Members of the StFX Model United Nations Society were in Montreal from January 27-31, 2016 to participate in the 27th annual McGill University Model UN.  

Dr. Ronald Charles takes a look at Creole Bible translations and linguistic prejudices in his just released second book, Traductions Bibliques Créoles et Préjugés Linguistiques. This work looks at some of the factors that have influenced biblical translators working in the context of Haiti.

“I am very glad that it is out and I hope it will be helpful to those working on Bible translation in general, and on Haitian Bible translations in particular,” the StFX religious studies professors says on his latest book, written in French and published by L’harmattan, Paris in late December 2015.

A book launch is planned for Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. in Nicholson Hall 150.

Introducing the inaugural version of The Extraordinary -- Presidential Newsletter

CELEBRATING SUCCESS AT STFX

Check out our new leisure reading collection, located at the main entrance of the libray.  Choose from classic novels, audio books, magazines, graphic novels and much more.  Brought to you in partnership with the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library. 

Donors, dignitaries and StFX students, faculty and staff gathered Nov. 4 to celebrate and join in the ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the Jonathan Deitcher Financial Trading Room, the highly anticipated new facility located on the first floor of StFX’s Gerald Schwartz School of Business.

Attending the ceremony were Mr. Deitcher, Vice-President & Investment Advisor RBC Dominion Securities Inc.; Gerry Schwartz, founder, chairman and CEO of Onex Corporation; Mark Smith, President, Pandion Investment Ltd.; and Bill and Jeannine Cochrane. All contributed towards the trading room.  

In total, StFX raised in excess of $1 million in endowment for the facility.

“This is going to have a tremendous impact for our students,” says Dr. Tim Hynes, Schwartz School Dean of Business.

“This is a very significant advance in our programming for students in our finance and accounting areas. To have the trading room facility within the Schwartz School really allows us to take our programming to another level.”

Dr. Hynes says the trading room will give students access to market data and corporate financial reports at the same time that it is available to the private sector and professional investment dealers.

That experiential learning aspect is one of the reasons Mr. Deitcher says he wanted to support the project.

“The opportunity it gives to undergraduate students to experience the real world side of investment in a university setting is invaluable in their education,” he says. “I’m thrilled to be able to support the opportunity for students to have the tools they need in the financial area.”

The trading room has been open and in operation since September and students and faculty are already using it is as part of their course work and assignments, and in research for their honours thesis. It also gives students the ability to have a student-managed investment fund.

Jonathan Deitcher is joined by students from the Gerald Schwartz School of Business, including Allison Randall, Matt Hadfield, Chris Duignan, Kim Campbell, Andrew Vaughn, and Cole Grbavac.

Dr. Hynes says the trading room is also a key asset for faculty research. He says the Schwartz School recently hired two new faculty members with PhDs in finance, and thanks to its new subscription and license fees, it allows them to access data not previously available at StFX.

Dr. Hynes says the idea for a trading room has been something the school has been exploring for some time. The idea originated with students, particularly members of the Invest-X student finance society.

While at StFX, the business leaders also took time to join Dr. Hynes’ strategic management class, engaging students with their insights about the corporate world.

The forum was a huge success, organizers say. Participants ranged from fishermen and NGO representatives from northeastern Nova Scotia, to university students and professors, fishermen from Paq’tnkek First Nation, and industry interests and representatives from regional to federal levels of government from Canada and the United States.

Day one consisted of panel discussions and break-out groups focused on the changing marine environment, collaborative science and economic opportunities. Day two was dedicated to presentations and discussions about ocean acidification in terms of monitoring methods, data sharing, and effects on marine organisms.

“This forum marked a rare event where fishermen, researchers and students, regulators, industry, and the community came together to share knowledge and ideas related to changing ocean ecosystems and the economic effects to regional fisheries,” says StFX biology professor Dr. David Garbary.

