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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
DERMATOLOGY IN ACTION: BRIDGING GAPS IN SKIN HEALTH ACCESS
This project addressed gaps in skin health care for unhoused and underserved individuals in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside by providing skin health kits to the community. This project combined prevention, care, and education to foster awareness of skin health in a population at elevated risk for preventable skin conditions. UBC Student Project Lead: Kimia Ameri Community Partner: […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]