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. […]
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 […]
A PATH TO WELLNESS: NEWCOMER YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH
The Path to Wellness Project aimed to address significant gaps in mental health support for newcomer youth in British Columbia, a group uniquely vulnerable to the challenges of displacement and resettlement. Recognizing the critical need for accessible and culturally informed mental health resources, the project took a holistic approach by combining education, community-building, and direct […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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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