Community Partner: Quadra Village Community Centre

Generations United is an event to engage Juniors (6-12 yrs) and Elders (+65 yrs) in intergenerational learning through facilitated group activities. This included an afternoon of intergenerational connection. Intergenerational learning provides social, emotional, and educational benefits to the members of our community while also forging a strong sense of connection and purpose across the ages.

Team Cool Neighbors worked with Cool Aid Society to hold multiple open houses with the goal of breaking down barriers and stigma of what supportive housing looks like in the community. The project allowed the public to see what a Supportive Housing unit looks like on the inside and introduced community residents to the people living in the facilities.

Community Partner: Pacifica Housing

The You Matter project was inspired by a campaign that UVic had recently completed called Kindmail, where UVic alumni were called upon to send encouraging messages to students in exam period. Our team took the concept of Kindmail and came up with the You Matter campaign. We partnered with Pacifica Housing to deliver handmade cards with a short but encouraging message to four of their supported housing buildings. One side of the decorated card had “You Matter” written on it. On the other side there was a note encouraging the recipient to pass on the card when their heart was full.

Team Jedi Magic wanted to create a project that could enhance connections between neighbours. They chose Neighbour Day, modelled after a similar event that began in Melbourne Australia in 2003 and has since spread nationwide. 

Their mission? “To create safe neighbourhoods and foster a sense of belonging and feeling valued in a community by promoting inclusion and reducing isolation through the development of neighbour-to-neighbour connections”. 

Team Bellatonia used video to create a diversity awareness project titled “DiverCity Victoria”, in order to enhance understanding and inclusivity in our community. The project aims to help us to recognize, tackle and address our own biases, therefore promoting a more diverse and inclusive society based on mutual understanding and improved meaningful connections between people. 

The project was inspired by current political discourse, and concerns about the rise of intolerance and targeted hatred towards a few faith communities, as well as the stigmatization of immigrants, particularly in North America. It was also designed to build awareness around the team’s own experiences with discrimination. 

“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?”  by Thoreau

This mural project facilitated a collaboration between non-profit organization Power To Be, local artist Kay Gallivan, and property management company DNL Holdings. Inspired by the work of Power To Be, Kay and partners painted a stunning mural on the wall of one of DNL Holdings' properties in downtown Victoria as a way to beautify the downtown, encourage community connectedness and a sense of belonging for all. Team #3 then hosted a celebration to unveil the mural and celebrate the community work that led to its creation.