About GenOne

This is an event run by FGSU that advocates for equity and inclusion in higher education, specifically for FGLI* students who are among the first in their families to attend university.

*FGLI: First-Generation and Low-Income Students

GenOne Promo Video

PAVE THE WAY 2021

FGLI?

FGLI students are the first members of their families to attend university. These students are more likely to be from historically underserved racial or ethnic backgrounds, be low-income, be older (non-traditional students), hold a refugee status or be a recent immigrant to Canada. FGLI students in Canada are also students who parents attended university but did not have their degrees recognized after immigrating, or those who have had a sibling attend university but not their parents. As a result of the intersecting identities such as those listed above, many FGLI students struggle with navigating through university and face obstacles in accessing support systems that may or may not exist within universities.

FGSU?

We are first-generation, low income (FGLI) student leaders affiliated with University of British Columbia’s First Generation Students Union. We are hosting the first ever GenOne conference in Canada after recognizing the need for having a collaborative space for other universities to come together to destigmatize the FGLI identity. We have operated within UBC for 1.5 years in which we directed a podcast called the Torchbearers and ran many collaborative advocacy initiatives with different university partners and departments. However we want to broaden this conversation and support more students to advocate for themselves and for an equitable educational system.