No Child Alone: an app designed to support children during the COVID pandemic

Alissa Antle, PhD, explains that a collaboration between Simon Fraser University (SFU) and Curatio, a digital health company that develops peer-to-peer private online support communities, is creating a digital application that will help children overcome social-emotional and mental health challenges related to the impact of COVID-19. “Are children in danger when they go outdoors?” asks…

Raising awareness, raising self-confidence

Conquer the Dragon, an event featuring a group of francophone artists from British Columbia, aims to raise awareness of children affected by special needs such as autism, dyslexia and OCD. The event doubles as a fundraiser and runs until Dec. 17 at Le Centre culturel francophone de Vancouver. The money raised by sales of the…

Coast Mental Health’s Clean Team back up and running again

Mental health in the 21st century is still a topic that is surrounded by stigma. When talking about disorders like anxiety or depression, tones and voices in our community are still hushed. An organization that does not shy away from spreading awareness on mental health, and helping those in a position where they are unable…

Taking the road less travelled – Revolutionizing the world of STEM

  Innovations in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) drive a large portion of today’s job market. Yet while many women now choose to pursue studies in STEM following post-secondary, the STEM sector remains a male-dominated one. “It’s highlighted that women, even if they finish their degree in STEM, are less likely to enter the…

The glass ceiling of Punjabi theatre

Ranbir Johal, professor in the Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), faculty of Asian Studies, will deliver a seminar on gender barriers in Punjabi theatre on Nov. 12 through the Museum of Anthropology (MOA). The lecture will examine the restrictions women have historically faced in the pursuit of the performative arts in Punjab by looking at the…

A sense of belonging

“We’re trying to do our part to support newcomer youth in their transition into a new home, a new country, a new community,” says Mike Lally, manager of youth programs at DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society (DCRS). DCRS aims to empower newcomers and other diverse communities so they can build the life they want in Canada.…

International Pronouns Day -A matter of human dignity

People from all over the world will be invited to raise gender visibility through online and local affirmative actions towards a non-binary notion of gender on Oct. 21. Registration has started already. International Pronouns Day is a global initiative that understands referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human…

A seat in the tasting room for queer and BIPOC people

Diversity in Brewing is a new initiative aimed at diversifying the B.C. craft brewing landscape, awarding queer and BIPOC students a scholarship to aid their studies, and offering diversity and inclucity resources to breweries province-wide. Heather Keegan, coordinator of the Diversity in Brewing initiative, talks about the barriers to accessibility that the founders of the…

Funny? What’s funny?

Online dating may give us the ability to connect with people across the world, but it can also present barriers. One University of British Columbia’s (UBC) study found that understanding Canadian humour is one of the major obstacles immigrants face when using dating websites. Siqi Xiao, an international UBC Masters sociology student, was primarily focused…

Taylor Hui and the BeaYOUtiful initiative

Taylor Hui, creator of The BeaYOUtiful Foundation, has been nominated for the Young Woman of Distinction Award 2020 by YWCA Metro Vancouver for encouraging self-esteem, self-love and empowerment. “I remember being 16-years-old and thinking, there needs to be a space for young girls to understand their self-love journey and have a safe dialogue about their…

Advice for BIPOC individuals working in ecology and evolutionary biology

A co-authored article published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, an online science journal, outlines career strategies for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) researchers working in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB). The article, “Strategies and support for Black, Indigenous, and People of colour in ecology and evolutionary biology,” highlights the low…

CommuniCreate builds newcomer youths’ confidence and community connections

The 2018 statistics from the Surrey Local Immigration Partnership show that youth make up over 60% of the area’s newcomer population. However, unlike for adult newcomers, there are limited options for these youth to learn English. The lack of youth-accessible language learning opportunities led SFU students Saba Fatemi, Eunbee Baik and Rufaida Kheraj as well…