Gold Mountain dream continues

Gold Mountain is very much alive today, says a historian who specializes in Chinese history. The Chinese people who crossed the Pacific Ocean in hopes of finding wealth at Gold Mountain, contrary to popular belief, did not leave simply because of war-torn conditions. Henry Yu notes that people who were dislocated by war didn’t travel…

Empowering women to be their own heroines

Life coach Claire Yeung wants to help women become the heroine in their lives. She didn’t become the heroine in her own life until just recently. She will be speaking at the Canadian Immigrant’s first Multicultural Women’s Conference and Fair, which will be held Mar. 31 at the Croatian Cultural Centre. In September 2012, she…

Saving ocean treasures from plastic pollution

David Pennington will hit the road from the Mexican border for the Ocean Rescue Run on April 18. The Canadian will run over 2,700 kilometres, reaching Vancouver in about 44 days. This journey begins with a life shift that not only includes Pennington but also Indonesia and its ecological struggles. Born in Prince George, Pennington…

Foundation helps pave way for Iranian community

The first day of spring marks the Iranian New Year, Norouz, a time of festivities to celebrate the rebirth of the Earth. For the past seven years the Canadian Iranian Foundation (CIF), a significant resource for newly arrived Iranian immigrants, has hosted and celebrated the Norouz festival. The CIF, based in North Vancouver, began in…

Indigenous heritage in an age of commercialism

The topic of cultural appropriation pops up from time to time in local and international media, sparking various reactions and debates. The complexities of cultural appropriation will be addressed at Simon Fraser University’s Aboriginal Lecture Series Indigeneity, Cultural Property and Intangible Heritage at the Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (Wed,…

Portrait of a citizenship judge

Taking the oath of citizenship is often a second step in immigrants and refugees’ settling process. The Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, operates a national program aiming to ease citizenship procedures for the 1500 plus applicants each year and help them connect to their new community. Their volunteer-run…

Immersion programs revitalize First Nation languages

With only seven fluent speakers left in the Squamish Nation, Khelsilem is in a hurry to prevent his language from becoming extinct. Khelsilem is the program director and founder of Kwi Awt Stelmexw, a not-for-profit society for the Squamish Nation. He hopes that the new Liberal government will carry out its commitment through the Truth…

Resilience: Arts in action

Upon discovering that the Government of Canada’s counter-terrorism strategy is built around the concept of resilience, Michelle LeBaron, professor at UBC’s Peter Allard School of Law, took action through the arts. Four years ago, LeBaron discovered that resilience was central to national security and was intrigued. She decided to study this concept deeper in the…

Volunteer-run organization helps refugees deal with trauma and PTSD

A Surrey-based organization, Genesis Family Empowerment Society, was formed out of a need for mental health services for newcomers. With several years of experience working for another large non-profit organization, founder and CEO, Ershad Fawcett, worked with children who were abused and adults who suffered from grief and trauma. While working, Fawcett found that counselling…

Who’s picking your food?

Pablo Godoy is the national representative for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Canada (UFCW Canada) and founder of Students Against Migrant Exploitation, or S.A.M.E. On Feb. 20, Godoy was the keynote speaker for the documentary Food Chain$, which showcased in Vancouver at KDocs, Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s own documentary festival. The documentary Food…

Race Literacies: Giving the spotlight to Canadian black scholars

Although Canada has a multicultural policy, not all perspectives are represented equally in literature. Annette Henry, a professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), has launched a speaker series highlighting Canadian black scholars to provide viewpoints from a black perspective. The series aims to change conversations about the presence of black people. Addressing issues…

Global effect of big data

“It’s starting to show us a lot of things but it’s also starting to not show us a lot of things in terms of these types of algorithms, so it’s a new thing and what it’s going to turn into we don’t know,” says Peter Chow-White, associate professor, SFU School of Communication. SFU’s Spring President’s…