Mount Allison Cares initiative sees students volunteering in NB communities
Groups participate in community activities at the Saint John Newcomer Centre, Moncton鈥檚 Humanity Project
Students at 痳豆TV视频 are known for their community involvement in the Town of Sackville and the wider Tantramar region. This spirit is expanding through the Mount Allison Cares program, launched this year by the University鈥檚 .
The program is part of a partnership with , a new provincial initiative aimed at helping students become job-ready, providing valuable experiential learning opportunities and career readiness. It sees students from New Brunswick鈥檚 four publicly-funded universities volunteering with community organizations across the province and gaining hands-on learning opportunities as part of these experiences.
鈥淲e are pleased to work with partners at Future Ready NB and in the community to organize these kinds of opportunities for our students outside the classroom,鈥 says Krista Steeves, Mount Allison鈥檚 director of experiential learning and career development. 鈥淗ands-on or experiential learning opportunities are a key component of our students鈥 education and experience here at Mount Allison and give them the opportunity to learn more about New Brunswick communities and to give back in a meaningful way.鈥
A group of six Mount Allison students recently travelled to Saint John to participate in the Super Saturday Social event held at the Saint John Newcomer Centre. Students from Mount Allison, UNB, St. Thomas, and l鈥橴niversit茅 de Moncton met with Centre staff and recent newcomers over the course of the day, organizing activities and discussions with guests.
Rebecca Leaman, Mount Allison鈥檚 career services co-ordinator, attended the Saint John event. She says the day was a great opportunity for colleagues and students from all NB public universities.
鈥淭his project allowed our students to meet, mingle, and pull together as a team to show our newcomer community that we care,鈥 says Leaman. 鈥淏eing able to work with kids and families, to learn a bit about their stories, was really inspiring.鈥
Fourth-year international relations student Carly Pullin from British Columbia volunteered at the Saint John event.
鈥淭he things I enjoyed the most were getting to meet other students from Atlantic Canada who were studying in similar fields as me, and also meeting and speaking with people from different countries during the event itself,鈥 says Pullin. 鈥淚 hope to work with migrants in the future, perhaps in an advocacy, services and/or settlement context. Overall it was a very enjoyable and beneficial experience.鈥
Mount Allison鈥檚 Office of Experiential Learning and Career Development has partnered with the University鈥檚 office of Indigenous Affairs to organize another volunteer opportunity at The Humanity Project in Moncton on March 16. Students, faculty, and staff will aim to give back to the community by preparing and serving brunch to 150 individuals in the Greater Moncton Area.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting to be bringing the Mount Allison Cares initiative to Moncton and to give back to the wider community in this way,鈥 says Steeves. 鈥淭his type of experience benefits all involved.鈥
The Humanity Project portion of Mount Allison Cares is supported in part by Future Ready Wabanaki, a branch of Future Ready NB that seeks to specifically support Indigenous students through experiential learning opportunities and building job-readiness skills.
Photo caption:
A group of Mount Allison students recently travelled to Saint John to participate in the Super Saturday Social event held at the Saint John Newcomer Centre. The initiative was part of the Future Ready NB, a new provincial initiative aimed at helping students become job-ready, providing valuable experiential learning opportunities and career readiness.
