RBC Supports VIU's 'Su'Luqw'a' Community Cousins with $40K Donation

VIU students in the ‘Su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins program join representatives from RBC to celebrate their $40,000 donation.

November 23, 2015 - 2:15pm

VIU’s Aboriginal students find support and friendship from their peers who volunteer in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) ‘Su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins program, which got its start in 2011.

With a donation of $40,000 from RBC on Nov. 25, the Aboriginal student mentorship program will continue to offer its student volunteers ongoing training, community outreach, public speaking and professional development training. They also take part in cultural activities and teambuilding sessions, all with the support of staff and an Elder-in-Residence.

“I was that student when I started who was timid and shy, and Community Cousins went a long way to opening my heart and helping me find my voice,” said Troy Barnes, who joined a group of Community Cousins and VIU faculty and staff at a short ceremony to thank RBC representatives.

Twenty-three‘Su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins have benefited from the program since its inception, and 11 students who have graduated still remain connected, said Sharon Hobenshield, Director of Aboriginal Education. The program has also recently been extended to include students at the VIU Cowichan campus.

“This is about RBC as a corporate, community-based organization acknowledging what this program does, and saying ‘we respect what you are doing here’,” Hobenshield said.

Community Cousin Rebecca Watmough offered her gratitude for the donation, and told the group how much she had enjoyed an opportunity to travel to Ahousaht to speak with high school students as part of the Cousins’ community outreach activities.

“It’s amazing to talk to young people about coming to university,” she said. “Community Cousins are really like a family, I don’t need to go home as much now because I really do feel like I have a family here.”

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