StFX student volunteers from the Aquatic Resources Program, Lauren Muzak Ruff, Emily Cowie and Zaria Sorel, played a key role in the proceedings by operating the forum registration table, welcoming participants. They, along with students from Dr. Garbary’s marine biology class, also participated in scheduled events and learned about collaboration between fishermen, industry, researchers and government.

http://www.stfx.ca/news/view/18626/

Thanks to strong employee participation in the Quality of Work Life (QWL) Survey conducted this past spring, StFX senior administration now has key insights and opportunities to help inform actions that can facilitate positive change and improvement, says Andrew Beckett VP Finance and Administration.

Extra heat stored in groundwater beneath cities around the world could provide enough geothermal energy to heat urban homes, an international research team that includes StFX earth sciences professor Dr. Grant Ferguson has found.

The results of the research, conducted by Dr. Ferguson and his colleagues from the University of Tuebingen and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and ETH Zürich in Switzerland, are now featured in an article on the Environmental Research Web.

The research covered by Environmental Research Web was published in Environmental Research Letters.

Entitled Hot water to get cities out of energy trouble?, the article explains how the group measured groundwater temperatures in Cologne, Germany and Winnipeg – cities that have had extensive underground warming, with temperatures 3–5°C higher than surrounding rural areas.

“We then extended those results to other cities around the world such as London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Istanbul and Prague to come up with an idea of the magnitude of these extra geothermal resources beneath urban areas,” Dr. Ferguson says. “There may actually be enough of this extra heat from the urban heat island effect to meet heating demands for some cities for several decades.”

The project featured in this article developed after Dr. Ferguson was introduced to Ke Zhu by her supervisors, Philipp Blum and Peter Bayer, during a trip he made to University of Tuebingen in June 2009 to give a guest lecture. He had earlier collaborated with the group on a slightly different geothermal resources project in 2008.

“Her PhD thesis, which was focused on geothermal energy beneath Cologne was very similar to work I had conducted in Winnipeg that started during my time as a PhD student at the University of Manitoba.”

Dr. Zhu re-analyzed some of the data from the Winnipeg area that Dr. Ferguson had collected more recently and came up with results that were quite similar to what she had found for Cologne.

“In most cities, with a variety of populations and climates, the large amount of geothermal energy stored in the urban local subsurface is capable of fulfilling the annual space-heating demand for years and potentially decades,” Dr. Zhu said in the interview in the Environmental Research Web article.

“We should promote shallow geothermal-energy use in cities because extracting this large amount of thermal energy will not only fulfil part of the energy demand in urban areas, but also play a positive role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.

The researchers are now modelling heat transport beneath Cologne in detail, the article says, to study the dynamics of energy fluxes in urban heat islands.

Dr. Ferguson continues to work with the group and recently visited the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology where he gave a guest lecture and spent time discussing various projects.

Students, you need a ride to class? Then you're going to love the kick-off to the Capture The X Factor Video Contest. Members of the Students' Union and X-Army are shuttling students around campus Mon, Sept. 27 through Thurs, September 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of Random "X" of Kindness.

It's the latest in a series of fun events to kick off the video contest. Last week, the students held Classroom Crashes and Dorm Drops with free giveaways of tea and coffee.

Students are reminded to get their video entry in soon. The earlier you do, the more chances you have for votes.

The first video submission in the contest is now live. Check it out at http://www.mystfx.ca/x-factor/index.php?id=1&vid=EO3NhB0hp0M&viewcap=1

For more contest details, please check out, www.stfx.ca/xfactor.
 

AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING STUDENT ACCOUNT PAYMENT OPTIONS

Please be aware that St. Francis Xavier University will be discontinuing the use of credit cards for payments on student accounts effective September 30, 2010. This measure is one way the university is minimizing costs while continuing to support the high quality of its academic programs offered to our students.

St. Francis Xavier University offers a number of options to make payments on student accounts, including:

‐ 24/7 online banking;
‐ telephone banking;
‐ direct transfer of funds for international students;
‐ and payment by mail, in person, or via Canada Student Loan.

Credit cards will continue to be accepted for application fees, confirmation and housing deposits, Bookstore purchases, and Registrar’s Office services.

