— Image: from project "Caring for Others: Psychological First Aid" —
We are very excited to share these projects supported by funding from the UTown@UBC Community of Caring Grants program, which ran from April to August 2020. Read on to learn about these upcoming community building programs.
ART WITHOUT BORDERS
This art project is for the UBC and the Musqueam community to express artistic creativity while building a sense of community. Participants will be provided with a canvas to paint individually while connecting with each other on Zoom. The final piece will be completed by connecting everyone’s canvases together to complete one big, cohesive and flowing piece of art which will be displayed in our community. This event is happening Tuesday, June 23rd and opened for all ages. For event details, please email: ccgcommunityevents@gmail.com.
BOOKS FOR ACADIA'S FREE LITTLE LIBRARY
Acadia Park's Little Free Libraries are serving up summer reading with a side of social-distance-appropriate community connection. The community library steward will ask the community to choose, then purchase from a local Vancouver bookstore, books for the youth (and young at heart) of Acadia Park. After a child finishes reading a book, they can leave a note for the next reader on a notecard placed in the book. We may be spending this pandemic apart, but thanks to this grant, we won't be isolated from our community.
BEYOND THE BOOK
This virtual book club aims to go beyond the book by encouraging readers to engage in meaningful discussions surrounding social justice topics. Readers will read "Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate For Radical Movements", written by Charlene Carruthers (a black, queer, and feminist activist herself), and discuss their thoughts, feelings, and learnings with like-minded peers. Sign up to learn more and join.
CAMPING AT HOME
This project will construct a moveable picnic table for families at Acadia Park to use. Many families have had their summer travel plans disrupted due to the pandemic and this picnic table provides a venue for all to enjoy the great outdoors and enjoy a meal together.
CARING FOR OTHERS
Caring for Others will offer a free Red Cross Psychological First Aid online training module to 50 participants. Upon completion of the training, participants will meet virtually in a meditated discussion group to talk about their learnings and share how they have put their knowledge to use. Participants will also submit a photo of themselves or family with a sign showing their own personal ‘caring statement’, which will then be featured on social @ubcrec. Register now to take the course.
CHANEL'S COMMUNITY COOKING
Chanel’s Community Cooking is a one time online cooking program where participants will follow a cooking video to make an easy and nutritious meal at home while using minimal equipment. Participants of the project will receive a meal preparation box with all of the necessary ingredients to complete the recipe and once the meal is made, all of the participants will join a video call lead by Chanel where participants can share their experience cooking and new skills they have learned. This program is to teach introduce cooking to the general public who may lack fundamental cooking skills and want to learn how to cook with others in an inclusive, online environment. Learn more about the event and sign up.
COOK AND CONNECT: A HEALTHY COOKING COMPETITION
The UBC Cancer Association is organizing a virtual friendly competition where participants from the UBC community will create a video of themselves cooking a dish that uses a pre-determined healthy ingredient. The competition aims to inspire others to eat and cook healthy, while encouraging at home cooking and vlogging talents. Follow and cook along @ubc_ca.
COVID-19 STORIES OF GREATER VANCOUVER
Our project involves collecting and sharing stories about how people have been affected by COVID-19, and running a prize draw for people who submit a story. Our goal is to foster community through sharing different perspectives. Follow the project, share your story on instagram @ubcpeople.
CREATE OR MOVE AT ACADIA PARK
The idea of this project is to help Kids age 4 to 8 years old that live in Acadia Park and are currently at home because of COVID-19. Kids will be able to choose between two activities offered- assembling a craft kit with their community over Zoom or a jump rope for those that prefer physical activities.
CUP & CLOTH @UBC
This campaign aims to help community members living on the UBC Vancouver campus maintain their periods safely and sustainably through the pandemic. Sixteen $30 gift cards for Aisle's reusable menstrual products will be given to individuals who indicate interest. Cup & Cloth is offered by Period at UBC, a student-run club, and in collaboration with Aisle - a leading sustainable menstrual product producer. Our goal is to encourage community members to switch to reusable menstrual products. To apply and learn more, see Period@UBC on Instagram and Facebook.
GARNISH’D
Garnish’d is an online platform that aims to provide recipes developed by local food establishments with a focus on simplicity and healthy-eating for individuals stuck at home, while also supporting and promoting these local restaurants in a time of economic uncertainty. Our group consists of a few 3rd year students from various faculties that hope to inspire the UBC community to partake in this fun and healthy activity and support local businesses. Starting in June, visit the garnish’d website for recipes and share your cooking creations on social media with the hashtag #garnish’d.
GET CULTURED
This unique initiative wholeheartedly embraces a double meaning, in which we as a community will start learning more about our cultures around us through the exchanges of stories whilst creating and eating fermented foods that came from a starter culture. Culture is a "way of life" and comes in a variety of forms, passed down from generation to generation. As such, we can create a community-base of starter cultures to ease the process of making your own kombucha, kefir, cheese, yogurt, sourdough, and more! Exchange your story for a starter kit and follow @getcultured.yvr on Instagram and Facebook for story features and learn about different cultures from others that surround you.
