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…

Shannon Permal recently won the Shakti Award for Volunteering (Youth) for her community involvement this year. “I have become heavily involved with youth-related projects and initiatives through my involvement in a couple of different organizations,” Permal says, speaking of her varied volunteer endeavours. Background Born and raised in Surrey, Permal has roots in the South…