Omar Karim (left) and Dominik Beckers, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the MBA Games Organizing Committee, sport Moose Hide squares in support of the Moose Hide Campaign. The campaign is the charity partner for the 2017 MBA Games, which will be held in BC for the first time.
October 4, 2016 - 12:15pm
The competition – to be held for the first time in BC – and its charity partner will be promoted at a national gathering featuring Indigenous leaders, politicians and more
A trio of Vancouver Island University (VIU) representatives will highlight a national business student competition and its anti-violence charity partner in Ottawa this week.
The group – consisting of Omar Karim, Dominik Beckers and Carrie Chassels – are attending the National Moose Hide Gathering, which takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 5 in Canada’s capital. Attendees will include Indigenous leaders, MPs and senators, and members of the social service and philanthropic community.
Karim and Beckers are the Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively, of the MBA Games Organizing Committee for BC and the national competition; Chassels is VIU’s Executive Director of Student Affairs.
“We’re honoured to share our vision at the Moose Hide Gathering,” says Karim, a VIU alum who graduated with his MBA earlier this year. “As aspiring business and community leaders, we have the responsibility to work towards a better future.”
The MBA Games features business students from universities across Canada who gather annually to compete in academic, team sport and spirit competitions. The next instalment of the Games will be held in Nanaimo from Jan. 2-4, 2017, marking the first time that the event will be hosted in BC.
As part of the Games, participating schools fundraise to support charities. The Moose Hide Campaign – described as a “grassroots movement of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal men who are standing up against violence towards women and children” – is the charity partner for the 2017 MBA Games.
At the Ottawa event, the VIU-based organizing committee will represent Canadian universities competing in the MBA Games. Karim will speak about the relationship between the business competition and the Moose Hide campaign.
He also plans to touch on “Safe Space, Safe Place,” an initiative from the two parties that aims to end violence against women on Canadian university campuses. This program will be launched following the MBA Games.
To watch a live stream of the presentation, visit the MBA Games Facebook page on Wednesday, Oct. 5, beginning at 9 am Pacific time.
Karim and his colleague Beckers, who is currently pursuing his MBA, highlighted how their time at VIU has impacted their vision for the Games.
“Our experiences here have given us a better understanding of the issues involving First Nations, reconciliation and more,” says Karim. “VIU has definitely played a role.”
The BC MBA Games – a precursor to the national event – will take place in Nanaimo from Oct. 21-23.
In January 2016, the VIU contingent placed fourth overall in the national Games. That event raised $69,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Canada; of that amount, VIU MBA students raised about $32,000.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Communications and Public Engagement, Vancouver Island University
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