GSS VIRTUAL PAINT NIGHT
The Graduate Student Society put together this upbeat Summer themed virtual paint class which will be lead by a professional from the Luminous Elephant Studio and co-hosted by their own VP Students, Sarah Park. The event is scheduled for June 3rd with registration filled within two hours!
HAPPINESS, SHARED
Happiness, Shared purchases goods from local businesses, and share with you, our community, for free! This project is run by two UBC engineering students who saw some of their favourite local businesses shutting their doors and wanted to make a difference. They believe that happiness shared is happiness doubled. Apply for happiness or contribute on Instagram or Facebook: Happiness, Shared – Vancouver.
LET'S BUILD A COMMUNITY COOKBOOK
Delivered by a group of high school students in the UNA's Youth Leadership Program, this project will invite families with children or youth to cook and share a recipe that matters to their family or from their culture. The grant funds will be used to provide participating families with grocery store gift cards for ingredients, and families will contribute their recipes into a digital community cookbook that will be shared online. A wrap up virtual gathering will also be hosted and families will be encouraged to try a new recipe from the community cookbook.
LET'S MASK UP
This project will sew and provide 100+ reusable cloth face masks with optional filter pockets to members of the UNA community. As a way to express 'sharing is caring', the masks will be distributed at no cost and with priority given to senior residents of Hawthorn Place.
MASKS FOR ALL
The aim of this project is to provide 150 homemade cloth face masks to children and adult residents of Acadia Park at no cost. The masks will be sewn by three volunteers, with fabric purchased from a local fabric store. Recipients of the masks will be encouraged to share a photo of their mask and a kind message to their neighbours through the community Facebook page.
MEET, EAT, SHARE
The sharing of cooking techniques and food has always been part of human history and during these unprecedented times, it can bring a sense of comfort for many. Meet, Eat, Share is an event that includes a Zoom cooking lesson from Chef Jason and a social hour for attendees. In addition, an accessible community cookbook will also be created by collecting recipes from attendees. Please email: ccgcommunityevents@gmail.com for more information about the event.
ONLINE PAINT NIGHT
Painting is not only an excellent way to relax during this unprecedented time, but also a great community-building initiative. This project will offer a painting class taught through Zoom, as well as paint supplies to the Acadia Park community. Participants will be invited to hang their paintings on their door/window for other community members to view from a safe distance.
POSTAL ART PROJECT
The Postal Art Project seeks to connect youth living in the UBC communities together as pen pals. Participants receive a custom letter writing kit filled with art supplies, and will create letters as a work of art that they will exchange over the course of the summer. The goal of this project is to bridge physical distance by fostering a tactile oriented sense of community. This project has wrapped up — check out (and be amazed!) at what participants created and mailed.
STRONGER TOGETHER – A CONNECTED COLLEGE COMMUNITY
This project seeks to enhance social connectedness and community resilience among UBC graduate students staying in St. John’s College through a series of activities: online physical and movement exercises by UBC Rec fitness instructors, online games and competitions, and a community-building through introspective reflection activity - “Letters to My Pre-Graduate Student Self”. The project will also reach out to Green College residents and other graduate students in UBC.
SUMMER BALCONY MEET & GREET
Seeing a need for neighbours to re-connect , the strata council at the Pemberley Residence are organizing a balcony meet & greet that takes advantage of their building set up to safely bring neighbours together. All residents will be invited with a care package of tea and treats, and details of when to enjoy it on their balcony or porches in the company of their neighbours.
THANK YOU, HEALTHCARE HEROES
A community-based food distribution service aimed to relieve the burden of food preparation among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mission is to provide healthcare workers with a bit of relief after a stressful day of work by providing them with ready-made food from a local Indigenous owned and operated restaurant. To learn more, follow us on Instagram @healthcare_heroes_van and Facebook.
VOICES OF ACCESS AND DISABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
This two part webinar aims to centre lived experiences of disability in education and academia and encourage dialogue around addressing and challenging ableism in our institutions. The webinar brings together a diverse panel of speakers, from students, artist, to professors, and will initiate conversations within our universities and other learning spaces around the importance of broadening our understanding of access and disability as a justice-centred issue. Closed captioning and ASL interpreting will be provided. Learn more about the speakers and register.
ZINE: AND SO THEY PRINT
This online exhibition is hosted by UBC’s student-run gallery, the Hatch and features seven female UBC student and alumni artists. The show focuses on women’s contributions to printmaking and features artist Instagram takeovers, online demonstrations and the publication of a collaborative, hand-printed zine (booklet) to be distributed to the public. View the show from September 14-30 and sign up to receive a limited-edition zine @hatch_artgallery on Instagram or visit www.hatchartgallery.com.