Steppe to Screen: Language Preservation Project
This gamified language education program provided children from the Kazakh-Canadian community in Vancouver with opportunities to connect to their language and culture. With the support of volunteers, children designed a learning application (http://steppe2screen.com) for learning Kazakh. UBC Student Project Leads: Kamila Maral and Zhanerke Zhumash Community Partner: Qazaq BC Grant Type: Chapman & Innovation Grant Year […]
Digital Bridges: Intergenerational Tech Empowerment Program
This intergenerational digital literacy program responded to a well-documented and urgent community need to support elderly Chinese immigrants with challenges in aging, navigating language barriers, and adapting to a rapidly digitizing world. Youth volunteers taught seniors scam prevention, safe use of artificial tools, and more – all while building their own leadership, teaching, and cross-cultural […]
Kits Kids Cook!
This project aimed to strengthen children’s food literacy by providing accessible, inclusive, and hands-on opportunities to learn about nutrition and cooking through Kitsilano Neighbourhood House’s low-cost summer camp. Workshops paired nutrition education with a hands-on cooking or food activity to encourage children to explore ingredients, develop practical skills, and build positive experiences with food. UBC […]
Therapeutic Tunes: Live Music for Hospice and Long-Term Care Residents
This project delivered outdoor live music events for hospice clients and long-term care residents to spend meaningful time with loved ones in a relaxed, non-clinical environment. This helped reduce social isolation, provided opportunities for families to gather, and established a foundation for future music-based programming within the Surrey Hospice Society UBC Student Project Lead: Aasim Khan […]
The Legacy of Resilience Mural
This community-engaged art project was developed in partnership with Hazel Trembath Elementary School in Coquitlam following the school fire on October 14, 2023. The project aimed to help students maintain a sense of belonging and connection to their school community while their school remained displaced at Winslow Centre. UBC Student Project Lead: Aida Ghapanchizadeh Community […]
Empowered Aging: Digital Health and Chronic Care Navigation for Seniors
The Healthy Aging Collective is a student-led initiative founded by two UBC medical students with a goal of improving health literacy among older adults. This work is grounded in the belief that health education should go beyond simply sharing medical information – helping older adults recognize important health changes, understand prevention strategies, navigate available resources, […]
FROM CLASSROOM TO CAREER: AN ACCESSIBLE ONLINE CURRICULUM & TOOLKIT FOR NEWCOMER STUDENTS
This project created an accessible online toolkit to help newcomer high school students navigate BC’s post‑secondary and career pathways. Developed with the North Vancouver School District and the Edify Foundation, it offers clear guidance through videos, curricula, and multilingual resources, which will remain available online to support long‑term community impact. UBC Student Project Lead: Amir Hosseini […]
ACCESSIBLE CONTENT WITH THE FAMILY NETWORK FOR DEAF CHILDREN
The project is a community‑engaged accessibility initiative that redesigned the Family Network for Deaf Children website and created ASL‑first informational videos to better serve Deaf and Hard of Hearing children, youth, and families. It centered language justice, co‑creation with Deaf youth, and sustainable digital accessibility infrastructure. The project aimed to rebuild the website and create […]
SCALING CREATIVITY: EXPANDING ACCESS TO ARTS FOR COMMUNITY WELL-BEING IN THE DTES
This project centers on expanding low‑barrier, arts‑based wellness spaces for women and gender‑diverse residents in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), using creative expression as a pathway to connection, healing, and community building. The grant supported 39 workshops across six DTES sites, including women‑only and gender‑diverse spaces. These workshops ranged from UV‑resin jewelry to weaving, painting, lanyard‑making, […]
VANDU LITERACY CIRCLE
This project aimed to support and address longstanding inequities in literacy access, especially for older adults, people with limited formal education, and community members affected by poverty, colonialism, and the toxic drug crisis, and develop civic engagement among residents of the Downtown Eastside. The curriculum blended practical literacy skill‑building with culturally and politically relevant content […]
NEWCOMER HEALTH LITERACY PROJECT
This project aimed to address disparities in healthcare access among immigrant and refugee women in Canada. The project involved 6 online workshops and 4 cohorts of in-community sessions organized for around 150 women, focused on building basic literacy on healthcare topics such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer screening, mental health, vaccinations, and nutrition. These sessions aimed […]
