singalongs, we’re creating a list of interested members to forward to Event Coordinators for their information.
For more information, or to submit a letter indicating your interest and relevant skills, please reach out to: Shirley Anne, Project Manager, YWIM New Horizons for Seniors Project, at:
3. Yukon Women in Music’s MEMBERSHIP YEAR is currently from July 1- June 30. Performers are required to be paid-up members . For others: Please consider that membership is a very important indicator of value to funders. Ways to update your membership:
E-transfer to: yukonwomeninmusic@gmail.com. Please put MEMBERSHIP in subject line.
Go to: https://www.yukonwomeninmusic.
4. Klondyke Institute of Art & Culture is hosting the Dawson City Honky Tonk Music Camp. For all the wonderful details, go to: https://kiac.ca/calendar-of-
5. Celebrating Whitewater Wednesdays!
Help Honor Peggy Hannifan and 30 Years of Whitewater Wednesday on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at the Yukon Arts Centre
https://yukonartscentre.com/
6. New Horizons Funding Application – An application has been submitted to continue YWIM’s community outreach and music development programming for 2027-2028. Let’s hope!!
7. YWIM CRA – apparently YWIM has a CRA account except no one knows the number!! Did you set it up? Do you know who did? Please email arlin.mcf@gmail.com Intel is desperately needed.
8. Raven Recycling – remember your donations help the Cookshack Sessions. Please donate.
Your YWIM Board: Arlin McFarlane, Hannah Roth, Colleen Arnison, Élise Brown-Desault, Hannah Wilkie
June 2026 Update
June Update to Members
June 1, 2026
- Announcing Busy Season of Activity
- Hiring Project Manager: Shirley Anne Watts-Haase
- Membership year – reminder
- Deb Bergman Scholarship Fund
- Celebrating White Water Wednesdays
- Raven Recycling
1. YWIM has an astounding number of events coming up this year including:
- July 5th noon, hosting Arts in the Park with a Cookshack style event featuring Kim Rogers, Donna Durand, Lindy Jo Aston, and Sara MacDonald with special guest Jill Murdoch
- Four Cookshack Sessions with a special new Friday night sing-a-long at 7pm
- JamFest – Labour Day Weekend
- Three Senior Sing-a-longs at our Long Term Care Facilities
- Three house concerts in the fall and early new year
- Support to the ongoing jamming at Normandy with an updated songbook
- Other workshops involving playing together and song writing
- Workshops in 4 Yukon communities
Major funding has come from: Lotteries Yukon, Yukon Arts Fund, and New Horizons for Seniors, Government of Canada.
***Our website will have more details as they develop.
2. Shirley Anne Watts-Haase has been hired as Project Manager to oversee delivery of these projects. Thanks Shirley Anne!!
3. Yukon Women in Music’s MEMBERSHIP YEAR is currently from July 1- June 30. Please consider renewing your membership. The website will have more information form renewing membership. Please remember that you should be a paid up member to perform.
4. Deb Bergman Scholarship Fund - $2209 was deposited recently from donatons. Thanks all
5. Celebration of 30 years of White Water Wednesday – Save the date of August 8 at the Yukon Arts Centre. Thanks Peggy Hanifan for all your loving service.
6. Raven Recycling – remember your donations help the Cookshack Sessions. Please donate.
May 2026 Update
May 2026 ~ Update to Members
- Call out for Arts in the Park performance opportunity
- Cookshacks Update
- General Update
- Board Update
Arts in the Park performance opportunity
Yukon Women in Music will be hosting an Arts in the Park performance in LePage Park on June 5 at noon. We are using the opportunity to promote our Cookshacks events in Yukon parks. We are looking for 5 solo performers to prepare three songs each. Compensation of $250 will come from AIP. Much the same as Cookshacks, this will be round robin. Candidates will be chosen on a first come first serve basis. We would also like to finish with a song by BJ MacLean called Moose Meat and Guitars. We’ll provide chords and lyrics and ask everyone to contribute to a sing along. Deadline to apply, Monday May 4th at midnight.
Cookshacks Update
Cookshacks now have all performers. Thanks to all who stepped up so quickly. Dates and locations on website, check there or Facebook. NEW ADDITION this year: Friday night, sing along for anybody and everybody. Meet in the Cookshack 7pm. Song sheets provided and led by one of the weekend performers. Bring an instrument if you wish but the focus is on audience involvement in singing along. Everyone welcome. Email yukonwomeninmusic@gmail.com Remember: first come first served.
General Update
YWIM will soon be releasing details about the upcoming year. We are lucky to have found funding to support a growth in our regular projects of Cookshacks and Jamfest. Additionally we are planning some Home Concerts, Song Writing Workshops, Workshops at Care facilities, Updates to the Normandy Living songbook, Learn to Jam workshops and more. We are looking forward to sharing more details with you soon. It has been very busy on the board front!
Board Update
Join me in welcoming Hannah Wilkie to the board! Thanks Hannah, we are happy to have you.
