Community stories

For the past three years, UVic has raised more than any other Canadian post-secondary as part of the World Partnership Walk to eradicate global poverty—this year’s walk is no exception.

"Voices in Motion" is an intergenerational community choir for persons with dementia, their family caregivers and high school students. It's also a UVic research study looking into how participation in an intergenerational choir might foster social engagement and caregiver well-being, improve quality of life for persons with dementia, and reduce some of the stigma surrounding memory loss.

UVic's "bone lady" retires after more than 30 years of student and community engagement. For more than 30 years, Becky Wigen has built one of the largest and most extensive collections of animal skeletons in the Pacific Northwest.

The new study by UVic psychologists Catherine Costigan and Erica Woodin on Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams, first requested last summer by Island Health and VicPD, is now complete and shows that vulnerable populations benefit from police integration into the ACT health care model.

Six UVic faculty members leading projects that strengthen community partnerships and provide engaged-learning opportunities for students have been awarded $30,000 in Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Grants. Approximately 280 to 480 students will benefit from these curriculum development projects.

Ideafest, UVic's popular week-long festival of research, innovation and creative activity, runs March 5–10, with 40-plus outstanding events for you to choose from. This year's festival features exhibits, performances, a video night, tours and a wide range of speakers on topics ranging from climate change and chamber music to Indigenous law and antibiotic resistance. All events free and open to the public.

Geographer Jutta Gutberlet and psychologist Jim Tanaka have devoted their careers to helping others—especially children and families and those who live in poverty. As the 2018 recipients of the Provost's Engaged Scholar Award, their commitment to communities locally and internationally will be celebrated at a March ceremony.

The practice of providing alcohol to people with severe alcohol dependence is a complex and sometimes controversial approach to harm-reduction. For the first time, a peer-reviewed journal has compiled the largest collection of peer-reviewed articles on these managed alcohol programs, led by UVic's Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research.

UVic is moving ahead with the planning for a new residence facility, which will provide much-needed student housing for undergraduate and graduate students. The proposed residence will provide housing for an additional 600 students currently living off-campus.

Thanks to generous donations from individuals and well-attended campus events, the fundraising tally for the 2017 UVic United Way campaign is almost $229,000.