Learning by doing: Camosun students serve the community

Media Release
Release Date: March 21, 2014

Camosun students will be actively engaged in several community service projects over the next two weeks. The projects will benefit local and global communities, while helping the students gain valuable project management and social networking skills.

At Interurban campus, fourth year Business students are joining the Global Solidarity Challenge sponsored by VIDEA (Victoria International Development Education Association.) As part of their Marketing Project Management course, these fourth-year students will soon be graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration – Marketing degree.

At Lansdowne campus, first-year students in the Community Family and Child Studies (CFCS) diploma program are working in teams as part of their Service Learning course. Each team has chosen a community partner to work with.

March 24-30 – Global Solidarity Challenge

Kick-off event:  Tuesday, March 25, 10:30am-12:20pm at Interurban campus

With nearly 20% of the world's population living below the poverty line, there are 1.4 billion reasons to join the VIDEA challenge. Six student teams have each created unique challenges to raise awareness and funds.

• Walk on Water – In Zambia, the community has to walk 10km every day for fresh water. This team will walk 10km every day this week, challenging friends and family to participate and pledge donations.
• Nine for Knowledge – Each team member will choose nine different people to share knowledge with, or to seek new knowledge.
• Equal Parts Water – In some parts of Africa, girls cannot attend school because they have to walk an average of 10km to get water for their families. This team's challenge for the week is to carry with them at all times the water they consume in a day. The team made a video featuring the hunt for water through Victoria; view it online at http://www.bit.ly/equalpartswater.
• Care to Change and Helping Heroes – these two teams will organize individual challenges including: live at the poverty line ($1.25), no speaking, buy nothing, walk/bike only, 24-hour famine, no electricity, no hot water/carry your water, consume only Fair Trade products, hand-washing laundry. The Care to Change team is also hosting an 80's dance on March 29 at Leonardo da Vinci Hall.
• Growing Change – promoting an "eat local" campaign, this team will be consuming only locally sourced food and beverages.

April 1-6 – Local Community Service Learning Projects

• Hope in Action Swab Drive - April 1, 10am-3pm, Fisher building foyer, Lansdowne campus
  Students will be dressing up as superheroes to encourage people to become heroes by volunteering as potential stem cell donors. Inspired by the recent story of Hanna Day, a local girl in need of a bone marrow transplant, the team has partnered with OneMatch and Marrow Network.
• Fun Fusion for Social Inclusion – April 6, 10am-3pm at PISE (Interurban campus)
  This team has partnered with the Sooke Family Resources Society to organize a one-day event for children and youth with developmental disabilities and their care-givers. Because of successful fundraising, there will be games, prizes, participation medals, goodie bags and free pizza for about 100 participants.
• Metamorphosis – Thursday afternoons, at Rainbow Kitchen, 500 Admirals Road
  Five young women are donating their time and muscles to a complete makeover of the compost area and driveway, making it easier for donations and food to be delivered to the Rainbow Kitchen, where volunteers provide meals for 150 needy people each day. Fundraising efforts have raised cash and gravel donations, and much of the work has already been completed. They'll be back at it for the next three Thursdays, 1:30-4:30pm.

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