In the Community

VIU Series to Engage Canadians in the Challenging Process of Reconciliation

October 11, 2016

It began with the launch of the nationally recognized Witness Blanket art installation and will continue into 2017. Vancouver Island University (VIU) is honoured to announce the start of Reconciliation Road: Join the Journey with VIU, a series of events and activities that support the process and meet the challenge of reconciliation between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Canada’... Read more


VIU Partners with the City of Nanaimo to Recognize Soldiers Killed in First World War

October 3, 2016

The names will appear in a digital display at City recreation facilities as part of The World Remembers Project For 44 days this fall, when people walk into the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, Beban Park Pool and Oliver Woods Recreation Centre, they will be greeted by 19-inch TV screens displaying the names of thousands of soldiers killed in 1916, during the First World War. The screens are part of The... Read more


VIU and the Parksville Family Resource Centre Introduces Youth with Autism to the Outdoors in Unexpected Ways

September 26, 2016

Collaborative effort involving two VIU departments and one non-profit organization resulted in a two-week Outdoor Adventure Camp for youth with autism For six Parksville youth with autism, this summer was one they’ll never forget thanks to a two-week Outdoor Adventure Camp that came together through a collaborative partnership between Vancouver Island University (VIU) and the Parksville Family... Read more


VIU Cowichan's Construction Students Give Back to the Community

August 30, 2016

Campus has a long history of fostering community partnerships to give students hands-on experiences Three years ago, for the first time, George Harry put the key in the lock of his new home on Malahat Nation land. This moment was particularly poignant for Harry, who had graduated from the Carpentry Foundation program at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Cowichan campus and was a first-year... Read more


Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism and VIU ask Community to Name Their "Most Amazing Place"

August 17, 2016

National project Amazing Places aims to get people to share their favourite places within the island’s Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism and Vancouver Island University (VIU) are asking for residents’ and visitors’ support to shine a light on the incredible experiences they are having within one of the most ecologically significant regions on Vancouver Island –... Read more


VIU Cowichan Conference Focuses on Building More Inclusive Workplaces

July 28, 2016

Sharing Information – Building Connections event explored issues facing Aboriginal Canadians in the cross-cultural workplace As MaryDawn MacWatt listened to the discussions taking place during a conference aimed at improving Indigenous experiences in the workplace, she began to feel like some magical force was at work, stitching together what participants had to say into a beautiful blanket of... Read more


VIU's MABRRI Celebrating Second Anniversary

July 22, 2016

VIU’s Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) is inviting the public to come celebrate at Rathtrevor Beach, July 29 Staff and students who work at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) are breaking out the lawn chairs and Frisbees to celebrate the institute’s second anniversary, July 29, and they want everyone to... Read more


Dana Collette and David Livingstone work to introduce Legal Studies Certificate program at VIU

June 29, 2016

Living in today’s global community requires knowledge of legal issues at home and abroad, as well as an understanding of one’s legal rights and responsibilities. Workplaces are increasingly regulated environments with law applicable to nearly every occupation. Realizing the growing number of students who desire and need legal education tools, VIU business law professor Dana Collette and Dr.... Read more


VIU Students Called to King Arthur Court

June 20, 2016

VIU’s Centre for Community Outreach and Care launches year-long project to address quality of life issues at housing complex in Harewood NANAIMO, BC: What started as a conversation between Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Centre for Community Outreach and Care coordinator Ashleigh Martinflatt and King Arthur Court property manager Fred Williams, has led to the development of a year-long... Read more


VIU Celebrates Pride Week

June 10, 2016

University’s Positive Space Alliance is creating an annual bursary and participating in the Nanaimo Pride Parade Vancouver Island University (VIU)’s Positive Space Alliance (PSA) is celebrating Pride Week by fundraising for an annual bursary for those raising awareness of diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as a presence in the city’s first-ever Pride Parade. After... Read more