Image: Photo Credit: Edward Chang —

Fall 2012 Community Grant Recipients

The UTown@UBC Community Grants Program is pleased to announce the grant recipients for Fall 2012. Over $6,400 in funding has been awarded to seven wonderful community projects and we look forward to watching each of them contribute to building an active, social and vibrant UTown@UBC community!

3MT - Bringing Research to the Community, Three Minute Thesis at UBC - $1000

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic competition that assists current graduate students with fostering effective presentation and communication skills by explaining their research in just 3 minutes, to a non-specialist audience. Open to the public and the entire UTown@UBC community, this fun event is an excellent forum for sharing and learning about exciting research that is happening at UBC!

The Tempest at Green College, Green College Players - $1000

The Tempest at Green College is a full-length performance of Shakespeare’s play, performed and produced by Green College Players, a theatrical troupe made up of residents of Green College.  The performances are free and all audience members are encouraged to make a nominal donation or to contribute a non-perishable food item for the AMS Food Bank. Performances of the play take place March 7th-9th, 2013 at Green College. Save the date for what is sure to be a sold-out show! To reserve tickets, email gc.events@ubc.ca

UBC BikeRave - $1000

The UBC BikeRave is a university-wide initiative to bring together the diverse campus cycling community for one, big, fun, community-building event. Inspired by the Vancouver BikeRave, participants will be encouraged to decorate their bikes and don costumes as the group rides through UBC, sharing cycling tips, developing relationships and periodically stopping for impromptu dance parties. Set aside March 15th for the festivities! To register, visit www.ubcbikerave.com.

My Acadia Park: What’s Great About Our Community - $1000

Acadia Park residents of all ages are invited to share all the great things about their community by participating in a community documentation project, capturing through photos, stories, interviews and various other means the people, cultures, connections and community in which they live. Several workshops will be held to launch the project, brainstorm ideas on how to document their findings, and to bring the works together. The resulting collection will be unveiled at a community potluck and will be displayed online and in Acadia Park Commonsblock.

Give and Receive - $500

Give and Receive is a philanthropic initiative that aims to bring the UTown@UBC Community together to help others. Each month, a donations drive will be held with different items being collected to support local charities. To encourage participation, a draw will be held each month, featuring donated services from community youth. This is a great way to build community through sharing goals, serving others and giving back.

Student Leadership Conference, 100 Mile Lunch - $1000

This annual, student-run conference attracts over 1,300 participants for an intensive, one-day leadership development and networking event. An exciting new initiative this year is 100 Mile Lunch, which will provide participants with a lunch made entirely from sustainable, locally grown ingredients. Educational outreach at the lunch will help participants connect to the source of their food, gain awareness of the key benefits of eating locally grown food, and teach participants sustainable grocery practices. The Community Grant will also provide sponsorship for five UTown@UBC high school youth to attend the conference and benefit from the leadership development and training while connecting them to the larger UBC community.

Youth Biodiversity and Environmental Community Club - $950

UBC is often referred to as a “Living Lab” and the Youth Biodiversity and Environmental Community Club promotes this by engaging youth with nature around them at UTown@UBC.  By exploring UBC’s resources such as the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, UBC Farm, and the UBC Botanical Garden, this club will connect UTown@UBC residents to their immediate environment and foster a strong sense of community and connectedness around environmental awareness.