People from all over the world will be invited to raise gender visibility through online and local affirmative actions towards a non-binary notion of gender on Oct. 21. Registration has started already. International Pronouns Day is a global initiative that understands referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human…

Online dating may give us the ability to connect with people across the world, but it can also present barriers. One University of British Columbia’s (UBC) study found that understanding Canadian humour is one of the major obstacles immigrants face when using dating websites. Siqi Xiao, an international UBC Masters sociology student, was primarily focused…

A co-authored article published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, an online science journal, outlines career strategies for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) researchers working in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB). The article, “Strategies and support for Black, Indigenous, and People of colour in ecology and evolutionary biology,” highlights the low…

Even though Serbian Days takes a break this summer due to COVID-19, members of the local Serbian community and everyone else are still able to experience flavours from the old country. “Hospitality is a big part of our culture,” said Natsa Lazic of the Balkin Bakery. “Food is a big part of the festival but…

The UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs is inviting Canadian youth to produce their own short film this summer for submission to the Storytelling for Change campaign. There’s no cost to enter, big prizes to be won, and invaluable connections to make with mentors from around the world. The contest asks young filmmakers…

The Tanabata + Flea Market event at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre celebrates the popular Japanese star festival, Tanabata. The celebration will be held on Sat., July 4, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. “Tanabata is the tale of two star-crossed lovers, Orihime, the star Vega, and Hikoboshi, the star Altair,” says Yukiko Nishikawa, special…

Interdisciplinary e-journal Ideas and Futures launched in May 2020 with the aim of provoking serious reflection on an uncertain post-COVID world. Founding editors Sadia Abbas and Raza Ahmad Rumi explain that the journal, which evolved out of a COVID-19 working group of scholars, activists, policy analysts, and artists, will serve as a platform for international…

Totem poles are well known as a ubiquitous part of Haida Gwaii artwork, but the traditional wooden sculptures were only reclaimed as part of the island’s culture a half a century ago. “As artists, we are still trying to reconstruct the language we had built and to fully understand it again,” says Christopher Auchter, a…

Although social distancing measures are beginning to ease, too many restrictions are still in place to allow celebrations for Shavuot to take place at syniguages (synagogues). “One of the main reasons behind the festival: we celebrate the receiving of Torah from God to Moses on Mount Sinai,” says Rabbi Carey Brown from Temple Sholom in…

The Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall (VJLS-JH) has the unique distinction of being the only example of confiscated property, including cars, boats, homes, and businesses, that was returned to the Japanese Canadian community at the end of the Internment period during and after World War II. As one of the only physical links…

Each year on May 9, Armenians from Vancouver and around the world will be recognizing Victory and Peace Day, celebrating the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in the Second World War. “It’s a celebration of happiness,” says Serge Maranjyan, owner of Lamajoun, an Armenian bakery/cafe in Richmond which he runs with his family. “People are…

Chilean-Canadian bilingual writer Carmen Rodríguez has been nominated for the YWCA Women of Distinction Award this year under the Arts, Culture & Design division for her trailblazing work in the field of literature. Rodríguez spent her early childhood in both the southern Chilean city of Valdivia where she was born in 1948 and in the…