GOLDEN YEARS: EMPOWERING HEALTHY AGING
This project delivered a series of workshops on healthy aging, covering topics such as stroke prevention, nutrition, osteoarthritis, and senior loneliness. Co-designed with community input and UBC researchers, the sessions combined scientific knowledge with practical strategies, drawing 50+ participants per workshop and fostering strong connections between seniors and the academic community. UBC Student Project Lead: James […]
UNLOCKING FUTURES
This project aimed to strengthen reintegration support for individuals navigating probation, bail, and post-incarceration challenges, and address how Indigenous peoples are disproportionately represented in correctional facilities across BC. By analyzing over 700 client records, this project identified service patterns and outcomes that informed the creation of a pamphlet distributed in correctional facilities, legal clinics, and […]
ARTS BASED WILDLIFE RECOVERY IN THE DOWNTON LAKE WILDFIRE AREA
This project, in partnership with the Bridge River Valley Community Association, brought together artists, researchers, and residents to explore post-wildfire recovery through creative expression and community dialogue in the Bridge River Valley Community in the aftermath of the Downton Lake fire. The three-day resulting FireWeave Festival featured workshops, guided hikes, art installations, and a community […]
TOGETHER WE GROW: GARDENING FOR ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS, FOOD LITERACY, AND INDIGENOUS WISDOM
This project involved the creation of an after-school program, developed in partnership with Stride Avenue Community School, to address food security and social isolation in high-density Burnaby neighbourhoods. Grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems, participants engaged in land-based experiential learning to deepen their understanding of sustainable food practices and strengthen their connection to their community and […]
UKE CONNECT
This project, in partnership with Burnaby Neighbourhood House, used ukulele learning and public performances to foster connection, joy, and inclusion among older adults, especially those living with dementia. Events like a Ukulele Flash Mob and community showcases helped participants build confidence and express creativity, while also engaging local policymakers in conversations about aging and visibility. […]
STEPS TO FOOD STABILITY: AN AFTER SCHOOL WORKSHOP FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN
This project delivered a series of free, after-school workshops for children ages 5–10 in South Vancouver, focusing on food literacy, nutrition education, and sustainable eating practices. In partnership with South Vancouver Family Place, the program aimed to address food insecurity by equipping families with practical tools and knowledge for healthier, budget-conscious food choices. Each workshop […]
INCLUSIVE AQUATIC LITERACY: EMPOWERING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES THROUGH WATER SAFETY LEARNING
This project, in partnership with the Aquafit For All Association, demonstrated the value of inclusive, community-based aquatic programs that support children with autism and intellectual disabilities. By integrating trained occupational therapists, rehabilitation assistants, and specialized instructors into mainstream swim lessons, it fostered meaningful participation for children with disabilities while building community capacity for inclusive practice. […]
ANTICIPATORY ACTION AND VANCOUVER HEAT WAVES
This project strengthened community preparedness for extreme heat in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood by hosting a cool-kit building station that tailored solutions to vulnerable groups for at-risk for high heat health-related complications, such as seniors, newcomers, and families. UBC Student Project Lead: Sophia Li Community Partner: Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House Grant Type: Connect to Community Grant […]
APNA MELA PROJECT
This project was a youth-led cultural celebration, which brought together over 300 community members to celebrate Punjabi heritage through traditional activities, performances, and intergenerational storytelling. It aimed to combat generational disconnect and social isolation, especially among women and elders, while creating opportunities for youth leadership and expression. UBC Student Project Lead: Manpreet Dhesi and Simran Garcha […]
BRIDGING GAPS IN SPORTS ACCESS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN SURREY
This project expanded the Kids Adaptive Sports Program from Vancouver to Surrey to fill the significant gap in sports opportunities for children with disabilities. In partnership with Taking Strides Vancouver, this project introduced participants to four different sports, providing one-on-one mentorship to help them build skills at their own pace. UBC Student Project Lead: Riley Lam […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]