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Christina Coolidge

Christina Coolidge

Communication, Art + Technology › Communication
SFU Student

/ 11 September 2013 /
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The aim of RSTC Aboriginal Student for a Day is to expose local Aboriginal high school students to a positive post-secondary experience and provide these students with the chance to engage in open discussion about career and educational planning with someone they can relate to.

BACKGROUND

The Regional Student Transitions Consortium (RSTC) is a partnership group between the school districts of Burnaby SD 41, Coquitlam SD 43, New Westminster SD 40 and BCIT, Douglas College, and SFU.  The mandate of the RSTC is to develop and implement a wide variety of avenues for enhancing the transitions of Burnaby, Coquitlam, and New Westminster students from secondary to post-secondary.  

ABOUT THE EVENT All student visits will take place in early to mid-October and will be arranged to accommodate the schedules of participating post-secondary volunteers.  

The aim of RSTC Aboriginal Student for a Day is to expose local Aboriginal high school students to a positive post-secondary experience and provide these students with the chance to engage in open discussion about career and educational planning with someone they can relate to.  The RSTC is hopeful that initiatives such as these will help support stronger secondary to post-secondary transitions for local Aboriginal learners.

Volunteers will be urged to speak candidly with their “shadows” about how they adjusted to university life and came to their educational and career path. This dialog between secondary visitor and post-secondary student will be the key part of the day.  The idea is not to throw students into an intimidating classroom, but rather to give them a glimpse of what university is like and allow them to chat with a more experienced peer about the real challenges and benefits of studying at SFU.

PLANNING DETAILS

Volunteers will need to commit to a 1 hour orientation event and a 2-3 hour student visit.  The orientation will provide volunteers with some topics for discussion and will help them to plan out a visit structure and itinerary. When it comes to choosing classes to sit in on, hands on labs or discussion groups (or short intro-level lectures) are recommended.  

All secondary student visits will be worked into the existing schedule of each post-secondary volunteer.

VOLUNTEER INCENTIVES

  • Volunteers will be able to hone their mentoring and communication skills and will be given the opportunity to participate in a community project that does not stretch their timetable

  • All post-secondary volunteers will receive a Certificate of Participation and (upon request) a reference letter that outlines their commitment to community engagement

For more information please contact Alla Shishkov-RSTC Coordinator at: shishkova@douglascollege.ca

Beyond the Blog

Volunteer for Aboriginal Not-For-Profits in Vancouver
Tags:
Indigenous Community Stories
Volunteering
Indigenous Student Centre
Regional Student Transitions Consortium (RSCTC)
Christina Coolidge
SFU Student
Christina Coolidge is currently attending SFU as a graduate student in the department of Communications. She is the Indigenous Program Researcher with the Career Services department. Christina is a member of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation and her matrilineal ancestry includes Metis (Cree and Scottish) from the Red River area. She hopes to help build a bridge between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous communities in order to better understand one another and to live together in a spirit of unity.
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