In this newsletter, you will find...
Featured at Conrad Grebel:
Events:
- Bridge: Honouring the Lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People
- "Canadian Theatre Made for Black Women" talk
- Tea-and-Talk with Wazhma Frogh
- The Intersectionality of Violence: In Conversation with Leon Tsai & Student Activists
- Global Migration Film Festival: The Kitchen of Las Patronas
- National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Commemoration
- The doing and undoing of religion in the field: ethnographic approaches to religion and migration
- Cultural Translation: Negotiated Third Spaces and Those who Live There
Jobs, Internships, and Opportunities:
- Peace Boat Scholarship Opportunity
- Christian Peacemaker Teams
- Haida Gwaii Higher Education Society Summer Sessions
- MEDA Internship Opportunities
- Canadian School of Peacebuilding
Notes:
Disclaimer: Events and opportunities above are not all endorsed by the PACS department; this bulletin includes opportunities that we think PACS students may be interested in but are not sponsored by PACS. Please use your own discretion to determine if an opportunity is right for you.
Featured at Conrad Grebel
Gendered Conflicts and the Pursuit of Peace
On November 29th, come on out to the atrium at Grebel from 3-5pm to see the poster exhibit called Gendered Conflicts & The Pursuit of Peace. It will feature the various posters of students in PACS 321- Gender in War and Peace. There will be baked goods for sale- the class is raising funds for the Sexual Assault Support Center of Waterloo Region.
On December 1st, Grebel's Peace Society will be hosting the Make a Difference (MAD) Market. Join them for a local fair trade, Christmas shopping, food, and music, benefiting the Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support!
Events
Bridge: Honouring the Lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls. and Two Spirit People
Date: November 27th, 2018
Time: 10:30am
Location: Bridge over the creek near Environment 3
Cost: Free
In 2016, Professor Sorouja Moll worked with the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre to create a space for all university community members to learn about and reflect on the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. As a gesture to name and remember the 4000+ missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit people in Canada, come out to write a name on red fabric and tie it to the bridge. This annual installation is part of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence at the University of Waterloo.
Canadian Theatre Made for Black Women
Date: November 28th, 2018
Time: 4-6pm
Location: Environment 3 (EV3), Room 4412
Cost: Free
As part of the UN's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Naila Keleta-Mae will be speaking to Waterloo Women's Wednesdays about Trey Anthony, a successful published and produced playwright in Canada. Keleta-Mae will discuss how Anthony, a black queer woman, has maintained her success even while the numbers in theatre audiences in Canada are dwindling. Student work from Jordana Cox's SPCOM 220 will also be showcased. Refreshments will be provided.
Tea-and-Talk with Wazhma Frogh
Date: November 28th, 2018
Time: 11:30am
Location: J.G. Hagey Hall of the Humanities, Room 373
Cost: Free
In this Tea-and-Talk, Wazhma Frogh, a human rights lawyer, peacemaker, and women's rights activist, will discuss her experiences challenging gender-based violence in Afghanistan. In her work, Wazhma has highlighted the role women play in preventing extremism and violence, improved the situation of women working in security forces, and prosecuted perpetrators of sexual abuse and violence. A free lunch will be served at this event.
The Intersectionality of Violence: In Conversation with Leon Tsai & Student Activists
Date: November 30th, 2018
Time: 12-1:30pm
Location: Engineering 7 (E7), Second floor event space
Cost: Free
Feds student-run services RAISE, Women's Centre, and Glow will be co-facilitating this event to remember and bring to light the violence trans people of colour experience in Canada. Leon Tsai, local youth activist and the External Coordinator of the UTSC's Women's and Trans Centre, will speak about how gender-based violence affects trans people and how it intersects with racial identity. This event will end with a panel featuing Leon Tsai and a number of other equity student leaders on campus to discuss transphobic rhetoric on campus, in our community, and nationally.
Global Migration Film Festival: The Kitchen of Las Patronas
Date: December 5th, 2018
Time: 7-9pm
Location: International Migration Research Centre (IMRC), Laurier University
Cost: Free
The Kitchen of Las Patronas is a film about the journeys made on "The Beast," a train route through Mexico, on which some of the region's most vulnerable migrants travel for days. A group of women in the town of La Patrona have taken it upon themselves to provide fresh meals for those on the move. They initially acted out of compassion for the migrants, but came to discover more about themselves, their rights, and their role as women. A panel discussion will follow the screening of this film.
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Commemoration
Date: December 6th, 2018
Time: 10:30am
Location: Engineering 7 (E7), Second floor atrium
Cost: Free
December 6th is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. This year will mark the 29th anniversary of the tragic events that took place in 1989 at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal.
Students, faculty, staff and community leaders will come together to reflect and commemorate the 14 young women whose lives were taken, and to continue the pursuit of justice, equity and opportunity for all.
