April 2012

Humber College raising awareness on the SRP! (Toronto).

All good things must come to an end

but we can hardly believe it’s already

April 2012! It’s been a year of new

committees rising or excelling, a

whirlwind first WUSC International

Forum in Ottawa, 13 Uniterra Symposia

events and countless fundraising

activities organized across the country.

But April certainly won’t slow down our

5 International Local Committees who

are organizing a special congress in

Burkina Faso. Are you planning an end

of year debrief social? Did you meet

your objectives and what are next

year’s plans?

Here are a 3 things to keep in mind as you wrap-up

the year and plan for the summer:

1. Don’t forget to report your successes on

My Committee! We share info on funds raised

and on numbers of informed or engaged

Canadians with our partners and funding

agencies – your reporting is a crucial step in

ensuring continuity of our programs! You have

until April 15tH!

2. Have you identified one or two potential

candidates for this year’s Leadership

Meeting 2012? Getting a new or up and

coming member is a sure way to strengthen

your Local Committee for years to come.

3. Finally, keep in touch: make sure to update

your sponsored student’s summer contact

info so we can contact them.

Congrats on another spectacular year!

Your Campus Engagement Team

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1. A WORD FROM WUSC CAMPUS

2. REMINDER TO REPORT!

3. SRP SUMMER REMINDERS

4. SWB UPDATE: FIELD STORIES

5. CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

6. LOCAL COMMITTEE (SILLY) AWARDS

1. A WORD FROM WUSC CAMPUS

April 2012

2. REMINDER TO REPORT

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3. SRP SUMMER REMINDERS

Your Local Committee has held some fantastic

events this year. Make sure to report all your

activities on My Committee! It’s highly important we

capture our network’s successes and report back to

our partners and donors. Our collective efforts is

making a tremendous impact: check how much

funds were raised so far (below)! Have you

reported YOUR numbers?

To begin, just go to http://mycommittee.wusc.ca

If you have not reported before, and are not sure

how its done, please click to watch WUSC’s nifty

new video on reporting, WUSC Reporting 101.

Why not also take 5 minutes to give us feedback on how the WUSC Campus team has supported you this year? Provide feedback on our campaigns, materials and training opportunities via this quick online Local Committee Year-End Survey. Your input will help us improve our support to YOU next year!

As the end of your student’s first school year comes to an end, please don’t forget that their sponsorship officially continues until the end of August! Here are some important reminders for the next few months :

Help student complete his/her income tax return (only employment income is taxable);

Help the sponsored student locate summer housing and employment;

Review the student’s summer budget to ensure it reflects any increased living expenses or financial management responsibilities;

Help the student apply for financial assistance if this will be needed for his/her 2nd year of studies;

Update your summer contact info on My Committee!

Please make sure to revisit the SRP guide for more details about what is required at this time to support your sponsored students.

Dossiers: Student profiles will be sent to all sponsoring groups very soon! Thank you for your patience as we have awaited the results of the Kenyan TOEFL. Please ensure to read all instructions carefully before opening the package.

Graduating Students: The Federal Internship Program for newcomers for 2012 will soon be launched, and there may be employment opportunities for graduating sponsored students. If any of your sponsored students are graduating, please ask them to inform Asni by e-mail (asni@wusc.ca). It is important for students to be in touch with WUSC Ottawa so that we can inform them of these and other opportunities in the future.

Permanent Residence cards: We are still receiving P.R. cards and will continue to forward them to the respective sponsored students, but if your student is still awaiting their card, please advise them to contact Citizenship and Immigration and ask for the status of their Card. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp

April 2012

Periperi Peppers and Life Changing Opportunities By Ashley Korn

Involved with WUSC for over five years, Ryerson University graduate Local Committee member Ashley Korn traveled to Dzaleka, Malawi via SWB for a 3 month internship to work on the overseas SRP process. A not so ordinary opportunity...

Coming up over the hill after walking 8 kilometers to Dzaleka Refugee Camp, my skin is hot from the early morning sun. I can smell the burning coals of the fires and the roasting corn in the market. Every Tuesday is market day in Dzaleka and the camp residents sell their goods, from hot periperi peppers, to used clothing, to freshly baked bread. The market is busy with local Malawians and refugees buying fresh vegetables, and other things for the week. The opportunity to have some economic independence has a significant impact on the livelihoods of individuals, families and communities here.