Details on all these options, including step‐by‐step instructions for online banking, are available on the Accounting Services website at:
http://www.mystfx.ca/campus/admin/accounting‐services

Frequently Asked Questions:

1) Why is StFX discontinuing the use of credit cards for payments on student accounts?
This measure is one way the university is minimizing costs while continuing to support the high quality of its academic programs offered to our students.

2) What are my payment options going to be?
StFX continues to offer a variety of convenient payment options for our students:
• 24/7 online banking (“St. Francis Xavier University” is registered as a payee with every major Canadian bank and regional credit union)
• telephone banking
• direct transfer of funds (recommended for international students)
• payment by mail with cheque, money order, or bank draft
• payment in person with debit, cash, cheque, money order, or bank draft
• payment via Canada Student Loan
For further instructions concerning payment options go to http://www.mystfx.ca/campus/admin/accounting‐services and select Student Accounts.

3) How does eliminating the option to pay with my credit card help?
Every time you pay for something with a credit card, the vendor (in this case StFX) is charged a fee for that transaction. The fee is a percentage of the overall transaction amount.
By eliminating costs associated with credit card transactions, StFX can reinvest the savings back into supporting the high quality of education StFX has become known for.

4) Why doesn’t the university negotiate a better deal with the credit card companies?
The fees paid by StFX for credit card transactions are not negotiable. They are set by the credit card companies and StFX is unable to change them.

5) What is happening at other universities?
Many universities are discontinuing their usage due to the high costs. Recently, Dalhousie, UNB and UPEI discontinued credit card payments for major fees, and St. Thomas is planning to do the same. Several other universities including Mount Allison have never accepted credit card payments.

6) What can I use my credit cards to pay?
Credit cards will continue to be accepted for many other services such as application fees, confirmation and housing deposits, Registrar’s Office services and Bookstore purchases.

7) Why was I able to pay my application deposit by credit card but not my tuition fees?
It’s really about balancing convenience and cost. The StFX application process is a convenient online process for payment of deposits by students applying from across the province, the country, and around the world. To coordinate payments by any other method during the application process would actually be more expensive to the university.

8) What if my student loan has not come in by the time the tuition payment is due?
Students who get their loan document signed by Student Accounts on or before the payment due date will not have late charges applied to their accounts. However, if the loans do not cover the fees in total, students are required to pay the balance by the due date or late fees will apply.

9) Many international students don’t have accounts with Canadian banks. What is being done to help them?
International students can pay by wire transfer through StudentPay, an online system that StFX will be introducing in June 2010. Students can choose from one of 11 languages and know exactly how much to pay in their own currency. Because transactions are direct, there is no risk of payments falling short due to fluctuating exchange rates and unexpected bank fees.
For more information on StudentPay, please contact Accounting Services: (902) 867‐2123 or (902) 867‐3738.

10) What else has StFX done to make payment convenient for students?
The university provides a 24/7 online banking option through all the major financial institutions in Canada.* This allows students to avoid line‐ups and to pay at a time of day that is convenient for them.
For further instructions concerning payment options go to http://www.mystfx.ca/campus/admin/accounting‐services and select Student Accounts.

If you currently use online banking where “St. Francis Xavier University” is not set up as a payee, please advise us at (902) 867‐3719 or aservice@stfx.ca and we will gladly arrange to become a payee with that institution.

For inquires concerning payment of student accounts please contact (902) 867‐2123 or (902) 867‐3738

Hoist it high Al!

For most hockey players, young and old, the dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup is always in the back of their mind. X-Men hockey alumnus Allan MacIsaac got to live that dream recently, as a member of the senior management team with the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
 
“Winning the Stanley Cup is every young hockey players dream but for most that dream never becomes reality,” says MacIsaac. “I’m one of the fortunate kids that can now say the dream was real and the experience is even better than you can ever imagine.”
 
MacIsaac, a 1991 graduate of StFX and former forward with the X-Men, has been with the Blackhawks organization for the past 10 years. In December, 2008 he was named the Senior Director of Hockey Administration/Assistant to the President, having previously served as the director of player evaluation. Prior to that, he was the general manager of hockey operations with the Norfolk Admirals, then the Blackhawks minor league affiliate.
 