The doing and undoing of religion in the field: ethnographic approaches to religion and migration
Date: December 12th, 2018
Time: 9-11am
Location: Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology (PAS), Room 1053
Cost: Free
The UWaterloo Religious Studies Department will be hosting a talk by Dr. Alison Marshall, a professor a Brandon University whose work focuses on religious diversity in Canada, particularly with regard to immigration. She will discuss the challenges of getting ethics approval for ethnographic research, methods for choosing research options, and how to interact with results of religion in the field. She will also cover the benefits of using feminist ethnographic research methods.
Cultural Translation: Negotiated Third Spaces and Those who Live There
This exhibition features the work of artist Soheil Esfahani, an Iranian Canadian whose work emerges from her reflections on her experience in this "negotiated third space"- platforms that are created out of necessity when cultures collide. Through this exhibit, community members are invited to observe, reflect on, and celebrate moments of cultural translation. The last day to visit this exhibit is December 20th, 2018- come out and appreciate Esfahani's work!
Jobs, Internships, and Opportunities
Peace Boat Scholarship Opportunities
Peace Boat is a non-profit that leads experiential study programs onboard the Peace Boat, an international organization that sails around the globe, focusing on the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They are offering two full-scholarships to join them aboard the Peace Boat in 2019! There will also a limited number of partial scholarships available. Applications close December 1st, 2018. For PACS students, this is eligible for PACS 395 Travel Course credit!
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) places teams of people at the invitation of local peacemaking communities that are confronting situations of conflict; they aim to support and amplify the voices of local peacemakers and human rights workers risking their lives to confront systems of violence and oppression. They have several programs around the world in which you can get involved, including locations such as Colombia, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Palestine. This is a great opportunity to work with people who all share the same world vision of freedom and nonviolence! These programs are also eligible for PACS 395 Travel Course credit.
Haida Gwaii Higher Education Society Summer Sessions
The Haida Gwaii Higher Education Society is a non-profit organization that aims to develop and deliver transformative education inspired by Haida Gwaii, BC. They are currently accepting applications for their upcoming summer 2019 programs: Haida Gwaii Summer Session in Social-Ecological Systems (May 6th-30th) and Haida Gwaii Summer Session in Plants, People, and Place (June 3rd-27th). These intensive, community-based programs are open to students everywhere and are accredited by the University of British Columbia. You can earn up to 12, 300-level credits that will be transferable to the University of Waterloo! Applications close January 25th, 2019.
Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) is hiring for International Interns beginning January 2019! MEDA is an association based in Waterloo that invests in people who live in poverty around the world to help them earn a sustainable livelihood for their family and for community enrichment. PACS alumni and MPACS students and alumni are welcome to apply.
Canadian School of Peacebuilding
Applications are now open for the 11th annual Canadian School of Peacebuilding (CSOP)! It will be held June 10th-14th and June 17th-21st, 2019, in Winnipeg, Canada. Anyone who is interested in growing as a peacebuilder is welcome to apply- local and international, young and old, students, practitioners, and those brand-new to peacebuilding. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn across faith, cultural understandings, and rural and urban settings.
Notes
CI 250
A new course is being offered in the Winter 2019 term as part of the Cultural Identities minor! CI 250: Truth - Reconciliation - Story will provide a global perspective on formal and informal truth and reconciliation processes. Special interests in the course will be the role of story in truth and reconciliation processes, in terms of both testimonies and of fictional accounts of the human rights crises that led to conflict. There are no prerequisites to take this course- all are welcome! This course would also be petitionable to count towards your PACS major or minor.
The Holigay Market 2018 is a fundraiser for the Rainbow Reels Queer and Trans Film Festival! Browse gifts for yourself and others from a variety of LGBT+ artists in the area - everyone is welcome to attend. This market will take place on December 1st, 2018, from 9am-1pm at the Fresh Ground Cafe in Kitchener. Admission is free, but donations are accepted! There are two all gender single stall accessible washrooms and the cafe is entirely wheelchair accessible.
End of Term De-stress Event
All Arts students are welcome to come on out and destress in an event on Wednesday, November 28th from 11am-2pm in the Hagey Hall Hub! Share in on some fun, laughter, and food. There will be therapy dogs, Registered Massage Therapists, and a de-stressing activity. This event is for Arts undergraduate students only - WatCards are required.
Many students struggle with mental health issues that are worsened by the stress of school. We want to remind you about the resources available on campus to help you take care of yourself the best that you can. The following seminars will provide information about mental health, self-care, and useful strategies for coping with issues you may have during the school year.
Coping Skills Seminars
These coping skills seminars will teach you the basics of self-care, mindfulness, meditation, and useful strategies for coping with and anxiety and stress:
- Challenging Thinking
- Managing Emotions
- Strengthening Motivation
- Cultivating Resiliency
Alleviating Anxiety Seminar
This seminar is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness and is designed to help you better understand anxiety, its causes, and the factors that maintain it. You will be introduced to a number of strategies to alleviate anxiety in the moment, challenge your thoughts, and change anxiety-inducing behaviours.