News Stories
VIU Shines Light on Inequities During Global Citizens Week
January 27, 2021
Annual VIU event goes virtual with community conversations on building a more just society at home and abroad. In the midst of a pandemic and a year of reckoning with racial injustice, Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Global Citizens Week is tackling the theme of Equity in Action. The event (February 8 – 12, 2021) will explore initiatives that aim to challenge inequity – from systemic... Read more
WorldVIU Days Showcases Culture in Series of Virtual Events
October 27, 2020
WHAT: 11th annual WorldVIU Days WHEN: Monday, November 2 – Friday, November 6, 2020 WHERE: Various virtual online events including Facebook live and Zoom sessions NANAIMO, BC: WorldVIU Days is a week-long annual event that explores how culture influences our world view. This year organizers have developed new, virtual ways to create a connected community, showcasing efforts that students, staff... Read more
Transform Your Education into a Global Adventure
September 18, 2019
Do you have the travel bug? A field school, exchange or internship abroad experience is your passport to becoming a global citizen. by Rae-Anne Guenther The best things in life are not things — they are the lasting memories created by interacting with people and the world around us. “The experiences I have gained from travelling are worth any material item I could ever own,” says Elissa Doerksen... Read more
Kenyan Partnership Takes VIU Trades Training Global
May 1, 2019
Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) institutional partnership with Kisii National Polytechnic (KNP) in Kenya is taking the next step this fall with the roll out of KNP’s new foundations program in Building Technology. Six KNP instructors are at VIU this month being trained on project-based learning and technical skills to deliver the new program, which includes elements of plumbing, carpentry... Read more
VIU Announces Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Recipients
March 20, 2019
Five Vancouver Island University (VIU) students will have the opportunity to make a difference internationally this spring thanks to the Canadian Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Scholarship (QES) program. “The QES gives our students the opportunity to collaborate with international partners on pressing issues facing coastal communities around the world,” says Jennifer Sills, VIU’s Education... Read more
5 Questions with Belinda Williams
February 14, 2019
VIU English Language Instructor Belinda Williams is passionate about sharing her love of language with her students. Whenever she’s able, she also works as an Education Assistant in the public-school system for Port Alberni, where she supports learners with special needs. Outside of the classroom, she’s an avid wilderness hiker, active member of the Portal Players Dramatic Society and amateur... Read more
VIU Peace Ambassadors Return from Bangkok to Share their Knowledge
January 31, 2019
VIU students travelled to the Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders’ in Bangkok to strengthen peace efforts with 500 Peace Ambassadors. Before we can achieve world peace, we must understand what this concept means when put into practice. This is what Vancouver Island University (VIU) students, Stephanie Pastro and Justin North sought to find out during the Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders’ in Bangkok... Read more
Sharing Immigrant Women's Stories Through a Pair of Shoes
January 28, 2019
VIU’s Global Citizens Week aims to start conversation about newcomer experiences On the first day of school, a girl noticed all the students in the courtyard were crying. As her father kissed her goodbye, she realized this would be the last time she would see him – and so, she became another girl crying in the school yard. As she walked into the classroom, a teacher gave her a pair of plastic... Read more
VIU QES Scholar Proves All Dreams Can Be Possible
November 20, 2018
It has been a long journey for Avryl Brophy to realize she could achieve academically. “I grew up in foster care since I was 12 years old,” she says. “I never saw the opportunity as a youth that post-secondary education was in my future.” With a little courage and perseverance, Brophy changed that narrative. A single mother of two teenage boys, Brophy returned to the classroom in her late 20s.... Read more
VIU STUDENT REFUGEE PROGRAM PROVIDES STUDENTS SAFETY AND A SECOND CHANCE
September 26, 2018
NANAIMO, BC: Becoming a Canadian resident and studying at university was an opportunity Salem Abdullah never imagined possible until four months ago. Thanks to Vancouver Island University (VIU)’s World University Service of Canada (WUSC) local committee Abdullah is pursuing his passion in a new country. Abdullah and Emmanuel Lokolong, a refugee from Kenya, are two students sponsored this year by... Read more