SAFAR WITH PRIDE
This project addresses the social challenges faced by queer South Asians—particularly the lack of culturally relevant, accessible, and affirming educational resources. Rather than relying solely on traditional in-person programming, this project embraced a digital-first approach in creating the Desi Queer Online Learning Hub – making resources available to anyone, anywhere, anytime. UBC Student Project Lead: Simrat […]
GREEN CAREERS FOR YOUTH: VIDEO SERIES
This project sought to bridge systemic barriers faced by underrepresented communities in accessing green jobs. The project produced six impactful episodes and seven supplementary social media posts, amplifying key themes of climate justice, circularity, urban sustainability, and ecological restoration. By leveraging storytelling and social media, the project created lasting resources for youth empowerment and contributed […]
EXPRESSIONS OF RESILIENCE: ART FOR WELL-BEING IN THE HEART OF THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE
This project utilized art as a vehicle to amplify well-being within the Downtown Eastside while supported the inclusion of Indigenous-centred workshops, led by duly compensated community members. By bridging the gap between survival-focused services and holistic well-being, this project created meaningful opportunities for creative expression, community connection, and personal empowerment among women facing significant life […]
BREAKING DOWN LANGUAGE BARRIERS AND EXPANDING RESEARCH DIVERSITY
Despite Canada’s embrace of multiculturalism, language barriers remain a common experience, compromising one’s fundamental autonomy, voice, and rights. By offering accessible translation services and eing integrated in both healthcare and research, this project sought to advance health equity in British Columbia and improve the health outcomes for under-served, minority, and other marginalized communities. UBC Student […]
COOKING UP STEAM IN RURAL BRITISH COLUMBIA WITH FLAVOURFUL SCIENCE
This project successfully delivered engaging, hands-on workshops to rural schools in British Columbia, addressing critical educational gaps in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). Recognizing that rural students face significant barriers to accessing STEAM education—including limited resources, geographic isolation, and reduced exposure to STEAM career pathways. This project aimed to bridge these gaps and […]
BELLA BELLA PHYLO(MON) DIGITAL CARD GAME
Indigenous knowledge, defined as “an ancient, communal, holistic and spiritual knowledge that encompasses every aspect of human existence” (Brascoupé and Mann, 2001), plays a crucial role in shaping one’s self-identity, a community’s uniqueness, and connection with the world (Harbord et al., 2022). This project aims to safeguard Indigenous knowledge and facilitate its transmission through culturally […]
SEEDS OF HOPE
For many, living in an urban area comes at the expense of developing a meaningful relationship and connection with nature. To raise consciousness and plant seeds of connectedness, garden workshops and community gatherings were held to empower youth in the Guilford community to cultiavte a personal and reciprocal relationship with nature. UBC Student Project Lead: Kiara […]
SEXUAL HEALTH WORKSHOPS FOR HOMELESS YOUTH
Sexual health workshops provided by healthcare experts, resources, and care packages were offered to homeless youth to promote safe sex practices. Workshops and resource creation centred on diverse, inclusive, and non-binary sexual health and education. UBC Student Project Leads: Sriya Srivastava, Nana Yamamoto Community Partner: Covenant House Vancouver Grant Type: Connect 2 Community Grant Year of […]
IMMIGRANT WOMEN’S ACCESS TO SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY COMPASS
This project empowered the voice of immigrant and refugee women in sharing their experiences navigating sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) in British Columbia. Through interviews and group discussions, immigrant and refugee women were invited to share their ability to access and utilize SRH services, including appointments with physicians, testing, procedures, and other resources. This information […]
GENDER-INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE IN FRENCH
Gender-inclusive French language workshops were offered at two local secondary schools to provide students with a toolkit to be better allies in and outside the classroom. Workshops invited students to read a French comic book (“Le Voyage D’Alex”) exploring the experiences of a non-binary character in their journey of self-discovery, navigating challenges, and finding their […]
PROMOTING EYE-GAZE DEVICE IN RARE DISEASE COMMUNITY
People with certain neurodegenerative diseases or injuries such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Rett Syndrome frequently experience a loss of motor control and speech, severely impacting their ability to communicate with others. Eye-gaze devices support communication for people experiencing these impairments by tracking eye-movements on a screen to select and vocalize words. It is […]
PROMOTING HEALTH LITERACY IN NEWCOMER CHILDREN
Immigrant and refugee populations in Canada often face complex challenges in accessing health literacy due to language barriers and the navigation of different cultural views of science and health approaches. Health literacy is important to early health promotion, education to empower patients to self-advocate, and prevent treatment non-compliance. This project helped decrease gaps in health […]
COMMUNITY BAKING WORKSHOPS
Free baking workshops were offered to vulnerable populations in Vancouver to create opportunities for social connection and community inclusion for people experiencing housing instability, developmental disabilities, criminal justice involvement, and mental health concerns. Through sharing experiences in baking delicious food, these workshops created a supportive environment which helped decrease social isolation within marginalized communities and […]
