VIU student finds niche in community

You never know what will change your life direction. It may be a big event or it may be a quiet moment; for Neila Sinkewicz, a fourth-year Vancouver Island University (VIU) student, it was a class. In 2004, Sinkewicz moved to Nanaimo from Regina, Saskatchewan to pursue a degree in Criminology with the hopes of one day opening her own loss prevention company.

While at VIU, Sinkewicz took one Women’s Studies class and changed her major.

"Women’s Studies is more than academia," said Sinkewicz. "It has helped me build a strong sense of who I am and where I fit in the world, and it has made me passionate about social justice issues."

Last winter she took Women and Homelessness in Cross-cultural Perspective, a special topic course taught by Helene Demers. Billed as "an in-depth exploration of the causes and experiences of women and homelessness from a local, national and global perspective" – students fondly refer to it as "the class that never ends."

"One of the assignments in the course was to research specific items needed by local shelters and transition houses," said Demers.

This assignment inspired one student to suggest the class donate different items each week to four local organizations.

"Students often struggle financially and I was touched by their support of women in need," said Demers. "One of the students and her family prepared a meal and delivered it to homeless people downtown."

"Poverty is like a disease," Sinkewicz said. "Homelessness is not a natural thing. There’s a lot of social injustice at the root of it – violence, and people who have been victimized."

Although the class is over, the students’ concern continues. "We’ve all made some formal commitment to do something from our hearts. One woman from our class is still collecting shoes and taking them downtown," she said.

The class renewed Sinkewicz’s spirit. When she started the class, she had recently left her job at the Salvation Army’s New Hope Centre. "I was feeling burnt out," she said. "Being active in the community really inspired me to go back out there."

Sinkewicz applied for a position at Samaritan House, Nanaimo’s shelter for homeless women, where she was hired as a Support Worker. She is just one of several VIU students and graduates who work at Samaritan House. They come from all areas of the institution, including First Nations Studies, Criminology, Women’s Studies, Psychology, Nursing, and the Community Support Worker and Resident Care Attendant programs.

"We’re a pretty diverse group of women," she said. "But we’re all empathetic. We don’t do counseling, but we listen. We’re making relationships with people, offering a bit of dignity, some clothing and nutritious food."

Sinkewicz thinks there are misconceptions about what causes homelessness. "People have an assumption that the homeless are crazy and chose to be addicts, chose to be in the sex trade. I have yet to meet a sex trade worker who wants to be in that industry. They’re just people, just like me. I’m only two paychecks away from being homeless myself."

She doesn’t see herself as a do-gooder. "I just want to level the playing field a little bit and give a hand up," said Sinkewicz, who credits her experienced coworkers with making an impact in the community.

When she graduates in December, Sinkewicz hopes to work with women in the sex trade. "I found my niche – I just love it. University has opened so many doors and changed my whole plan," she said.

This year, VIU’s Anthropology department is offering a similar course on homelessness at the Cowichan campus. For more information on programs and courses visit VIU’s website at viu.ca or contact the Advising Centre at 250-740-6410.