UBC Global Lounge

We were beyond thrilled to watch our UBC team take home the $30,000 dollar top prize at the Global Finals at Western University.

Join us in congratulating Indigenous grad students Piper Scott Fiddler and Samantha Sage Martin-Ferris for their project "The Lifegiver Box", a complementary, interdisciplinary, and culturally inclusive program that supports Indigenous people's rights to health by choosing their own needs for their sexual health journey.

Check out the link below to find out more about their project and the competition!

https://international.uwo.ca/challenge/global_final/winning_teams.html?fbclid=IwAR2xCN6tANS7N67lV59s7WqGIlSMR9DmHI-pMWt9LV6tBxQQWO9uehtYwn4

The Global Lounge will be closed for the summer!
Thank you so much for all the support and participation you have brought to our year.

Let’s look back on it together :)

Time is such a crazy thing. I write this from the office saying goodbye to a co-worker who is not going to return next year. I remember the moment I met her, and all of a sudden I am so overwhelmed at how much we’ve grown.

How is it possible that 8 months captures such an enormous about of labour, love and community?

For those that are graduating, your work does not end here. You have planted, nurtured and helped grow these beautiful gardens where your legacies will continue to remain alive. The Global Lounge will always welcome you back home, and so will we - as your community and family. But knowing that this is a seasonal change, we’d like to say thank you. For all the work you do and have done, and for all that you are.

For all of our wonderful community members, thank you for joining us this year. We look forward to welcoming you back in August!

Though they may be reduced, micro-aggressions can be so destructive. The best way to avoid them is to learn about them.

Remember, discomfort is not dangerous. Let us all try to be better, and do better.

On the frontlines of climate change in Latin America, we must centre the voices of land defenders as we navigate solidarity in our lives at UBC.

There are over 91 Canadian Mining Companies involved with mining conflict in
Latin America, and nearly half of the region’s important mines are owned or operated by Canadian companies.

In conversation with UBC Prof Juanita Sundberg and community organizers for divestment on campus, we hope to tackle these and more questions.

With a great variety of foods from our diverse Latinx student clubs, and displays of art and live music, this will be an event you won’t want to miss!

Nos vemos en el Global Lounge from 4-6 pm next Thursday, April 6th

BORAAAA!

🧡 Hello Global Lounge community! SO excited to present our fourth and last speaker for the online panel event "On the Frontlines of (In)justice: An Urgent Conversation on Gender & the Climate Crisis" tonight at 6:30 PM!

🌱 Introducing Prof. Mizan Khan, Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He was Vice Chair of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) during 2002-2004. He has been attending the UNFCCC process as the lead negotiator on climate finance with the Bangladesh delegation since 2001. Prof Mizan Khan has been one of the negotiators from the Government of Bangladesh for the last 20 COPs.

🧡 Hello Global Lounge community! Presenting our third speaker for the online panel event "On the Frontlines of (In)justice: An Urgent Conversation on Gender & the Climate Crisis" this Monday at 6:30 PM!

🌱Introducing Dr. Nazneen, who is the Researcher and Program Coordinator at International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), as well as a guest lecturer in the Climate Change and Development (CCD) Master’s Program in the Independent University, Bangladesh.

See you tomorrow!

🧡 Presenting our second speaker for the online panel event "On the Frontlines of (In)justice: An Urgent Conversation on Gender & the Climate Crisis" this Monday at 6:30 PM!

🌱Mahfuza is a feminist, women’s rights and climate justice activist, and humanitarian professional with a decade of experience.

🌱Presenting our speakers for our event "On the Frontlines of (In)justice: An Urgent Conversation on Gender & the Climate Crisis"

🧡Dr. Pasang Sherpa, a UBC professor, is a Sharwa anthropologist from Pharak, southern part of Mt. Everest region in northeastern Nepal whose research, writing and pedagogy focus on climate change and Indigeneity among Himalayan communities, guided by the question: How do we live in the midst of dying? She is currently involved in two collaborative projects. The first project titled Transnational Sherpas investigates what it means to be a Sherpa today. It examines cultural appropriation, representation, migration history, and the role of matriarchs in Sherpa society. The second project seeks just pathways for sustainable futures in the Anthropocene.

Join UBC Global Lounge on March 23rd from 5:15-7:00pm for Hidden Costs: Examining the Challenges of the International Student Experience in Canada. This panel discussion, taking place over zoom, will discuss the complex relationship between Canada's education system and the international student experience.
Stay tuned for panelist reveals!

Registration Link:
https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u50qc-qtqj0jEtJttjvLpg_QkPk3buacHHRB

UBC Global Lounge The Global Lounge is a capacity-building hub for critical global citizenship initiatives.

