Community Engagement

News Stories

Early Childhood Pedagogy Network announcement

New teaching network a win for ECEs, quality child care

February 3, 2020

Vancouver Island University (VIU) has received funding for two pedagogist positions to work with early childhood educators at select child care centres in Nanaimo and Cowichan, as well as students in the University's Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) program.  "Thank you to the Ministry of Children and Family Development for funding this important initiative to introduce the new role of... Read more


Janelle Minoza, VIU Bachelor of Social Work student

The Power of Persistence: A Story of Success and Resilience

January 13, 2020

Janelle Minoza has overcome a number of obstacles standing in the way of her post-secondary education since becoming a student at Vancouver Island University last year. Janelle Minoza is living proof that hard work and determination can help you achieve your dreams. The third-year Bachelor of Social Work student at Vancouver Island University (VIU), from the Deh Gah Gotie Dene First Nations in... Read more


Micah Messent legacy awards, VIU Foundation

New Student Awards Honour Legacy of VIU Alum Micah Messent

December 5, 2019

Two awards in memory of a VIU graduate who passed away in a plane crash in March 2019 will be given out to Indigenous students in need in 2020. Friends and family of Micah Messent remember the Vancouver Island University (VIU) graduate as a caring, community-oriented individual who focused on helping those around him. To honour this legacy of supporting and encouraging others, Messent’s family... Read more


Support a VIU student on Giving Tuesday

VIU Reduces Barriers to Education on Global Day of Giving

November 27, 2019

VIU’s sixth annual Giving Tuesday campaign, running until December 3, highlights the need for additional scholarships and bursaries for students. ­­ Rebekah Aplin is grateful for the generosity of a stranger, which allowed her to continue into the second year of her Bachelor of Science degree at Vancouver Island University (VIU) with a significantly lower financial burden. “Receiving an award has... Read more


VIU President Deb Saucier installation

Hope, Inclusion and Access to Education: VIU President Shares Vision at Installation Event

November 26, 2019

Dr. Deb Saucier, VIU President and Vice-Chancellor since July 2019, was formally endowed with the powers and responsibilities of office in a ceremony at the Snuneymuxw First Nation Longhouse in Cedar on November 15. A regional institution such as Vancouver Island University (VIU) can change what it means to be a university, challenge longstanding perceptions on who goes and what can be taught... Read more


VIU Teachers-in-Training Help Communities

Teachers-in-Training Help Communities

November 19, 2019

VIU Education program students who are about to become certified teachers, spend their final weeks at University creating or participating in projects that fill a need in local communities. Preserving a child’s dignity by giving them a suitcase, collecting feminine hygiene products for women in need and creating the curriculum for a local nature centre all have substantial impacts on people,... Read more


Max FineDay, Indigenous Speakers Series

In Search of the Promised Land: Freedom, Prosperity and #Landback for Indigenous Peoples

November 6, 2019

Max FineDay, Executive Director of the Canadian Roots Exchange, will share his perspective on what reconciliation looks like during VIU’s fifth annual Indigenous Speakers Series on Monday, November 25.  ­­ When Max FineDay graduated from university in 2015, his grandmother sat him down and told him he had a duty to explain Indigenous peoples to the rest of Canada by telling the kinds of stories... Read more


Nanaimo Remembers Project

Community Remembers Fallen Soldiers in Remembrance Day Project

October 31, 2019

VIU video memorial that honours Nanaimo soldiers’ contributions to the First and Second World Wars to be displayed across the city. ­­ A unique video memorial project aims to tell a piece of the story of the lives of the Nanaimo soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First and Second World War. For 11 days leading up to Remembrance Day, the Nanaimo Remembers project will display the... Read more


Deb Saucier and Amanda Simon

VIU Chosen to Offer National Land Management Training for First Nations

October 22, 2019

University will begin offering the Professional Indigenous Lands Management Certificate program in summer 2020. ­­ Behind every sustainable, thriving community is the guiding hand of a land manager tasked with balancing the needs of the people who live there with what needs to be done to ensure resources are protected for future generations. Thanks to the expertise of Vancouver Island University’... Read more


VI Solutions

New Talent/Challenge Matching Program Aims to Solve Real-World Problems

September 30, 2019

VI Solutions, a partnership between VIU and Innovation Island, is a chance for students to solve problems and generate new ideas for Island employers. ­­ A unique new program that aims to connect students directly with employers to solve problems and generate new ideas for growth is seeking organizations to partner with. VI Solutions, a partnership between Vancouver Island University (VIU) and... Read more