FGSU
WORKSHOPS & PANELISTS
PAVE THE WAY FOR INCLUSION
MIND AND WHAT MATTERS IN STUDENT WELLBEING
Join us for a flipped classroom style workshop that is geared towards busting myths around mental health within the FGLI student community!
You will have access to student and staff speakers who are at the forefront of advocating for FGLI wellbeing. End the session with an open unfiltered discussion on why our institutions often fail to protect FGLI students.
University staff speakers:
Karen Waugh
Director for International Student Initiatives at UBC Vancouver
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Mental health advocate:
Asante Haughton
Activist, Youth worker & one of 150 leading Canadians for Mental Health
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Jimmy Aitken
Indigenous Engagement Advisor at Vancouver Community College
MORE MONEY,
NO PROBLEMS
(Financial Wellness Guide For FGLI Students)
As students, financial security is an important part of our wellbeing and can affect our academic performance and mental health. Join us for a discussion led by guest speakers from UBC Enrolment Services and Financial Wellness Peers. Together, we will learn how to navigate the system and identify different financial resources available to help students. Come ask questions, collaborate with students from all over Canada, and address financial issues facing students today.
Speaker:
Kimberly Sicoli
UBC Enrolment Service Advisor
PAVE THE WAY FOR IMPACT
TRIUMPHS AND TRIALS: Academic Journeys as FGLI Scholars in STEM
First-generation low income university students often face academic challenges
when transitioning from high school to university, such as connecting with professors, accessing academic resources, and finding employment and research opportunities.
Join our panel featuring a first-generation UBC professor and a low-income student to hear the triumphs and trials they faced throughout their academic journeys. We will also take a look at some statistics on first-generation university students. Lastly, to remind you that STEM is fun and rewarding, we will offer a short coding workshop so that you leave the workshop with a new skill.
Speakers:
Prof. Douglas Scott
Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
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Brendon Tankwa
Engineering Physics Student and Rhodes Scholar 2021
COMMUNITY ACTION: Self Exploration
Hosted by the Center for Community Engaged learning, this workshop will focus on understanding individual viewpoints by reflecting on personal values, skills and identities as a basis for community action. Participants will explore community action as a space, opportunity and personal journey.
Hosted by Community Partner:
Center for Community Engaged Learning
FOOD AND FINANCES: Tuition or Dinner?
Food security is a necessity for students' wellbeing. How does food insecurity happen and what can we do to address it on campus? Join in on this interactive workshop led by the UBC Food Security Initiative to learn about food security and how to acquire it!
Speaker:
Sara Kozicky
Food Security Project Manager, UBC Wellbeing - The University of British Columbia
PAVE THE WAY FOR
JUSTICE
AGAINST ALL ODDS:
Breaking Down Barriers for Refugee and Displaced Students
In addition to the challenges typical university students face when transitioning and starting their university career, first-generation students’ higher education path is filled with further obstacles. In this interactive workshop, participants will be introduced to the multi-layered issues of socio-cultural barriers that face first-gens. These barriers will be broken down into four main themes: gender inequality, racial issues, language barriers, and safety challenges in conflict zones.
Speakers:
Azuz Al-Rubaye
Iraq, Baghdad, Political science
Shaza Alshamsi
Syria, UBC Faculty of Arts
Vulnerability and Violence: at the Intersection of Sexual Violence and Poverty
Why does sexualized violence continue to be so prevalent, and what can we do about it? Presented UBC’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office, this workshop will explore root causes of sexualized violence and its intersections, including with racism and poverty, which can be key issues for first generation students. Using social change theories to understand all of our agency, participants will explore their own influence, and our collective impact, towards ending violence.
Speaker:
Sasha Wiley-Shaw
Educator, Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Office(SVPRO) at UBC
CLIMATE CHANGE AND RACIAL JUSTICE:
The Deep Links in Canada
Presented by the UBC Climate Hub this workshop allows participants to explore the intersectional nature of race and climate justice, how to celebrate and honour leadership by Indigenous & Black folks and People of Colour in environmental and climate justice. This workshop is a recognition that climate justice is strongly tied to racial justice.
Speakers:
Njoki Mbũrũ
Board Member Vancouver Farmers Market
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Adriana Laurent-Sieb
Co-founder and Project Administrator UBC Climate Hub