MacIsaac’s playing days date back to four years (1987-1991) with the StFX X-Men, where he earned numerous accolades for his on-ice talents. Tallying 112 career points (54 goals, 58 assists), MacIsaac was a two-time AUAA all-star in the forward position, a three-time most valuable player for the X-Men and on two occasions was the team’s leading scorer. Upon graduating in 1991, MacIsaac was named the StFX Male Athlete of the Year. 
 
A native of Antigonish, NS and a 12th round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 1987, MacIsaac continued his hockey career with the Hampton Road Admirals in the East Coast Hockey League as a defenseman for the 1991-92 season, where he led the team with a +33 rating. He represented the Admirals in the 1993 ECHL all-star game and also saw time in the same year with the Baltimore Skipjacks and Cape Breton Oilers of the American Hockey League.
 
Although MacIsaac didn’t skate to any championships as an X-Man, across his professional career he has won four titles including three as a player: the 1987 CHL Memorial Cup with the Guelph Platers, the 1992 ECHL championship with the Norfolk Admirals and the 1993 Calder Cup with the Cape Breton Oilers. His fourth title came as he was at the general manager helm with the Admirals in 1998 for another ECHL championship.
 
Allan and his wife Dawn reside with their three daughters in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. MacIsaac was happy to share his Stanley Cup experience with his family, friends and extended StFX family, as many immediate family members attended playoff games in the deciding round against the Philadelphia Flyers, including the Game 6 Cup clincher in Pennsylvania.
 
“The Chicago Blackhawks ended a 49 year Cup drought and in many ways rejuvenated a great hockey city in Chicago,” said MacIsaac. “I’ve been very fortunate to be part of that success and look forward to winning the Cup again. I appreciate all of the support from family and friends during the Stanley Cup playoff run and I’m proud to share this experience with all of the StFX family.”
 
MacIsaac plans on bringing the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Antigonish, NS at some point in time this summer.
 

St. Francis Xavier University professors are reaping the benefits of a $1 million research grant.

Several StFX researchers are working diligently on trying to break the long history of inadequate food supply to families in Nova Scotia.

The project called Community Food Security is for communities to obtain safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system, one that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) program has awarded $1 million to this research alliance.  Involved in the research project from StFX are Dr. Doris Gillis, Professor Christine Johnson, both from the Department of Human Nutrition (Prof. Johnson also represents the Nova Scotia Food Security Network); Dr. Anna MacLeod, adjunct professor in the School of Education and Ms. Colleen Cameron, School of Nursing. StFX Service Learning and the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health at StFX are also part of this initiative.

Researchers at StFX are collaborating with Dr. Patty Williams, Canada Research Chair at Mount Saint Vincent University, the Nova Scotia Food Security Network and other key community, government and academic partners.

“This research draws together our expertise in participatory research with our interests in community food security as a key determinant of health in Nova Scotia,” says Dr. Gillis. “Our involvement in this five-year community-university research endeavor will also expand opportunities for our students and integrated dietetic interns to develop knowledge about policy change and practical skills needed to address the food security challenges that communities in our region encounter.”

Building upon a long standing, well-respected academic and community partnership in Nova Scotia, the funding will enhance understandings of Community Food Security in concept and practice while strengthening capacity for policy change at multiple levels, added Dr. Gillis. 

“I am very excited to be a part of this team working to understand community food security and the factors that affect food access and food systems within communities,” said Professor Johnson. “This work presents an opportunity to build upon existing partnerships in communities throughout Nova Scotia and across the country to help strengthen communities and our local food systems, and inform related policy. It also presents substantial opportunities through internships, research, and service learning for students to engage in research and community action which will enhance their fields of study,” added Professor Johnson.
 

Congratulations are in order for Mary Anne Gillies MacDonald, Taryn Grant, Kyle Kennedy MacDonald and Corbin Bourree who have been selected as the 2010 recipients of the annual Alumni Recognition Awards.

To be considered for the award, candidates must submit an essay about the impact StFX has had on them. Finalists then attend an interview with members of the Alumni Association Council.

Four awards of $1,500 each are made to one student in each of the undergraduate years.