Your YWIM Board: Arlin McFarlane, Hannah Roth, Coleen Arnison, Élise Brown-Desault, Hannah Wilkie.
February 2026 Update
February 2026 ~ Update to Members
- New Horizons Funding Surprise
- What the Summer holds for Cookshacks
- April Fundraising Concert
- Three-Year Plan
- Coffeehouse Fundraiser
- Board News
- Opportunities to get involved
- Call for Submissions, Women in the Studio
New Horizons Funding Surprise
YWIM submitted a funding application to New Horizons in 2024 which was somehow lost. Then, a year later, it got a tracking number and a contract and a pot of money which will help us with this year’s programming! We are grateful though we are still waiting for the cheque. We are in the preliminary stages of planning. More soon.
What the summer holds for Cookshacks
Christina Mae and Amelia will be producing two Cookshacks for YWIM this summer. They will have all the features that we are familiar with: jamming, workshops, performance. In addition the board will hire someone to produce two “Little Sister” events, one on each side of the Cookshacks. This is in the preliminary stages but jamming will definitely be part of it and hopefully camping too. No dates for any of this yet.
Friday, April 10th Fundraising Concert
Annie and Arlin are once again producing our annual fundraising concert at the Whitehorse United Church Sanctuary. A call out for performers will be sent out early March. Stay tuned.
Three Year Plan
Our amazing four person board managed to put together a three-year plan. We are still reviewing it and will share soon. Our goal is to build a more sustainable organization with a paid part-time contractor on a year-round basis to administer projects and stabilize fundraising applications. This is a strong focus and vision and hard to do with only four people! We are optimistic however and taking steps to organize ourselves. Having the recent magic money from New Horizons helps us to focus on the future as opposed to being behind the eight ball for this year’s programming.
Coffeehouse Fundraiser
YWIM raises funds by providing the concession for the monthly coffee houses at the United Church. People are needed to both bake cookies or cake or some other yummy confection and to help out at the event. (First Saturday of the month except for March, first Friday). Please consider helping. Email Mary Tiessen metiessen@gmail.com THANKS MARY!
Board News
Heather Holdsworth has had to resign. We thank her for her work and wish her good luck with her Masters Degree and family.
Get Involved
Want to get involved with some of our projects? Here are some of the current opportunities, more coming soon:
- Folk Night Coffeehouse Fundraiser - we’re looking for volunteers to bring baked goods and volunteers to run the concession. Contact metiessen@gmail.com
- Write a support letter for our grant applications for cookshacks or jamfest
- Interested in planning and organizing one of our projects? Add yourself to our list of potential contractors by emailing yukonwomeninmusic@gmail.com - more information coming soon
- Join our board (note from Hannah & Elise: please?)
- Join us for a board meeting! If you love YWIM and want to influence our projects, you can join us and give your input. Email us if you’re interested.
Call for Submissions:Women in the Studio
Deadline: February 9th
Presented by Music Publishers Canada, the Women in the Studio National Accelerator is designed to provide women and non-binary songwriter/producers with skills development and networking opportunities that may otherwise be inaccessible to them. The Accelerator will run from June to October 2026 with virtual sessions and workshops and an in-person residency over five days in the summer in Toronto.
Click Here! Or https://docs.google.com/forms/
Your board,
Arlin, Hannah, Colleen and Elise.
Cookshack Sessions 2023
Last YWIM Cookshack 2022
Come out for our final Cookshack session at Twin Lakes!
Cook Shack Sessions 2022
We are excited to present the Cook Shack Sessions in 2022! Free Intimate family friendly concerts and visual art in unique Yukon campgrounds. Don't take our word for it, read this glowing review from some happy campers:
"During our last visit in 2018, we were wowed by a "Yukon Women in Music" presentation at one of your [territorial] parks. Who would expect to hear recording-quality musicians perform for hours in an informal acoustic setting at a rustic campground without internet or cell coverage? The music quality and intimacy was one of the more memorable experiences of our trip, and we have told that story about Yukon Parks to probably hundreds of people as we travel the US and Canada."
May 21st- Drury Creek
July 23rd- Congdon Creek
August 20th- Teslin Lake
Sept 10th- Twin Lakes
To apply as an artist, or to sell your CD's at the sessions, make sure your membership is up to date and email us at yukonwomeninmusic@gmail.com
YWIM AGM is just around the corner...October 5th!
Join us for our Annual General Meeting, October 5th...in person or virtually!
Social time: 5:30pm
Business meeting: 6pm
This is your best chance to hear what we've been up to over the past year, and to hear what we have in the works for the upcoming year. Memberships ($30/year) can be purchased at the in-person meeting, or online at: ywim.ca
Past, present and aspiring new members are welcome!
In-Person: Gold Rush Inn (appies will be served)
Online: Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwucOyqpj8jGtUlChfkjXh0jbfQXKTGZq3Z
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
JamFest 2021 registration is now open! September 10 - 12, at the Marsh Lake Community Centre. Everything you need to know about this year's retreat is on our website at: ywim.ca, on our "JAMFEST 2021" page. We hope to see you there!
