Faculty of ArtWhile there are numerous community engagement projects/programs underway, many have been developed independently with little connection to one another. The ACAM Program shall support the building and maintenance of networks with the wider community by serving as a hub of community engagement where students, researchers, faculty, organizations, activists and community members can become connected through various projects. It will support the creation and maintenance of a broader coalition of Asian Canadian community groups.
“Think of all the potential networks in Asian Canadian Studies along the rim of the wheel. The ACAM program will serve as the hub of the wheel that connects students and faculty to campus and community partners like the spokes of a wheel.” – Winnie Cheung, Asian Heritage Month
The program shall support the growth of an intellectual community by creating opportunities for community partners, faculty members and campus units to exchange ideas and collaborate. Students enrolled in the program shall gain exposure to community needs and social issues through training in cultural analysis and production, community research, service projects, and receive first-hand experience working with local non-profit and community organizations. Community networks shall be fostered through joint events and research projects that present new opportunities for collaboration.
“This program shall bring together Asian Canadians as well as those who are not in the ‘self-identification cohort’ [i.e., Asian Canadian]. It is an opportunity to build up an intellectual community by accessing shared resources and partnerships to address social issues.” – Hanna Cho, Museum of Vancouver
“There are many stories and personal archives out in the community waiting to be collected. When can we start having students access these resources and engage in the process of preserving history?” – Grace Eiko Thomson, National Association of Japanese Canadians
Community members suggested that the ACAM Program can play a crucial role in bringing together, and building connections among, enrolled students, adult learners and community members. A major goal of the Program should be to create awareness of shared experiences, cultures, and histories among Asian Canadian and non-Asian Canadian students through the study of cultural productions, media representations, parallel histories of dislocation and exclusion, and activist communities. The Program shall also seek out and support young Asian Canadian learners and provide training to current teachers and teachers in training.
“The program shall serve as the beacon (or lighthouse) for students that arrive from different countries around the world who aspire to receive post-secondary education.” – Dom Bautista, Law Courts Centre
“Students need to be well-trained in theory and practice for community outreach work. They also need to be? sympathetic to the needs of the community in order to provide practical solutions to social issues.” – Diana Leung, City of Vancouver
“I hope the program will train more students to study Japanese Canadian history as a career option. There is a huge need in the field for the next generation of curators and historians. More educational resources need to be created now with the support of community before it is too late.” – Beth Carter, Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre
Other specific initiatives discussed:
- Conduct a series of community-based research projects annually to support the work of community partners (i.e., community-based archiving, community service projects, policy research, oral history projects, urban planning research, etc.). In the past, successful projects included oral history research that invited elders to talk about the past from their personal perspective in order to address missing chapters in history before their stories are lost.
“We want to change the faces in the picture of the Last Spike. We want to see children have more questions about their roots. We don’t want historians to tell our stories in a distorted manner. We want the survivors to tell their own stories, and time is running out.” – Mary & Tosh Kitagawa, Japanese Canadian Citizens Association
- Collaborate with non-Arts faculty (i.e., Education, Sauder School of Business, Continuing Education, etc.) in the creation of public education programs in Asian Canadian history, Asia Pacific policy, Asian Canadian family business case studies, rethinking of teaching methods for Asian Canadian history in public education, etc.
- Explore partnerships with off-campus student communities (i.e., local Vancouver secondary schools). Community members have expressed keen interest in having a mentorship program for high school students spear-headed by UBC students.
“We need to encourage public school teachers to adopt the use of new educational resources on Asian Canadian history. Teachers should be trained to become more culturally sensitive and recognize emotional literacy in the classroom.” – Joy Jose, Vancouver School Board
- Facilitate regular colloquia, public lectures, and academic conferences that engage faculty, community members, and students affiliated with the program as well as the general public.
- Develop effective external communications mechanism for long-term program governance and relationship building. This will involve regular consultations with alumni, community, current students and faculty to assess program direction, consider curriculum structure, and implement changes.
- Program may utilize UBC Library’s Open Learning Resources offered by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre to support life long learning by people in B.C. and in the world.
- Facilitate practicum opportunities that will train future leaders in the Arts, as well as equip interested students to pursue post-graduate education. Students will be encouraged to explore a wide range of options including (i.e, Archival Studies, Education, Museum Studies, Social Policy Research, Urban Planning, etc.).
- Offer community service learning opportunities through skill training and mentorship such as UBC Community Service Learning or UBC Community Learning Initiatives’ Trek program/reading week.