This year’s recipients are:

First Year: Mary Anne Gillies MacDonald, Antigonish, NS

Second Year: Taryn Grant, Calgary, AB

Third Year: Kyle Kennedy MacDonald, Inverness, NS

Fourth Year: Corbin Bourree, Nelson, BC
 

Appeared in The Chronicle Herald
By MONICA GRAHAM
Monday Mar 1

St. Francis Xavier University students scrounged for beer bottles, gave up their party money and emptied their pockets in a grassroots drive that raised $12,500 for the Haiti earthquake relief effort.

When matched by the federal government, that means the 5,000 campus students raised a total of $25,000 for the Caribbean country.

Information technology students Sarah Furey and Mitchell Ogilvie started the campaign.

"As an individual, it’s difficult to make a difference, but as a student body (working) together, we were able to tap into all the diversity," Ogilvie said in an interview.

The university’s Haiti effort aimed to raise a loonie from every student to donate to the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, Furey said.

But the huge response saw fundraising events happening every day, a website and Facebook site established, collection boxes set up at numerous campus venues and students from every department and discipline coming together for the same cause, Furey said.

"Everyone wanted to pitch in."

Those without spare cash donated their time for such tedious tasks as rolling mountains of pennies to meet the cut-off date for Ottawa’s contribution-matching promise.

"It was really almost magical," Furey said, noting that the effort attracted people who don’t normally get involved in such campaigns.

Alumni groups donated funds set aside for class programs, parents made donations and students operated a hotdog stand to raise money.

But most of the funds came directly from students, Ogilvie said.

"I don’t know where students came up with $12,500."

Ogilvie said students were galvanized by the poverty-stricken nation’s emergency.

"We far exceeded our initial goal."

The Antigonish campaign is the latest in a number of Haiti relief fundraising efforts across Nova Scotia.

A group of Kentville-area musicians raised $9,300 at a concert, Annapolis Valley soccer players raised $10,600, a Halifax concert raised $3,500 and the Halifax for Haiti event raised $135,000.

mgraham@herald.ca

StFX Model United Nations Society off to Harvard Model UN

A group of 14 students and their faculty advisor from StFX’s Model United Nations Society will travel to Boston from February 11-14, 2010 to participate in the Harvard National Model United Nations.

The Harvard Model UN is the largest and most extensive conference of this nature in the world. Students attend from universities around the world as delegate teams represent the various actual member states of the UN.

A Model UN simulates the activities of the United Nations in proposing, debating, and voting on resolutions on major global issues. On the agenda for this annual session are issues such as “Nuclear Terrorism,” “Militarization of the Arctic,” “the Rights of Refugees,” “Ending World Hunger,” and “The Feminization of Poverty.”

StFX will send a team of 14 students led by Issam Rizvi and including Ryan Blood, Hilary Feltham, Gabrielle Fiore, Michael Greguol, Brigitte Hartt, Philip Jones, Christine Krause, Rory MacDonald, Natalie MacLean, Christopher Millar, Brendan Riley, and Ellen Wiken. Professor Steven Holloway is the faculty advisor. 

This year the team will role-play a delegation from Egypt: they will try to represent that country’s positions on the various committees and organizations of the UN and research how Egypt would vote on the issues.
  
The experience each student receives at the conference increases their awareness of the global issues that world leaders face. Students who participate learn a great deal about specific issues, methods of resolution, and international cooperation.

The students participating will do so of their own initiative and are rewarded accordingly with the amount of effort they put forth. The conference is not simply an exercise, but also a competitive event with awards granted to top delegates on an individual basis, and also to top delegations, granted to the institution they represent.

“After 1,190 days, we made it!”
~ Kevin Klin, 2010 senior class president

The loud joyous cheer that filled the Keating Millennium Centre moments after the Class of 2010 received their X-Rings said it all.

Wow.

On Thursday, Dec. 3, the Feast Day of patron saint, St. Francis Xavier, senior students gazed down at their fingers in awe, took pictures holding up their rings, smiled and hugged friends, and when the 976th ring was presented, spontaneously erupted in joy.

