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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,…
EMMA Talks, an accessible platform for people to speak openly. will be hosting their fifth talk since their launch in April 2015, which will take place at the SFU Woodwards building on Nov. 16. “It is similar to Ted Talks and Pecha Kucha, but EMMA Talks wants to showcase people in marginalized communities- it’s an…
he Sri Lankan Friendship Association (SLFA) has been supporting the Vancouver Sri Lankan community for over 30 years. With a focus on unity, the goal of the organization is to share and conserve the cultures, history and traditions of Sri Lanka. The 2011 census shows that Canada is home to 132,130 people of Sri Lankan…
Suicide rates in Canada, according to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, are significantly higher for aboriginals (males: 126; females: 35) than non-aboriginals (males: 24; females: five) who are between the ages of 15 to 24. Due to the sense of hopelessness in many communities and high suicide rates in Aboriginal communities, siblings Kelvin and Tunchai…
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…
The Lithuanian Community of British Columbia is a non-profit organization that helps to promote the Lithuanian culture in Metro Vancouver as well as Vancouverite and Canadian culture among Lithuanians. Their upcoming Harvest Festival will help share Lithuanian food and culture with both Lithuanians and non-Lithuanians. “Relatively low number of Lithuanians living in Vancouver and financing…
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…
In pockets of Metro Vancouver, some 30,000 Iranian Canadians live in flourishing cultural neighbourhoods. Iranian tastes and smells fill the shops and restaurants, and Farsi signs and newspapers catch the eye in places like Lonsdale Ave. After the Greater Toronto area, Vancouver has the largest Iranian population in Canada. Of the 92,090 Iranian-Canadians counted in…
The ANCA World Autism Festival showcases the hidden talents of people who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This year’s festival begins Sept. 30 with over 100 international delegates, cultural organizations and world ambassadors. Autism Naturally Consulting is one of many organizations that provides resources and supportfor people diagnosed with autism. Leonora Gregory-Collura and her…
The Access to Media Education Society (AMES) was created 20 years ago with the goal of providing access to media training and technology for people grossly misrepresented or invisible in mainstream media. On Sept. 22, they celebrate two decades of learning and change at the AMES 20th Anniversary AGM. AMES runs a multitude of programs…
Creative performances at the third International Babaylan Conference (Sept. 23–25) marks the beginning of a three-day event on the Sunshine Coast, bringing the Filipino community together and forging relationships. There will be a multitude of presentations and workshops over the weekend to help with the process of decolonization and re-learning the sense of Filipino indigeneity.…
This year marks the 26th anniversary of the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society (TCCS), with the upcoming TaiwanFest in Vancouver promoting a history of the Taiwanese community’s cultural engagement with the Lower Mainland. Harbouring more than 100 cultural organizations, the now 40,000 strong Taiwanese population in Vancouver has been contributing its vibrant traditions of art and…
Golsa Golestaneh’s journey began in Iran, where she, her younger brother and parents lived before immigrating to Canada as part of the Government-Assisted Refugee Program in 2014. “Our [family’s] first option wasn’t to flee [Iran],” explains Golestaneh, a 2016 recipient of the City of Vancouver’s Diversity and Inclusion Award. “Our first option was to make…
