Looking for identity through history

Deconstructing Diaspora: Institute of Asian Art Inaugural Symposium will be taking place at the Vancouver Art Gallery May 18–19. As part of the Marking Place Speaker Series, artist Jin-me Yoon will be giving a talk traversing the 26 years of her practice, exploring ideas of diaspora, nationalism, migration and displacement. Yoon is a visual arts…

Post-graduation migration: non-binary for international students

A new study from the University of British Columbia (UBC) is shedding light on the post-graduation plans of international students: migration plans correlate with concepts of home. Cary Wu, PhD candidate in the department of sociology, conducted the study when he realized there was little research done on where international students go after they graduate.…

App provides digital roadmap to services for refugees

With the growing number of refugees, globally and locally, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) identified a need to bridge the gap between service providers and refugees. That was when PeaceGeeks, a Vancouver-based non-profit organization, stepped in.  Founded in 2010 in Vancouver, PeaceGeeks uses global operations and leverages technology to promote peace. Their…

Play gives voice to refugee experiences

In 1998, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was arrested by the international police and charged with crimes against humanity. Playwright Carmen Aguirre says that this was a turning point for Chileans in Chile and in Vancouver as well. “It led to all kinds of informal gatherings and Chilean refugees here started to talk about everything we’ve…

Gender equality initiatives support minority women

MOSAIC, one of the largest settlement organizations in Canada, is currently holding gender equality training workshops for young women. Chany Chea, is the project coordinator for innovative projects at MOSAIC. Her work covers a variety of areas such as domestic violence counseling, victim services work and relationship violence prevention. While completing her Master’s degree in…

Mankind’s quest for utopia explored through dance

Greek-Canadian choreographer Paras Terezakis will be premiering his work In PENUMBRA as part of the 2017 Vancouver International Dance Festival March 1–4 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.  Terezakis immigrated to Canada from Greece in 1979 where he pursued his dance studies at York University, Toronto Dance Theatre and Simon Fraser University. From a young age,…

Bringing European concepts of architecture to Vancouver

Michael Geller will be hosting his 4th annual lecture series at SFU Harbour Centre on Feb. 15, 2017. This year, the focus will be on higher density housing with insights based on his travels in Europe. Geller is an architect, planner, real-estate consultant and property developer. Born in the UK but raised in Toronto, Geller…

Volunteering provides opportunities to create global impact

The Kitsilano Library will be holding a monthly speaker series where speakers will share their personal experiences with global development. The series titled Together: Stories about the Impact of Global Development, is presented in partnership with Aga Khan Foundation Canada and runs until May. Tina Parbhakar is slated to be a future speaker. Parbhakar is…

SFU students counter extremism through competition

SFU professor Richard Frank decided to run his fourth year Advanced Issues in Cybercrime class a little differently last semester. Instead of the usual lectures, presentations and papers, the class was structured around participating in a counter-extremism competition hosted by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Frank completed a PhD in Computing…

Greek Christmas traditions focus on family and food

Unlike North American Christmas traditions, Greek Christmas traditions are rooted in religion, and it continues to be a heavily religious holiday today. Christougena, which translates to “time of Christ,” is the second most important religious holiday in Greece after Easter. The holiday is a month-long celebration and starts on Dec. 6 (St. Nicholas Day) and…

South Asian culture is more than just bhangra. Photo by Anthony, Flickr

SFU lecture series starts conversation on South Asian stereotypes

This year SFU’s department of history’s annual lecture series will focus on Canada’s 150th birthday. As a part of the lecture series, historian and professor Bidisha Ray will be moderating a panel discussion on South Asian stereotypes titled Life isn’t all Bhangra and Butter Chicken! Deconstructing BC’s Punjabi-Canadian Culture. Guest speakers will include: Balbir Gurm,…

Groundswell: supporting our community through social ventures

Groundswell is a cafe as well as a community and business program that helps entrepreneurs create their own small business or social venture. Founded in 2012, Groundswell has fostered several businesses in a variety of domains such as upcycling and reducing food waste. Gilad Babchuk, Groundswell co-founder, started his first social venture when he was…

Youth dialogue and education foster reconciliation

The Walrus Foundation’s upcoming speaker series (presented at UBC Oct. 18, 7 p.m.), The Walrus Talks Africa’s Next Generation, will feature Sina Yetbarek, a Canadian Roots youth reconciliation leader, among other speakers.  Yetbarek and her family of nine immigrated from Uganda, where they had stayed as refugees, to Canada in 2013. Born and raised in…