School of Kinesiology students are B.U.I.L.D.ing relationships between people with intellectual disabilities and the UBC community
The 2014 UBC Equity Enhancement Fund results have been announced with thirteen groups receiving funding for new initiatives designed to enhance equity at UBC. Interest was high this year with the Equity and Inclusion office that administers the fund receiving 26 proposals from Vancouver and 10 proposals from the Okanagan.
“We are pleased at the number of high quality applications we received this year,” said Gurdeep Parhar, Acting Associate Vice President, Equity and Inclusion. “The projects chosen are closely aligned with the University’s commitment and responsibilities to enhance equity across campuses and we look forward to seeing the results of these innovative initiatives.”
This year there were a larger number of applications received from the UBC Okanagan and the Equity and Inclusion Office notes the support of Deborah Buszard, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Cynthia Mathieson, Provost and Vice-Principal, and Jenica Frisque, Equity and Inclusion Educator in promoting the funding opportunity.
In the recently released Renewing our Commitment to Equity and Diversity report, it was announced that the 2014/15 Equity Enhancement Fund will receive an additional $50k of funding to better support initiatives to enhance student, faculty and staff competencies and experiences at UBC .
Equity Enhancement Fund 2014 recipients for UBC Vancouver
Project name: B.U.I.L.D. club: Building Understanding of Intellectual Disabilities.
Recipients: School of Kinesiology – Rachel Brodeur, Rhiannon Evans, Kimberley Jung and Emily Ryan
Description: The objective of B.U.I.L.D club will promote involvement in the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games (July 8-12, 2014) and increase awareness of intellectual disabilities amongst students, staff and the University community. They will work to build sustainable relationships with intellectual disability organizations and members of the UBC community.
Project name: 5th Annual F Word Conference.
Recipients: Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice Undergraduate Students Association (GSJUSA) – Meghan McCabe, Krystal Valentine and Caity Goerke
Description: The F Word Conference is a unique, student-run event that fosters the research of undergraduate students interested in feminist thought, as well as feminist scholarship and activism more broadly. It aims to raise awareness about a range of important issues, including but not limited to indigenous studies, queer theory, fat-positivity, anti-racist work, decolonizing methodologies and their intersections with feminisms, social justice, and sexual assault.
Project Name: NEHIYOPASQUAITSIMOWAN POW-WOW (2014)
Recipients: Indigenous Student Association at UBC – Rebecca Doughty and Salia Joseph
Description: In response to the lack of inclusive cultural celebrations at UBC, members from the Indigenous Students Association (InSA) and the First Nations Studies Students Association (FNSSA) will collaborate to host a pow-wow in the fall of 2014. InSA is a student club that encourages and promotes members to engage and learn Indigenous cultural practices while simultaneously building a sense of community through social events.
Project name: Knowing the Land Beneath Our Feet at UBC.
Recipients: First Nations Studies Program – Dr. Daniel Heath Justice, Spencer Lindsay and Sarah Ling
Description: The goal of this project is to facilitate ethical community engagement and make visible the rich Indigenous history of UBC by providing faculty, students, and staff a physical and virtual Indigenous walking tour of the UBC Vancouver campus.
Project name: Inspiring a Career in Health Sciences.
Recipients: MD Undergraduate Program, Faculty of Medicine – Ali Majdzadeh and Michael Jew
Description: The objective of this outreach program is to introduce students from low-income families, in grades 8-10, to a variety of health science programs and activities to inspire career choices in Health Sciences.
Project name: Widening the Circle: Indigenous Pedagogies in Teacher Education.
Recipients: Faculty of Education – Jan Hare and Jo-ann Archibald
Description: This project aims to modify and enhance curriculum experiences in the Teacher Education program through the engagement of Indigenous knowledge holders (e.g., Elders and knowledge keepers). These knowledge keepers will mentor faculty/instructors and model for them, as well as the 680 teacher candidates in the program, the practices of Indigenous pedagogies in a range of undergraduate course settings.
Project name: Emerging Aboriginal Scholars Summer Program
Recipients: Department of Mathematics and First Nations House of Learning – Melania Alvarez and Debra Martel
Description: A five week summer internship program where aboriginal high school students will take courses in math, science and English, work with members of the university community, engage in cultural activities and learn about academic and career possibilities at UBC and beyond.
Project name: Where Are We in the World? Enhancing UBC as a Place for Transformative International Community-Building.
Recipients: St. John’s College (SJC) and Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) – Professor Henry Yu and Amy Perreault
Description: The project will build upon existing strengths at SJC and CTLT to create processes and resources that can be used to foster community and capacity building, to enhance intercultural dialogue and understanding on campus, and to help create a better sense of belonging and place among international graduate students at UBC through flexible learning experiences.
Equity Enhancement Fund 2014 recipients for UBC Okanagan
Project Name: yr’kstmncutəlz “Around the Circle”
Recipients: UBCO Aboriginal Programs and Services – Sandra Young and Dan Odenback
Description: yr’kstmncutəlz “Around the Circle” provides a tangible approach to incorporating Indigenous culture, practices and teaching into campus operations as a means to support and advance Intercultural understanding at UBC Okanagan’s campus.
Project Name: Indigenous Activist Art: Residency Program
Recipients: Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies – Ashok Mathur
Description: The intent of this residency program is to bring together well-established Indigenous artists from across the country to present new work, develop collaborations, and integrate Indigenous methodologies around art and daily process into the fabric of UBC Okanagan and the Kelowna community at large.
Project Name: Women in Engineering at UBC Okanagan
Recipients: School of Engineering – Teija Wakeman and Renee Leboe
Description: The goal of this program is to provide a platform for women to advance their skills required to be successful in their engineering careers.
Project Name: Building a strong intercultural and inclusive campus community
Recipients: International Programs and Services – Denise Chan, Leah Sanford and Philipp Reichert
Description: The project objectives are to increase intercultural understanding, communication and competencies amongst staff, faculty and off-campus service providers who work directly with international, aboriginal and visible minority students by providing a variety of professional development opportunities.
Project Name: AccessABILITY
Recipients: Disability Resource Centre – Gabriel Tobias
Description: The objective is to increase the accessibility of UBC Okanagan’s current fitness facility and to connect the Human Kinetics Department with the Disability Resource Centre and the UBC Okanagan Fitness Facility to connect certified and capable trainers with individuals registered with the Disability Resource Centre.