RICHMOND COMMUNITY HEAT RELIEF STATION
Extreme weather events in recent years have disproportionately impacted vulnerable and marginalized community members, including seniors, low-income households, and new immigrants. This project hosted cooling stations which provided immediate heat relief to community members by offering cooled refreshments, sunscreens, hand fans, and resources on extreme heat protection. These events further helped raise about how to […]
GENCONNECT APNA MELA
The Apna Mela 2024 was a free festival created to increase intergenerational connections between youth and seniors within local South Asian and Punjabi communities. This festival focused on decreasing social isolation among seniors in these communities by creating opportunities for youth and seniors to connect over workshops centred around culture, food, heritage, and traditions. UBC […]
EMPOWERING INDIGENOUS YOUTH THROUGH STEMM WORKSHOPS
A free workshop series was curated and offered to Indigenous Youth, ages 13 to 21, across Metro Vancouver to learn more about STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) careers directly from Indigenous professionals working in these industries. These professionals presented on their career journey, answered questions, and offered career guidance. Resources discussing Indigenous educational and […]
TAKING STRIDES – TOWARDS INCLUSIVE SPORTS FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES
Although affordable sports programs are often available for younger children with disabilities, these programs frequently have age cutoffs that shut out older youth with disabilities (YWD) from participating. This project collaborated with the Taking Strides Children Foundation to increase accessibility of summer programs for older YWD by offering sports sessions led by professional coaches experienced […]
“EVERY OTHER MONDAY” EAST VAN MIGRANT WORKERS POETRY COLLECTIVE
The East Van Migrant Workers Poetry Collective is a project which invited migrant workers across the Joyce-Collingwood neighbourhood area to form a solidarity network of mutual aid, political education (e.g. tenant rights workshops), and cultural-oriented craft work (e.g. poetry reading/writing). Poetry writing sessions, events, and zines were organized and created to offer migrant workers creative […]
WELLNESS POD: HEALTHY TEACHERS HEALTHY CHILDREN
Teachers and advisors make up 7% of the workforce in BC, and there has been little focus on improving working conditions to support their mental health. Carolina’s project hopes to bring the conceptualized “Wellness Pod” to life, a space designed with biophilic principles in mind meant to maximize wellness recuperation throughout an educator’s day. The […]
COLLABORATING WITH THE NISGA’A VALLEY TO INDIGENIZE CHANGE BC
In partnership with the Nisga’a Valley Health Authority, Truman’s project aims to facilitate the incorporation of Indigenous-led, traditional, and land-based physical activities within kinesiology exercise prescriptions normally delivered in primary care settings. By engaging with 4 Nisga’a communities through discussions and sharing circles, traditional and/or land-based physical activities will be identified and implemented in collaboration […]
EQUIPPING SOUTH-ASIAN YOUTH WITH CULTURALLY-SENSITIVE OVERDOSE RESPONSE AND PREVENTION TRAINING
Together with the Students Overcoming Substance Use Disorder and Addictions Society of Canada, this project sought to address the ongoing substance use and overdose crisis in the South Asian community. Through a culturally sensitive workshop series, high-school students from 4 different schools were equipped with overdose response and prevention training. The workshops were available in […]
EMPOWERING NEWCOMER COMMUNITIES WITH ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LEARNING RESOURCES
With the growing rate of newcomers joining the Vancouver community, there arose a need to develop more English language learning resources to better equip volunteers with the tools they need to support the newcomer community. To meet this need, an online webpage was developed, in partnership with ISSofBC as the central platform for volunteers to […]
BUILDING CAPACITY AMONG MIGRANT WORKERS THROUGH ENGLISH LANGUAGE WORKSHOPS
Migrant agricultural workers (MAWs) have historically worked within challenging environments and faced a multitude of barriers accessing safety-training, information about workers’ rights and knowledge pertaining to emergency preparedness. This project aimed to bridge this gap by providing culturally appropriate occupational health and safety workshops along with English language classes tailored to emergencies. Through this initiative, […]
MALE-INCLUSIVE SUICIDE RESPONSE TRAINING PROGRAM
In Canada, men are reported to have the highest rates of death by suicide and despite this heightened risk, there is a clear lack of male-inclusive mental health response programs nationally. In partnership with the Canadian Centre for Men and Families Vancouver (CCMF-V), free male-inclusive suicide response training program workshops were facilitated across British Columbia […]
IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR MEN: TRAUMA AND GENDER-INFORMED COACHING
The harmful stigmas associated with male mental health has led to alarming rates of suicide and depression amongst men and the absence of adequate support systems for especially vulnerable populations. To address this issue, 12 volunteers were trained in compassion, trauma and gender-informed coaching principles to provide structured one-on-one services for clients. Working with the […]
BLACK ACCESS NETWORK
In partnership with Black Block Association (BBA), Delali’s project, “Hire Black Youth Initiative”, facilitated greater access to career opportunities for black youth in Vancouver. In partnership with organizations that pledge to support the representation and empowerment of black youth, an online job matching platform was created, featuring access to mentorship, skills training and skills development […]