🧡 Hello Global Lounge Community! We are so excited to announce another event from the international development committee – "On the Frontlines of (In)justice: An Urgent Conversation on Gender & the Climate Crisis." 🌎

Join us this Monday the 20th from 6:30-8:30 PM PST on Zoom. RSVP through QR code. Speakers will be announced soon!

UBC Global Lounge The Global Lounge is a capacity-building hub for critical global citizenship initiatives.

🧡 Hello Global Lounge community! 🌏 We are SO excited to introduce our speakers for our online event tonight titled "The Costs of Growth: A Transnational Dialogue on Fast Fashion, Care Work and Labour Rights"

SEE YOU TONIGHT! 🧡USE QR CODE TO RSVP

🧡 EVENT ALERT! And some infographics made by the international development committee at the Global Lounge! 🌎🧡

📅 This event is happening on March 14th from 6 pm to 8 pm on Zoom. RSVP in bio or through this link: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u50uf-irqjovH9Wv-IEcS6425LJijrbrPtpY

🗣 In this panel event, we aim to problematize the dominant narratives surrounding development that support unsustainable economic growth and systemic violence with no strings attached to the people, the planet, and more than humans. Through a transnational dialogue about labor rights and community organizing in fast fashion, migrant work, and other(ed) groups, we aim to unlearn this notion of development to support alternative futures, self-determination, and mutual flourishing. 🧡🌏

Panelists are to be announced soon!

Happy Int. Women’s Day 💜
Here are a few reminders from the team!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this year's WCC finals, and now join us in congratulating our winners from UBC! 💜

🥇 In first place, we have "The Lifegiver Box" by Piper Scott Fiddler and Samantha Martin Ferris! They created a toolkit filled with sexual health products, Indigenous cultural wellness products, and knowledge translation tools that promotes culturally safe wellness in Indigenous Canadian communities.

🥈 In second place, we have "Reusable IV Bags to Reduce the Consumption of Single-Use Plastics in Healthcare" by Emily Roos, Aditi Sitolay, and Sean Kyer! They developed reusable IV bags with a process that refills and sterilizes the bags locally, minimizing the environmental footprint of PVC IV bags.

Just 2 days left until this year's WCC finals, and Vikramaditya G. Yadav will also be joining our judges panel! 💜

Vikram Yadav is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering and the School of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Master of Engineering Leadership in Sustainable Process Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

He received his BASc degree from the University of Waterloo in 2007 and his PhD degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2013. He then went on to conduct post-doctoral research at Harvard University and subsequently joined UBC in 2014.

Prof. Yadav leads a world-leading, industrially-connected, interdisciplinary research group that investigates topics at the interface of biology, chemistry, engineering and medicine. His research program is distinguished by its impact and strong emphasis on technology translation, and his group currently collaborates with as many as 7 companies.

He is presently the Chair of the Biotechnology Division of the Chemical Institute of Canada, an Associate Scientific Advisor for Science Translational Medicine, Associate Editor of Catalysis in Green Chemistry & Engineering and the Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. He is also the Chief Technology Officer of Metabolik Technologies Inc., an environmental biotechnology company, and serves on the boards of InMed Pharmaceuticals and Phytonix Corporation.

Have you ever felt disconnected from your Yoga practice?

Join us for a space to reflect on the “western” practice of Yoga, practice Asana with .flow and a breath work with

We would like to acknowledge this practice is meant to sit with discomfort and reflect on Co-Sensing with Radical Tenderness from the Gesturing for Decolonial Futures Collective.

Offering a safe space for everyone to share and commit as much as they need in this event. 🧡

Special thanks to UBC Yoga Club for helping us facilitate this event 🧘🏾‍♀️& for the art!

Meet our next judge for this year's WCC finals, Angela Hamilton! 💜

Angela has sixteen years of experience in social impact entrepreneurship, and she’s always on the lookout for ideas that can change the world. Currently, she’s heading up Inkstone, a writing consultancy for entrepreneurs and artists with great stories to tell and no time to tell them. She also co-founded Quupe, Vancouver’s sharing-economy platform, which was a top-ten New Ventures BC startup in 2018, and Supersnack, a New York City-based organization that produced benefit events and fundraising campaigns for AIDS charities in New York and D.C. Angela has also served as an EIR at the Centre for Digital Media (a consortium program of UBC, SFU, Emily Carr, and BCIT), from which she graduated with an M.D.M. in Digital Media in 2017. She also holds an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri, and she worked as a digital news editor at McClatchy’s Washington bureau. Her undergraduate degree was in theatre, and she has performed at theatres up and down the Eastern seaboard.