“Each year the importance of this event seems to grow,” StFX President Dr. Sean Riley told those gathered to watch the 2009 X-Ring ceremony.

Countdowns – including the one on the Students’ Union website – were ticking down to the 1,000th second.

Meanwhile, several thousand proud parents, family and friends gathered in overflow rooms on the StFX campus, as more tuned in worldwide via the web, to watch the Class of 2010 proudly receive their X-Rings.

As Dr. Riley welcomed all to the much-awaited ceremony, he made mention of the charged atmosphere of the room, festively decked with a cascade of sparkling lights. “The true source of electricity in the room comes from our X-Ring students today, to each of the thousand unique and personal journeys coming together in a spectacular and unforgettable moment.”

He told the students their X-Rings shine with academic achievement, with the inspiration and help received along the way, with personal emotions, and the great warmth of friendship stored in their hearts and minds.

While the Class of 2010 cannot know how the future will unfold, he urged those gathered to help others and foster good in the world.

It was a theme echoed by guest speaker Geoff Flood ’76, former StFX Students’ Union president, who is co-founder and president of T4G, a project-based technology services organization.

Mr. Flood’s company has several times appeared on the Globe and Mail’s best workplaces in Canada list.

“Citizenship is our responsibility. What I encourage you to be is better citizens. …I encourage you to voice your opinions and to be passionate about what you believe.

“You don’t hear love and business in the same phrase often, I think the power of that is something we need to hear more of. “

Mr. Flood, whose history with StFX is deep (his father is a graduate and two children are currently enrolled), talked about how he helped build a company on a foundation based in the humanity and social conscience he learned while at StFX.

He also gave current students an engaging and sometimes humorous insight into student life circa the mid-1970s. Back then, those in residence would line up on a Saturday night to use a payphone. Now it’s 24/7 communications. Today, students often arrive with all the bells and whistles. He’d be dropped at the highway to hitchhike, he laughed.

“But the more things change, the more they stay the same. The spirit here is still as incredible as it always was.”

For students it was unquestionably a day of celebration.

A feeling of pride and optimism filled the Keating Millennium Centre as Carolyn Curry’s stirring voice sang out in musical interlude as candle bearers slowly walked the centre aisle to place their individual lights in a symbolic X.

“After 1,190 days, we made it,” said senior class president Kevin Klin. “To the Class of 2010, it has been a joyful 1,190 days. May the journey continue, but from now on in, with your X-Ring.”

Loud applause and a standing ovation greeted the news from Dean of Business Leo Gallant, that former mailroom supervisor Mitch Hudson, a loyal member of the Xaverian community for nearly 40 years, was this year’s honorary X-Ring recipient.

After a rendition of StFX’s school song, Hail and Health, graduates filed out of the KMC, tapping their newly minted X-Rings on a piece of chapel wood, wearing smiles as broad as their futures.

To learn more about the Earth Sciences Department at StFX, please see http://www.stfx.ca/faculties/science/earth_sciences/

The International Centre for Women’s Leadership at the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier University has partnered with the Canadian Women’s Foundation to design and deliver the Canadian Women’s Foundation Leadership Institute (CWFLI). The institute, which started at StFX on June 16, 2012, will build the leadership capacity of emerging and mid-career women leaders working on economic development issues who, in turn, will strengthen their organizations and communities, and ultimately create transformational and systemic change in Canada.

This partnership was borne out of the StFX/Coady Institute’s and Canadian Women’s Foundation’s joint commitment to the empowerment of women to lead strong organizations, and build just and inclusive societies.

The three-year pilot program will train up to 25 diverse leaders each year. These leaders will be selected from organizations that provide economic development programs and services to communities across Canada including Aboriginal, northern, rural, new Canadian, refugee and low-income constituents. The program will deliver leadership education that is grounded in a commitment to economic and social justice through organizational and community change.

Over the course of a year, the leaders will participate in a combined residency and distance program that will follow a bookend model, with nine days on campus at the beginning of the program and five days at the closing. During the intervening months, the leaders will follow individual learning plans with mentoring and coaching support, along with online-based peer activities and networking. The program will be delivered through the Coady Institute’s innovative approach to asset-based leadership development and educational methods that incorporate a participant-focused, flexible learning agenda underpinned by strong adult education principles, technical expertise, and technological support.

