Campus group works to bring student refugee to VIU

If you want to change the world, you start by changing people's minds.

These words, spoken by Vancouver Island University student Kalila Wilkinson, are representative of a student club at VIU dedicated to bringing a refugee from a developing country to study in Canada.

That group of students is raising funds as part of the World University Service of Canada's (WUSC) Student Refugee Program, which brings student refugees from developing countries and helps them access education in Canada.

"Being involved with this project is incredibly inspiring and moving," said Wilkinson, a Global Studies student who founded the WUSC group at VIU. "Bringing a student refugee to our campus will be of great benefit to the student, to the university and to other students who will learn from their experiences."

In some developing countries, students are often persecuted, imprisoned or forced into exile and have no opportunity for post-secondary education. Makeshift refugee camps are packed with hundreds of thousands of people living in intolerable conditions. The camps have no social structure, the residents have no citizenship at all and the average time a person will spend in these camps has doubled in the last decade from 9 to 18 years. WUSC has helped more than a thousand of these young men and women resettle in Canada as permanent residents and pursue their education in an environment free of violence and fear. The WUSC Student Refugee Program is unique in that it has two objectives – resettlement and post-secondary education.

Wilkinson helped start the WUSC club at VIU after attending the WUSC annual assembly in Ottawa in November, 2008.  At the conference, she met several people who had previously been refugees and had gone through WUSC's program. She was very moved by the people she met, the stories she heard and the overall feeling of hope and promise the former refugees expressed.

"Education is a human right and needs to be accessible to everyone," said Wilkinson. "Education is powerful. It's more powerful than war or politics. Everyone deserves that opportunity. That's what WUSC is all about."

When Wilkinson returned to VIU, she started the campus WUSC group and approached the university to help them bring a refugee to study at VIU.  President Ralph Nilson was enthusiastic about the project and agreed to assist them in their efforts. Nilson agreed to have VIU cover the cost of tuition fees for the duration of the student's education.

"We are very proud of the efforts of the WUSC group at VIU, said Nilson. Assisting in the education of a student from a developing country is an excellent cause and we are excited to be involved."

Newly encouraged, Wilkinson and the WUSC group made their application to the program and were accepted.  

"We have until early March to raise $4000," said Wilkinson. "We've raised $3500 already through a few different fundraisers, but need to raise the rest by early March to continue with the project."

After the March deadline, the group will still need to raise another $4000 by mid-August when the student will be set to arrive in Canada. Once the student arrives, VIU's WUSC group will be responsible for helping the student adapt to Canadian and campus life.

 "VIU has a nice comfortable atmosphere," said Wilkinson.  "Our campus is a very inclusive space with a lot of friendly faces. It's a great place for a student like this to come and learn."

WUSC is an international development agency founded over 60 years ago, founded on the belief that education changes the world.  WUSC consists of a network of individuals and postsecondary institutions, working closely with the Canadian government, Canadian Universities and Colleges and various non-governmental agencies.  Together, they share in the mission to 'foster human development and global understanding through education and training.' Students have come from countries of origin as diverse as Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Rwanda, Sudan, Burma and Afghanistan, among others. Most have successfully completed their studies and are now active Canadian citizens making valuable contributions to their communities.

For more information about the WUSC Student Refugee Program or to donate, please contact the VIU WUSC group at wusc.viu@gmail.com or VIU's WUSC co-chair Laura Albion at 250-716-1046.