We must change our consumption habits to find a just transition for our planet 💚

Join us for our Sustainability Swap event, which we are hosting together with Patagonia, Ecologyst, Get Thrifty UBC, and UBC Social Enterprise Club! We’ll be facilitating a clothing swap with giveaways from Patagonia and Ecologyst, as well as discussing the circular economy that serves our earth and the people taking care of it. See you at the Global Lounge on Thursday, March 2 at 5-7pm! 🌎♻️🌻

Introducing our first judge for this year's WCC finals, Brian Mukeswe! 💜

Mr. Mukeswe is a Senior Data Analyst at Mastercard, where he works in the Cyber and Intelligence solutions team to identify and counteract fraudulent online activity. His previous experience includes implementing data systems to support waste management services at the City of Vancouver and providing electrical engineering consulting services to various clients including electric utilities, governments, First Nations, and developers of renewable energy projects.

His interests lie in using technology to tackle pertinent problems of access to clean energy, education, and economic opportunities. To this end, Mr. Mukeswe spends his time teaching digital skills to youth on the African continent through online learning programs like Afro Fem Coders - in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works initiative, and Hibreed Station - which is focuses on re-skilling professionals from various backgrounds with digital technology skills. He has also conducted research in Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya about energy storage and solar PV technologies. Additionally, he co-founded GigWiz, an online labor marketplace that connects service seekers to service providers in the vast Kenyan informal economy.

Mr. Mukeswe holds a Master’s degree in Data Science, Technology and Innovation from the University of Edinburgh, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. He was awarded the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at both institutions.

We stand in solidarity with Turkey and Syria.
Here’s a little about whats been going on, please donate to the credible sites we have linked. & to stay updated visit the links in our linktree.

We're so happy to be hosting the 2023 World's Challenge Challenge (WCC) Finals! 💜

Join us as 6 teams of UBC student finalists present their solutions to global issues before a panel of judges, and as they compete for the $3,000 prize! The WCC is an amazing opportunity to engage in discussion about social change, and to bring your own ideas to the table. See you at the Liu Institute for Global Issues (Place of Many Trees) on Wednesday, March 1 at 5-8pm!

Learn more about the WCC here: https://students.ubc.ca/about-student-services/simon-k-y-lee-global-lounge-resource-centre/worlds-challenge-challenge

Our final panelist is Justin Ducharme, a Métis writer, filmmaker, and curator! Register for our concluding Decolonial Dialogues event ASAP, and see you all tomorrow at 5-7pm at the First Nations Longhouse! 🧡

Introducing our next panelist for the upcoming Decolonial Dialogues event, Adeerya Johnson! She is a PhD candidate studying GRSJ here at UBC and a hip-hop scholar, and we're looking forward to having her join us! 🧡

Its Black History Month! 🤍📣

What does Black History look like in Canada? UBC? and in the World?

Check out our resource link in our bio!

For our last Decolonial Dialogues event of the school year, we are so happy to introduce Minelle Mahtani as one of our panelists! She is an associate professor teaching GRSJ here at UBC, and we’re really excited to hear from her this Thursday! 🧡

Looking to connect with fellow IBPOC students at UBC?

The Global Lounge is thrilled announce the final event in our collaborative Decolonial Dialogues series in partnership with First Nations House of Learning, the VP Students Office, and Equity and Inclusion. Join us for Sustaining Our Futures Together, a conversation on solidarity in IBPOC communities. We arre joined by our wonderful panelists: Minelle Mahtani, Adeerya Johnson, and Justin Ducharme. This session will provide a safe space for IBPOC students to hear from speakers and connect with each other over sincere and courageous conversations.

When: Thursday, February 9th, 5-7pm

Where: First Nations Longhouse (Sty-Wet-Tan Great Hall)

Register here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1St7aNreALTJake 🧡

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Why is the idea of a university student struggling to afford food so normalized? What would an ideal food system @ UBC look like?

Join the Global Lounge on February 15th to discuss what a sustainable & food secure campus could look like! We will be joined by initiatives across campus such as the Agora, FoodHub, & Sprouts!

Dinner will be provided and there’s a giveaway prize so you won’t want to miss out. See you there! 🤩🍎

Photo credits: https://instagram.com/kabir_fardin_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= 📸

Wanna talk about community?
Wanna chat about what community, love and friendship look like in Canada?
Want some free dinner and sweets this Valentine's?

Come celebrate Valentine's with the Global Lounge on Tuesday, February 14th! With dinner, cookies and candy, join us as we engage in dialogue about community, love and friendship in Vancouver.

Sign up in our bio! 🤎🤎🤎