Living and working at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp has exposed me to some of the challenges people face on a daily basis. Getting reliable census numbers on the Refugee Camp’s population is difficult, but it is estimated to be anywhere from 11, 000 to 17, 000 people. Those who seek refuge in the

camp have fled persecution and conflict primarily from Rwanda, Burundi, The Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. Camp residents face hunger, lack of safety and security, as well as limited privacy, with many houses having several family members living within their walls. The average amount of time that people have lived in limbo here in Dzaleka is about 10 years.

Despite the hardships, struggles and adversity present within Dzaleka Refugee Camp, there is a sense of hope for a select few that apply and are accepted into the WUSC Student Refugee Program (SRP). The SRP resettles approximately 70 refugee youth between the ages of 18-25 from Kenya and Malawi on a yearly basis. These students are not only resettled to Canada as permanent residents on the path to becoming Canadian Citizens, but they are also accepted into Canadian Universities/colleges and are given financial support to attain Canadian post-secondary education.

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4. SWB: STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Ashley walks through a local market on her way to work.

“I have volunteered in the SRP in Canada for several years. Being in Dzaleka, working directly with the students, I can see the positive impact this program has on the

youth, and their families.”

April 2012

Since I arrived and began volunteering with the SRP I have developed a much stronger understanding of the intense competition and desperation that people have to face to get one of the 25 or so sought-after

spaces in the program. Most of the successful applicants are young men, since access to education for young women has limitations based on their family responsibilities. (…)

I have volunteered in the SRP in Canada for several years. Being in Dzaleka, working directly with the students, I can see the positive impact this program has on the youth, and their families. I met one family who has a brother that was resettled to Canada through the Student Refugee Program. Having a family member in Canada has changed their lives here in Dzaleka Refugee Camp, since they receive regular remittances from him. With the extra financial support they are able to buy clothes for their young children and have a greater opportunity to supply their family with additional food options besides the monthly rations they receive from United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Every day I feel a mix of emotions while working in the camp in Malawi: joy, frustration, anger, hopelessness, satisfaction. I often struggle to comprehend the living standards that I see here in the camp and around Malawi. I am very proud to be contributing to the success of these ambitious youth, as they prepare for their new lives in Canada...

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4. SWB: STORIES FROM THE FIELD (Cont.)

Want to know more about Ashley’s work in Malawi? Read the rest on her SWB blog.

Students Without Borders™ is now accepting applications for Fall 2012!

Check-out available positions online in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ghana, Malawi, Peru, Sri Lanka, and

Vietnam. Completing an SWB placement is a great way to gain valuable work experience in an inter-cultural context, and will allow you to learn more about yourself and the world

around you!

To read more about current and past SWB volunteer experiences, visit the SWB Blog at:

www.studentswithoutborders.ca.

A recent graduate from Ryerson University’s Immigration and Settlement Studies Masters Program, Ashley worked as a pro-gram assistant with the SRP, supporting its coordination and delivering pre-departure workshops.

April 2012

“Have a heART!” for Refugee Girls

The Laurentian University-Orillia Campus organized a “Have a heART” concert and art silent auction at a local pub. The $600 raised supported the Shine a Light Campaign.

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SPECIAL OTTAWA HIGLIGHT

Our three RLOs and former Local Committee members Yves Kalala (Nipissing), Maggie Crump (Dalhousie) and Kalila Wilkinson (Vancouver Island University) have been the most important line of communication with you. From training sessions, campus visits, Faculty meetings and supporting your activities, this stellar team has been invaluable to WUSC Campus. Thank you!

5. CROSS-CANADA CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT

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ONTARIO

Our WUSC logo is now making us surprisingly hungry...TO CHANGE THE WORLD, OF COURSE!

QUEBEC AND ATLANTIC

Recruitment 101: Acadia Gets Creative!

Acadia University’s Local Committee intensive recruitment campaign (check-out their fabulous committee video!) resulted in more than a dozen new members joining the committee. Well done!

WESTERN CANADA AND THE PRAIRIES

WUSC Waffle Wednesdays

University of Calgary’s Waffle Wednesdays were a popular treat on campus– raising funds for famine relief and the SRP and creating awareness about WUSC.

April 2012

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6. LOCAL COMMITTEE (SILLY) AWARDS

“Most Athletic Local Committee” Award

This award goes to our super sporty Local Committee at the University of Victoria. In every activity they organize, UVIC finds a way to get their committee moving, including hiking and skiing adventures with sponsored students, weekly WUSC soccer team games, and WUSC “Fun Run” fundraiser events. This committee has the energy and stamina to take them anywhere!

