Image: Photo property of The Calendar. Posted with the permission of Bike Rave organizers —

Winter 2015 UTown@UBC Community Grants!

Image: Changing the Lens —

The UTown@UBC Community Grant Selection Committee is pleased to announce the Winter 2015 UTown@UBC Community Grants.

After reviewing many great projects, we are thrilled to be awarding a total of $5700 to seven deserving projects, ranging from the ever-popular Bike Rave to a unique Slacklining experience at the UBC Botanical Gardens, to a UBC Powwow.

Thank you to all who applied, and congratulations to all the recipients; we look forward to building community on campus with all of you!

Have a great idea to build community on campus? Check back in September for our next cycle of UTown@UBC Community Grant applications!

Slackline Day at UBC Botanical Gardens, Darrick Lee ($700)

Slackline UBC and the UBC Botanical Gardens are teaming up to bring a very unique experience to the UBC Community—free slacklining at the world-renowned Greenheart Canopy Walk! Slacklining is an increasingly popular sport that involves walking between two points on tensioned nylon ropes.

Slackline Day at UBC Botanical Gardens will feature multiple low slacklines with volunteer instructors on hand to help introduce the sport to beginners of all ages.  There will also be an aerial element of highlines high above the ground, walked by intermediate slackliners. Be sure to check back for more info on when Slackline Day at UBC Botanical Gardens will take place.

Want to learn more about Slacklining? Check out the Slackline UBC Facebook page.

Lunar New Year Animation Celebration, Bella  Zhou, Yvonne Li ($1000)

Did you know that February 19 marked the start of Lunar New Year, for many families around the world, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean? This is a very significant time of year for many students, staff, faculty and residents on campus, and UNA residents have teamed up with students from the Department of Asia Studies to help celebrate celebrate the Year of the Sheep and spread good luck for the upcoming year across campus.

Stop by a Chinese knot-tying workshop, and keep an eye out for these lovely little keepsakes to appear on campus!

Caribbean African Association Black Monologues, Tochi Okeke ($500)

The Carribean African Association’s Connection Week is an annual week-long celebration that features a number of events and activities aimed at providing opportunities for people cultural awareness. This year, we are very pleased to support a Connection Week staple: Black Monologues.

Black Monologues invites people to creatively discuss issues of the self, inclusivity, marginalization and more—through performance and artistic expression.

For more information on Black Monologues, check out the CAA Facebook Page.

UBC Powwow, Maize Longboat ($1000)

We are very happy to support the UBC Powwow, collaboration between the First Nations Studies Student Association and the Indigenous Students Association. Powwow is a First Nations ceremony that will focus on harnessing community by bringing people together to watch traditional dancing, hear powwow singers and drummers, eat good food and support artisan vendors.

Check back soon for more information on when and where UBC Powwow will take place!

Recycling Room Renovation, Laura Cottle, Veronica Ignas, Carol Bassingthwaighte ($1000)

Residents in Hawthorne Place are teaming up to prove that small changes can make a big difference in how people recycle and compost! The project organizers hope to develop a model recycling system that can later be adopted in other residential buildings on campus. Children and youth in the community will be invited to assist in beautifying the recycling room by participating in a mural, with the goal of instilling pride, positive attitude, and a sense of ownership and respect for the space. New signage and educational materials will be developed as well.

UTown@UBC Soccer League for Dads, Jose Arias-Bustamente ($1000)

Get to know your neighbours while getting your daily dose of exercise! This recreational soccer league is intended to provide an opportunity for men from the UNA and Acadia Park to have fun, create healthy habits and connect with one another over a shared love of soccer. Have a passion for punting? Check back soon for more information on how to register.

Bike Rave ($500)

The Bike Rave is back! Grab a bike, deck it out in glowsticks, pump up the music and get ready to ride with hundreds of your closest friends!

Now in its 3rd year, the Bike Rave has grown into a much-anticipated annual event that gets bigger and better each year. A celebration of the vibrant cycling culture on campus, Bike Rave is open to cyclists of all ages and will feature bikes decked out with speakers leading cyclists around campus, stopping periodically to partake in mobile dance parties at designated spots.

For more information check out the UBC Bike Rave Facebook Page.