How B.C.’s largest school district supports newcomer families

Earlier this summer, The Source released an article in honour of World Refugee Day highlighting the extensive challenges refugee claimants face to be recognized and settle in Canada ranging from housing to employment. Whether accompanied by guardians or on their own, refugee children and youth face unique challenges to their integration. The UN Refugee Agency…

Wild foods and plant preservation

According to Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm (CSFS), increasing human population growth and global food demand, is causing major challenges to global food systems. These challenges are compounded by climate change, and the global degradation of arable land. Locally, the loss of agricultural land to development, the cost of land, and an…

Reviving connection through summer music festivals

With Early Music Vancouver’s (EMV) Summer Festival, Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival, and the Surrey Fusion Festival among others, the summer is looking rather musical. From explorations of past times to celebrations of multiculturalism, these three music festivals offer more than just captivating tunes – they also welcome new ways for fostering the sounds of…

Dressed for History and more at the MOV

The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) was founded by the Art, Historical, and Scientific Association of Vancouver (AHSA), which was formed on April 17, 1894 with the objective of cultivating “a taste for the beauties and refinements in life.” Originally, the building was planned to only house a museum, but a generous gift by the lumber…

AI, ChatGPT… friends or foes?

It all happened so suddenly. OpenAI, arguably the world’s most famous artificial intelligence laboratory, received 1.9 billion site visits this month alone, putting it in the top 30 most frequented sites on the World Wide Web. Students, office workers and intellectuals flocked to the website instantly, forfeiting original thoughts for compilations of letters and words…

Race, culture, and human rights advocacy: a personal commitment

On May 21, private corporations, governmental agencies, and non-profit organizations around the world will celebrate the United Nations’ (UN) World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The day celebrates the world’s diverse cultures in order to facilitate stronger and more peaceful intercultural exchange. These goals are well-suited for Vancouver, a city that still…

Amplifying the language of inclusion

A well-known staple of Vancouver’s literary festivals, LiterAsian returns for its eleventh season from May 4–27. This year’s festival examines how literature contributes to the cultural and social understanding of inclusivity. With the theme, “finding our voices and sharing our stories,” LiterAsian 2023 will take discussions of Asian Canadian representation in literature off the pages…

An innovative initiative to welcome French teachers

Learning a second language opens up new opportunities. In fact, the personal development that occurs when learning a foreign language should be highlighted in addition to its economic benefits, particularly in an anglophone province. Just in time for Le Mois de la Francophonie, on March 3, the federal government of Canada, along with its British Columbian…

An inclusive Vancouver International Women in Film Festival

“I might not have been born a woman but my life as a woman is real,” Quen Wong narrates poetically in her debut feature-length documentary Some Women. The film will be screened soon at VIFF Centre as part of the 18th annual Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (VIWFF) that runs from Mar. 7 to…

The power of community

Every year Tricia-Kay Williams, CEO and registered clinical counsellor at Vancouver’s Metamorphose Counselling picks a word around which to centre her purpose and her goals. This year, that word is “intentional.” However, she’s been intentional for a long time. Williams was intentional about finding a community to belong to, picking what schools she attended and…

How accents affect newcomers in the workplace

Accents can be heard all around. For many they are a form of identity. But, when it comes to acceptance and integration into a new society, for some their accent can present a challenge. “Accent functions as a second skin,” says Isaku Kawamura, researcher. “In Vancouver, almost 50 per cent of people are now people…

PuSh festival -A medley of youth

Under the mentorship of Fiorella Pinillos, the PuSh Youth Cohort fosters curiosity in the performing arts and provides an opportunity for young artists to learn, grow and thrive. In a collaboration between the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival and Solid State Community Industries, the 2023 PuSh Youth program offers 10 free sessions for artists aged…