“They’re just so AWESOME!” Award

Concordia University LC’s ambitions have left us speechless! With three months of existence (that’s right, they officially kick-started this January!), they’ve already organized multiple events. In the last few weeks, and despite the fact that their University is on strike, they’ve held a public discussion for International Women’s Day, participated in an inner-city LC potluck and facilitated a great Uniterra Symposia Event on Refugee Rights Day! By collaborating with many other organizations, including Université de Montréal and McGill Local Committees, they are no doubt gaining some great WUSC visibility on campus! We can’t wait to see what they’ll be up to next year.

Concordia’s “Refugee Rights Symposia” organized with the support of multiple organizations.

UVIC Local committee at one of their well-attended Soccer games. (Below) Stretch and spell it out how it is: W-U-S-C!

We thought the end of the year warranted a little bit of cross-Canada gloating. So our RLOs came up with 7 quirky (and overly random) awards* for outstanding LCs who have made their mark in their own special way this year.*

* These awards were calculated through complicated scientific formulas.

April 2012

“High Techie” Award

This special Award goes to Trent University for their outstanding use of web resources! They use their website WUSC at Trent University to promote current campaigns, encourage committee elections, write engaging blog posts, share WUSC program opportunities and provide media resources...and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Check them out at http://www.trentwusc.org/ and let yourself be inspired (and be as organized)! Once you see how clean and accessible it is, try telling l us they don’t deserve the award!

“Ever-Present Committee” Award

University of Ottawa wins the “Ever-Present Committee” Award. This committee has proven that we can always count on them for events in the community. Their participation and volunteer support at the WUSC Leadership Meeting, International Forum, Camino street promotion event for The Big Decision, as well as International Volunteer Day makes this committee a winner. We love their enthusiasm!

“Jack (and Jill!) of Campaigns” Award

With seven successful campaigns on the go, the Vancouver Island University Local Committee’s keen involvement is no laughing matter! Their activities include marketing Fair Trade products for Buy Into Change, cycling in a Bike for AIDS Bike-a-thon, facilitating a Symposium, talking about Farm Radio International, informing the community about refugee issues and shining a light on girls’ education. They also recorded their own WUSC SRP video. Did we mention they are planning yet another Gala dinner later this month? We love their ambition!

“Best Tweeter” Award

A big shout-out to University of Regina Local Committee members’ twittering thumbs! Throughout the year, they’ve been posting quirky updates on their events, campaigns and referendums and were a big hit at the WUSC International Forum! Check them out: @WUSC_Regina

6. LOCAL COMMITTEE (SILLY) AWARDS

“Best Collaborators” Award

Nova Scotia Community College’s (NSCC) Waterfront Campus local committee hosted a Bike-a-Palooza in their campus atrium Feb. 10, 2012 that raised $595 for Uniterra’s Bike for Aids. Collaboration between three faculties made this event a big success. Graphic design students donated original artworks designed around a bicycle theme. These awesome works of art were sold in a silent auction at lunch hour. A bake sale was also held in an adjacent wing and stationary bikes were available for curious passerbys’ to try out. Faculty advisor, and graphic design instructor, Crystal McManus designed and created bicycle pins that were given to donors as a thank you for their contribution. Excellent team work!

April 2012

For all General Inquiries please contact: Campus Engagement Joanna Forbes Program Assistant Uniterra and SRP campus@wusc.ca 1.800.267.8699 (x3660) Alexandra Baril Senior Program Officer, Public engagement Uniterra abaril@wusc.ca 1.800.267.8699 (x3680) Skype: abarilwusc Asni Mekonnen Senior Program Officer Student Refugee Program asni@wusc.ca 1.800.267.8699 (x3656) Skype: asni.mekonnen Michelle Manks Senior Program Officer Student Refugee Program mmanks@wusc.ca 1.800.267.8699 (x3705) Skype: michelle.manks1

YOUR WUSC CAMPUS ENGAGEMENT TEAM!

Above: From left to right: Michelle, Asni, Kalila, Joanna, Kalila, Marie-Eve (back), Alexandra and Yves (front). Ottawa.

Below: (Yes, we like jumping pictures!)

Please note that our Regional Liaison Officers (RLOs) have completed their contract (see p.5). Check your inboxes this summer as we’ll be sending a call to hire the next 3 RLOs for the three regions of Quebec and Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada and the Prairies.

Interested in joining our stellar team? Contact campus@wusc.ca for more information about next year’s RLO positions.

Website: www.wusc.ca

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