INCREASING ACCESS AND REPRESENTATION: VOLENTIA HEALTHCARE TRANSLATION
Each year, over 300,000 new immigrants from diverse sociocultural backgrounds relocate to Canada. Language barriers remain a significant obstacle to the provision of equitable healthcare among these communities. By partnering with S.U.C.C.E.S.S, Lynda worked to advance equitable healthcare in Canada by providing free healthcare translation services to immigrants, newcomers, and those with low English-language proficiency, […]
EMPOWERMENT IN HEALTHCARE: VACCINE & HEALTH-RELATED LITERACY WORKSHOPS FOR NEWCOMER WOMEN
Research has highlighted a lack of health literacy in newcomer demographics. This has been exacerbated by frequent changes to guidelines and restrictions seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this collaborative project with PIRS (Pacific Immigrant Resources Society), Emilie created a toolkit of healthcare resources, complete with workshops, infographics, and condensed pamphlets fully translated into multiple […]
NAVIGATING THE PATH TOWARDS POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR REFUGEE AND NEWCOMER YOUTH
This project featured three workshops for newcomer youth transitioning from high school to post-secondary. It featured a guest speaker with lived experience who went on to study law, in addition to others from various professional fields, and a tour of UBC Vancouver’s campus. Additionally, the students were assigned university mentors for support during the university […]
DTES ART ENGAGEMENT PROJECT
This project included eighteen arts and crafts workshops over six months, at various downtown eastside (DTES) locations. The goal of this project was to harness the transformative power of art as a means to alleviate the burden of mental health challenges faced by many DTES residents. This project led to the establishment of the Downtown […]
INDIGENOUS FOOD SYSTEMS & COMMUNITY-BASED LAND STEWARDSHIP
This project worked to improve access to hands-on and land-based learning opportunities about Indigenous food systems and community-based land stewardship for youth. The initiative fostered a sense of empowerment in participants through workshops, field trips, and hands-on opportunities, and fostered a holistic learning experience by inviting Indigenous elders to share their knowledge about the land. […]
SPICING UP SCIENCE
This “Spicing Up Science” trip provided young students with an opportunity to be inspired, excited, and interested in STEM through engaging lessons about a variety of scientific concepts using food – a relatable medium. Together with Flavourful Science, workshops were created to provide interactive and educational lessons within elementary classrooms. Two 3-hour workshops at elementary […]
SERVING THE SURREY FOOD BANK’S TINY BUNDLES PROGRAM
Since 1983, the Surrey Food Bank has been assisting low-income individuals and families who live in Surrey and North Delta by providing bi-weekly food hampers. Tiny Bundles is a program specially designed for pregnant moms and families with babies. Currently, the clients at Surrey Food Bank have increased by 21-22% and donations have decreased by […]
ACCESS TO GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE IN TERRANCE, BC
Foundry Terrace is a hub for trans healthcare. They provide integrated wellness services for youth 12–24 years old. This project worked to 1) connect gender-diverse youth with one another and with the resources Foundry offers, and 2) empower these youth to live full lives with access to information, role models, stories, and supplies. A series […]
THE STREETWAVE SKATEBOARD FEATURE
While the Metro Vancouver skateboard community has grown closer because of this space, it has been more difficult to engage the non-skateboarding community in the neighbourhood. Britannia Courts’ adjacency to Britannia Secondary School presents a unique opportunity to connect the two communities by providing a transformative learning experience for high school students. The Connect to […]
DANCING WITH THE LAND
Audrey worked with the West Moberly First Nations (WMFN) on Dancing with the Land (Nun ke’ Daahwéhsats), a project to advance understanding of how climate change impacts and policies will impact Indigenous self-determination as well as the cultural values/rights associated with terrestrial and aquatic environments. Their work researching climate-action plans and co-creating a research needs […]
EMPOWERING ETHNIC ALBANIANS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
According to the 2021 census the number of ethnic Albanians in Canada is 41,620 with 2000+ individuals in BC. Due to the small population of community that has been scattered across various cities it has been a challenge for them to come together at full capacity. This project has aimed to empower the Albanian community in BC by a few initiatives such as creating informational workshops with focus on health education, employment opportunities as well as settlement information, creation of Albanian business in BC directory as well a launching AlbMentor mentorship program to connect new youth with successful mentor and residents of BC from the community to guide them.
UBC Student Project Lead: Amarildo Ceka
Community Partner: EaglesLand Albanian Cultural Society of BC
Year of Publication: 2023
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LEARNING BUDDIES NETWORK: INDIGENOUS OUTREACH PROJECT
Christian’s project worked with the Learning Buddies Network to make tutoring accessible and affordable to children who attend Bella Bella Community School, an Indigenous school in Bella Bella, BC. They provided children who attend the school with access to free, one-to-one online mentorship and tutoring.
UBC Student Project Lead: Christian San Juan
Community Partner: Learning Buddies Network
Year of Publication: 2022
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