Being Punjabi: Exhibition shares inclusive stories of struggle and success

A celebration of Surrey’s dynamic cultural diversity and an interactive demonstration of resilience and success, Being Punjabi: Unfolding the Surrey Story will be on display at the Museum of Surrey from Oct. 2, 2019 to Feb. 23, 2020. As the Museum of Surrey’s first community curated exhibition, Being Punjabi: Unfolding the Surrey Story strives to connect people and communities through…

An investigation into local herbal delights

Anastasiia Dushyna, botanical pharmacology specialist talks about healing herbs at Medicinal Plants Series: Culinary uses and knowledge at Burnaby Public Library on Sept. 30, and Urban Homesteading Series: Cosmetic Herbs at North Vancouver City Library on Sept. 25. Inspired by her endocrinologist and ethnobotanist grandmother, Dushyna cultivated a career in botanical pharmacology, drawing on her medical education and a…

Practicing everyday philosophy

Valerie Malla will be moderating Culturalism versus racism: What is the difference between them? How is our DNA connected to these concepts? at the Surrey Central Branch Library on Sept.11 as well as Racialized propaganda: how has this strategy affected modern times? What will it take to get past our radicalized underpinnings? at the Anvil…

Promoting children’s safety through artificial intelligence

Envision a safe space where you are able to play a game with your peers, controlled by each of the participants’ emotions. Students at Simon Fraser University (SFU) have developed a futuristic design concept for an interactive and artificial intelligence (AI) driven holotent designed to support the development of empathy in children. The EmotoTent generates…

A look at the Jewish pioneers in Vancouver

There is much history to be found in Vancouver, and this is no less pertinent in the case of the city’s Jewish community and its resilient pioneers. Michael Schwartz, director of community engagement at the Jewish Museum will be conducting walking tours of Vancouver’s Jewish landmarks on July 14 and August 25. He explains that…

The Body Politick: an interview with curator Angela Clarke

As Vancouver’s Italian heritage month comes to a close, Angela Clarke, curator and director at the Italian Cultural Centre, reflects on architect Bruno Freschi’s contribution to the Vancouver architectural scene. In 1986, the World Exposition was hosted by what would become one of the most important cities in the Pacific West; Expo 86 brought Vancouver…

Cultural intelligence – A necessary life skill

Progressive organizations across Canada engage employees through diversity and inclusion programs. “The business community is motivated to develop intercultural competency (IC),” says Taslim Damji, an intercultural practitioner and facilitator for MOSAIC, Multilingual Orientation Service Association for Immigrant Communities. Understanding cultural diversity and learning to empathize and embrace different behaviours is key to building strong relationships…

The housing market’s war on culture and community

World’s best city to live in”, and “World’s most reputable city” were the accolades thrown around by just about anyone who learned about my imminent departure to Vancouver. To my mind, the city has an immediate appeal and aura that these various reports and surveys seem to have tapped into: it’s pleasant, safe and in…

Success through collaboration

Bringing people together to garner success is exactly what the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Centre for Community Engagement Learning (CCEL) is hoping to accomplish, with a new project entitled Collaboratory. The project will consist of a series of events meant to bring together members of the community, diverse organizations and UBC students and professors…

All my non-relations explores kinship and reconciliation

The indigenous term “all my relations” refers to the notion of interconnectedness in all aspects of life. Clint Burnham, professor and chair of the English graduate program at Simon Fraser University (SFU), will discuss this concept in a lecture at the Coach House, Green College, University of British Columbia (UBC) on March 28. “All my…

Truth or stories in the age of social media – a millennial approach

Kids These Days: Media Representation vs Lived Reality, a talk by Katie Warfield, Ph.D., professor of communications and cultural studies at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), will be held on March 12 at the TELUS World of Science as part of the KPU & Science World Speaker Series. Focusing on how social media platforms experience a…

Snowshoeing for a cause

The 9th annual Snowshoe race is back. This year, the organizers are partnering with Jack.org, a mental health charity empowering young leaders to revolutionize mental health. Hundreds of people, from the expert snowshoer to first timers, will be running the trail at the top of Grouse Mountain. The trail will be sure to get racers’…

Martin Luther King’s teachings about civil disobedience

“Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole being into the being of another,” Martin Luther King Jr. As February is Black History Month, members of SFU’s Philosophers’ Café are conducting a discussion related to Martin…