The multi-pronged program will focus on the following skill areas:

1) Personal Skills Development – to build strong and innovative women leaders.
2) Organizational Development – to develop more effective organizations.
3) Community Development and Policy/Advocacy Skills – to create social change.

About the Canadian Women’s Foundation
The Canadian Women’s Foundation is Canada’s national public foundation dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls. The foundation researches, shares, and funds the best approaches to ending violence against women, moving low-income women out of poverty, and empowering girls with confidence, courage and critical thinking skills. Ranked as one of the 10 largest women’s foundations in the world, the Canadian Women’s Foundation has supported more than 1,100 programs across Canada since 1991.
 

After spending nearly two weeks in service placements in Belize with StFX’s Immersion Service Learning Program, StFX student Kathryn Ryan is more certain than ever about her future.

“This experience has been the best thing to have happened to me because it strengthened my beliefs and made me see just how privileged we are living in Canada,” says Ms. Ryan, who just finished her first year in the Bachelor of Arts program.

“Not only that, but this experience has strengthened my desire to enter the development studies program (at StFX) and has confirmed I will work internationally in the near future.”

She was one of 11 StFX students who joined with faculty leader, education professor Dr. Dan Robinson, on an experiential educational experience in Belize from April 26 to May 8, 2012.

One of five immersion placements offered by StFX this year, the group was hosted by both the village of Maya Centre, a small Mayan village in southern Belize, and the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Centre, whose focus is on preserving Belize’s natural resources.

In Maya Centre, activities focused on Mayan culture and the experience of local people following the expropriation of their land.

Through placements with the Maya Centre school and local organizations, students deepened their awareness of community development and gained an understanding of the hopes, efforts and obstacles faced by this small Mayan community.

The delegation also experienced a visit to a nearby beach, play time with village children, hiking in a local nature reserve, discussion sessions with community leaders, a visit to the local herbalist, and a cultural evening. They also completed placements at the zoo.

“I have always had a passion for international aid and development. Throughout high school, I was always involved in extracurricular activities that aided people on a global scale,” Ms. Ryan says.

“Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher and in particular one who works internationally and in developing countries because I believe that no child should be without an education.”

She says something that stood out for her was how happy and loving the children were. “They don't have much, but what they do have, they make the best of. They also love learning. I had the amazing opportunity to work with the Infant 1 and Infant 2 classes, which are the equivalent of our Grade Primary and Grade One classes. While I was working with the kids they all clamoured around me listening intently and following along, and each child was choosing to participate in the activities.

“That day also happened to be my 19th birthday, which is one I will never forget because each child ran up to me giving me hugs and birthday wishes all day--one little girl even asked me over for a sleepover!”

YOUNG LEADERS

Dr. Robinson says he came away from the experience impressed with its participants.
 
“The service learning experience reminded me of the quality of our students here at StFX,” he says.

“The young adults I travelled with were such great ambassadors for our university, province, and country.  They were especially compassionate, and passionate, in their interactions with our hosts. Their leadership abilities amazed me every day. “

 Though the students were great leaders beforehand, Dr. Robinson says their evening reflection sessions suggested that they also underwent considerable personal growth through their experience. 

“They came home different people than the ones who I left with, and I think they all know it.”

The experience also made it abundantly clear how so much of privilege is based on race (as a social construction), geography, and luck.  “For example, and for whatever reason, it seems easier for "tourists" to recognize injustices to Indigenous peoples in other countries, while similar happenings occur right here in Canada,” he says. “ I believe that this experience has not only given our students a firsthand experience with Indigenous peoples in Belize, but it has also given them the opportunity and ability to be more critically reflective of Canada's own failings with FNMI peoples.”

Says Dr. Robinson, “In my short time with students, I saw students laugh and I saw students cry.  I witnessed strong friendships being formed in days. Clearly, this was a life-changing experience for many of our students and I am happy to have been a part of it.”