Building community
with care

Re:VITA is a grassroots, youth-driven organization building belonging, vibrancy, and long-term wellbeing in Edmonton’s Chinatown through events and community action.

Explore our work Get involved

Real Numbers, Real Impact

3,000+
annual visits through our events
120+
volunteers
2,200+
volunteer hours in 2025
Free
public, community-led programming

What we do

Chinatown After Dark

Our flagship monthly arts and culture series transforms Chinatown into a vibrant public gathering place from May to September. Imagine Taste of Edmonton, taking place in a back alley in Chinatown, across 20+ local restaurants.

CTAD brings together music, performances, interactive art, food, and local businesses — centering Asian, Indigenous, newcomer, youth, and 2SLGBTQ+ creatives in free, accessible public space. With thousands attending each season, CTAD challenges stigma and shows what Chinatown can feel like when community leads.

Chinatown Cleanups

Our monthly cleanups are one of the simplest — and most important — things we do.

They’re not just about tidying streets. They’re about showing care for place, building pride, and creating low-barrier ways for people to show up for Chinatown together. Cleanups often end with shared meals and conversations that spark new ideas and relationships.

Join us:
10:45am on the 2nd Saturday of each month
Meet at CO*LAB (9641 102A Ave NW)

Mahjong Nights

Mahjong Nights are about slowing down and making space for connection across generations.

By gathering around a familiar game, we create welcoming, culturally rooted environments where people can meet, learn, and spend time together — whether they’re longtime community members or brand new to Chinatown.

Mahjong Nights are hosted at the Mah Society on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month, from 6pm to late. Please bring a $5 cash donation — and come hungry. They feed us too.

Hope Stoves for Homies

Edmonton winters can be deadly, and shelter capacity is limited. Through Hope Stoves for Homies, we do what we can to support unhoused community members while also reducing neighbourhood fire risks.

Hope Stoves are simple, low-cost heating solutions — large candles set in paint cans — that can be used for warmth and basic cooking. They are intentionally designed so that if tipped over, the wax extinguishes the flame, helping address safety concerns.

During the winter months, we gather regularly to build and distribute Hope Stoves as a collective act of care — doing our best to help people stay warm, safe, and seen.

Chinatown Community Housing Development Initiative

We are working toward a long-term vision of community-owned, affordable housing in Chinatown. If we don’t lead our own development, it’s only a matter of time before we are up against displacement and gentrification.

This initiative focuses on building local capacity, partnerships, and governance models that keep Chinatown affordable, culturally rooted, and community-led — ensuring that the people who bring life to the neighbourhood can continue to live, work, and belong here.

What guides our work

Our projects look different on the surface, but they are all grounded in the same shared beliefs:

Everything we need is already here

We practice asset-based community development. Chinatown’s people, cultures, businesses, stories, and relationships are strengths to be nurtured.

Relationships are built through regular gathering

Belonging doesn’t happen once a year. High-frequency gatherings build trust, care, and shared ownership over time.

Diversity of thought is our strength

We lean into intercultural and intergenerational collaboration. When lived experiences meet with respect, better ideas emerge.

Big dreams require shared effort

We grow through partnerships. The bigger the vision, the bigger the team — artists, businesses, cultural groups, social agencies, and organizers.

Community ownership is essential

Lasting vibrancy requires community control — over space, decision-making, and future direction — including long-term affordability.

Care and joy are radical practices

We ground our work in care, celebration, and joy. Choosing joy and mutual care is both intentional and transformative.

Start by helping out. Stay because you belong.

Re:VITA volunteers and community members together in Chinatown
Step 1 — Volunteer
Help with setup, cleanup, or anything in between. Show up, meet people, and be part of something tangible.
Step 2 — Stay connected
After you’ve met us in person, you’ll be invited into our online community space where volunteers share ideas, collaborate on projects, and find new ways to contribute.
Step 3 — Become a member
Membership opens the door to deeper involvement — shaping projects, building new initiatives, and contributing to the long-term future of Chinatown through shared leadership.