Wednesday, February 19, 2025

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• Championing reconciliation with the help of virtual reality

• Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey launches February 24

• Waterloo partnership with Windmill Microlending empowers skilled newcomers

• Mean Girl Feminism and other notes

Championing reconciliation with the help of virtual reality

This is the latest in a series of stories published in the 2025 Global Futures: Innovation Update.

When Dr. Kristina Llewellyn’s 11-year-old nephew interviewed Tony Smith — a former resident of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children— for a school project, the intergenerational, intercultural conversation about Smith’s lived experiences of racism was something Llewellyn wanted other students to understand. 

As an oral history educator, Llewellyn’s questions about how other students could witness and hear Smith’s story led her to the Games Institute at Waterloo. As a self-professed non-gamer, she was reluctant about finding her place in the space but admits that the Institute is more than what we think of as gaming.

“It's an environment in which interdisciplinary scholars come together with community partners to build a future based on the ethical and meaningful use of interactive and immersive technologies,” she says. “It is an environment in which technology does not drive the research, but rather the need to address a community concern drives the research and how we engage with technology.”

She collaborated with other passionate interdisciplinary researchers including Dr. Oliver Schneider from the Faculty of Engineering and Michael Barnett-Cowan from the Faculty of Health. Together, they launched the Digital Oral Histories for Reconciliation (DOHR) project, an educational virtual reality (VR) curriculum rooted in restorative justice.  

Based on the oral histories of Smith, Gerry Morrison and Tracy Dorrington-Skinner, the VR storytelling learning resource has become an effective method for students to bear witness to this historical harm and to understand the resilience and activism of former residents over time.

“This 15-minute VR experience has been carefully designed to position the listener as someone who is witnessing the events of the storyteller to relate to them, but not to be immersed in the visual work of the virtual world,” Schneider shares.

The experience is crafted to allow listeners to engage with the tragic history, think about their own positionality, and carry the learnings forward into social justice action to address racism in their communities.

Read more on the Global Futures website

Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey launches February 24

A message from Campus Wellness.

Starting February 24, the University of Waterloo will be participating in the Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey (CCWS). The CCWS collects data from students to inform policies and practices that support student health and well-being.

A random sample of 12,000 University of Waterloo students (including both undergraduate and graduate students) will receive an email inviting them to participate in the confidential survey. Students will have four weeks (Feb 24-Mar 24, 2025) to complete the survey, and upon completion will be eligible for a $5 WatCard deposit.

Survey topics include mental health, food security, physical activity, substance use, sexual health behaviours and more. Data will help the University to determine student healthcare needs, develop health programs and resources, and design wellness strategies at Waterloo. If you or any student you support have questions regarding the survey, please direct them to Sandra Gibson, Manager, Health Education and Promotion.

Waterloo partnership with Windmill Microlending empowers skilled newcomers

By Emma Pavlovich. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

The University of Waterloo is teaming up with Windmill Microlending, a national charity dedicated to supporting skilled immigrants and refugees, to help newcomers successfully integrate into Canada’s workforce.  

This partnership is designed to close the gap between skilled newcomers and the Canadian job market. Through financial support and tailored educational opportunities, it provides the resources needed to unlock the potential of this diverse population.  

The flexible loan solutions can help Waterloo learners fund education and training programs of two years or less, including course and program offerings by WatSPEED, the University’s professional and executive education arm.   

"Our collaboration with Windmill Microlending is a strategic step towards dismantling the barriers that prevent skilled newcomers from fully participating in our economy," says Sanjeev Gill, vice-president, innovation and executive director of WatSPEED at Waterloo. "We are committed to building learning and development programs that match the needs of both learners and hiring managers, fostering an inclusive environment where diverse experiences and backgrounds are valued."  

Students in Waterloo’s undergraduate and graduate programs may also be eligible to receive loans through the program, leveraging the support for opportunities that enable future career success, such as professional development, licensing and qualifying exams, credentials assessments, English and French language training, and more.   

With more affordable interest rates compared to traditional bank loans, Windmill Microlending provides loans to individuals — including those with limited credit history in Canada — who may not qualify for credit products from larger financial institutions.  

“At Windmill Microlending, we recognize the immense talent and potential that skilled immigrants and refugees bring to Canada,” says Oumar Dicko, national director of Windmill Microlending. “This partnership with the University of Waterloo is a meaningful step toward ensuring newcomers have the financial support and educational opportunities they need to thrive in their careers. By reducing barriers to accreditation and professional development, we are helping to create a more inclusive workforce where skilled newcomers can fully contribute to Canada’s economic and social prosperity."  
  
Together, Waterloo and Windmill Microlending are paving the way for a more inclusive and prosperous Canada, where every newcomer has the opportunity to contribute and thrive. To learn more about financial supports for professional education, visit the WatSPEED website.

Mean Girl Feminism and other notes

Today at noon, W3+ presents "Mean Girl Feminism – Book Talk and Sharing Circle."

"What is “mean girl feminism” and how does it impact collective struggles for gender equity?" asks the organizers. "Learn how to identify, avoid, and resist tactics that marginalize womxn of colour under the guise of feminism – at UWaterloo and beyond."

Philosophy PhD candidate Maddy Kenyon will interview Dr. Kim Hong Nguyen, former W3+ faculty representative and author of "Mean Girl Feminism: How White Feminists Gaslight, Gatekeep, & Girlboss." Afterwards, Kenyon and the W3+ reps will facilitate "an informal sharing circle in which we can share stories, experiences, and ideas for intersectional gender equity at UW." Organizers note that you do not have to have read Dr. Nguyen's book to attend or participate at the event.

You can email w3plus@uwaterloo.ca to request a calendar invite if you're not already a member of the W3+ Team on Microsoft Teams. W3+'s events are open to all women and nonbinary graduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff at the University of Waterloo.

The event takes place virtually on Microsoft Teams from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m.

The Women in Pharmacy Leadership Program is hosting Your Inner Saboteurs: What Are They And How To Manage Them tonight from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. online via Zoom.

"Saboteurs are the thinking habits that generate negative emotions within us as we handle life’s everyday challenges," says the event website. "We all have them. They sabotage our performance, well-being and relationships every day. This session digs into the fascinating neuroscience, psychology and presentation of saboteurs. We will explore why we have them, their impact on our lives and ways to tame them through mental fitness."

Keynote speaker Barbara Gobis is a pharmacist and leadership coach. Her goal is for attendees to understand themselves better to successfully embrace change and opportunity in pharmacy.