Program Assistant with Dr. Luisa Canuto

Dr. Luisa Canuto (FHIS) is hiring one graduate academic assistant as a Project Assistant with her CCEL-funded project, “‘Experiencing’ the language with mind and heart: Community-Engagement opportunities for UBC students from the Italian program.”

Project description

The Italian program intends to design comprehensive Community Engaged Learning Guidelines which will enable all language educators in the program to develop and integrate community engaged learning practices and processes into their courses.

The rationale behind the plan to develop these guidelines is based on feedback from language instructors and undergraduate students who, over the years, have lamented the lack of hands-on experiences that connect classroom learning to real-life situations and may provide an alternative to more standard assignments.

These guidelines will leverage what we have learned from our experiences with service learning since 2007 to create sustainable, evidence-based learning activities that support and enhance our course learning outcomes. Largely based on the Toolkit for Service-Learning in Higher Education (Seifer and Connors, 2007) our guidelines will respond to the needs of instructors and students from a UBC language program.

More specifically, our guidelines will include the following components:

A list a community partners both local and international, which will include detailed information on each partner (i.e., contact person(s); their goals and expectations to partner with us; etc.). We anticipate this phase to be particularly critical and time consuming as it will involve extensive research to identify and develop the most effective partnerships.
A list of community engaged learning opportunities, from speaker series to research-based and capstone projects, depending on our students’ language and academic level.
A range of different community engaged learning assignments, based on students’ language and academic level.
Evaluation resources for instructors and community partners, including grading and rubrics to evaluate students’ participation in community engaged experiences.
A template syllabus which includes a section on community engaged opportunities for students.
Reflection activities for community partners, faculty and students.

Position details

The Program Assistant will be involved in all project phases. Specifically, they will:

Connect with potential partners
Ensure effective communication among faculty and community partners
Track project testing phases
Contribute to the development of the Guidelines.

The Program Assistant will be expected to work an average of 4 hours/week between November 1, 2024 and March 15, 2025, with an expected break between December 15, 2024-January 15, 2025.

Note: The posting is designed for 4 hours per week for a total of 50 hours. However, the numbers of hours per week can be increased if the selected candidate prefers to complete their contract in a short period of time.

Hourly rate: $33.80 + benefits

Total hours: 50 hours

Start date: November 1, 2024

End date: March 15, 2025

Qualifications

Good interpersonal and communication skills, i.e. comfortable leading conversations, composing professional emails, and responding to inquiries
Interest in or knowledge of community-engaged learning, particularly as integrated into post-secondary instruction
Some knowledge of instructional or pedagogical design
Experience in or knowledge of language education
Strong attention to detail and organizational skill
Skilled in collecting and sharing information with others
Ability to conduct research based on criteria provided
Advanced competency in Italian language is an asset

Eligibility and How To Apply

Eligibility: Graduate student enrolled full-time in the Faculty of Arts

Please apply by filling out the following application form and uploading your resume. Applications now extended and will be accepted until October 21, 2024 at 9am.

Fall 2024 Collaborative Cohort Projects

Our Collaborative Cohort Projects employ a team of current Arts graduate students who work with a community partner on a project identified by that partner. Together the student team and their partner organization determine a final approach to the project. The student team divides the work according to their expertise and interests and each student completes a component of the project under the mentorship of the community partner. Students who complete the project receive an $1800 stipend in exchange for 60 hours of work.

We are currently recruiting students to form a team that will work with Vancouver Foundation. This project is available to students with Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, and refugee status; this project will have additional funding for 2 positions for international students

We are also seeking applications from Indigenous graduate students for two positions to join an existing team working with First Nations Technology Council.

Read on for more information about these projects.

Vancouver Foundation

Vancouver Foundation (VF) is a community foundation that provides grants to hundreds of charities and non-profits across BC. Their funding comes from generous gifts from the community, as well as from managing endowment funds for people, charities, and businesses. Their vision is to create healthy, vibrant, equitable, and inclusive communities, and they focus on supporting projects that address the root causes of important issues.

Introduction from Hilary Statton

Hilary Statton, (Director, People, Culture and Engagement)

About the CCP project

This CCP team will work with the department of People, Culture, and Engagement (PC&E) at the Vancouver Foundation. PC&E empowers VF team members in driving transformative change, challenging systemic barriers, and promoting right relations, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) principles. Grounded in reciprocity, they advocate for JEDI employment practices in the community and strive to develop the next generation of philanthropic leaders.

The project they would like to work on with the CCP team has 2 priorities:

Priority 1: How do you measure employee engagement in an organization that centers JEDI, right relations, decolonization and systems change? The Gallup Q12 are the most commonly used employee engagement questions. CultureAmp also has a similar philosophy, though it is more customizable. But, the PC&E team wants to know: how might we focus on employee engagement, while centering JEDI, right relations and decolonization, if our metric isn’t individual discretionary effort? The outcome we want is an engaged workforce that is taking care of itself as much as it’s investing in the organization, with a goal of supporting our team so that they can offer their best on any given day.
- How can we define this version of engagement and wellbeing?
- What are the methods to measure this?
- What are the questions we should be asking?
- How frequently should we be asking them?
If time, Priority 2: How can you hire people while centering JEDI? Specifically, is there a way to hire people without resumes, cover letters, and interviews? Even if you make the application and interview process more inclusive, it’s still a process that centers writing for applications, ability to speak well in an interview, and Western employment knowledge (networking, job boards, etc.). How can we hire differently while also not creating barriers for people?

The CCP team on this project will be expected to produce a report that explores the questions above, specifically through:

A literature review, including grey literature
An environmental scan of organizations that are doing things differently
A list of recommendations about the methods that PC&E at VF should use for employee engagement (and recruitment, if time)
Executive summaries for each question (4-5 pages each)

VF encourages creativity, different ways of thinking, and we are approaching this project without traditional constraints. You may find interesting material through literature review and other research methods, and you may not. We encourage you to provide recommendations based on your research that may not have been tested.

Qualifications and desired skills

Experience in literature reviews and environmental scans
Excellent writing skills
Ability to explain complex topics in plain language
Ability to review multiple sources and organize information into themes/patterns
Excellent project and time management skills
Experience or knowledge of anti-oppression, decolonization, right relations and JEDI principles
Ability to lean into imagination to envision different possibilities to approach task
Ability to collaborate and work as a team
Ability to understand diverse perspectives and manage conflict
Knowledge of human resources, employee engagement, or recruitment is an asset
Knowledge of or experience in philanthropy sector is an asset
Knowledge of or experience in charitable sector is an asset
Creativity, different ways of thinking and a desire to break new ground

Benefits to working with VF

A better understanding of the philanthropy sector
A better understanding of HR practices in the context of the philanthropy sector
Knowledge of how JEDI can be centered in the workplace
Experience in developing recommendations to specific JEDI questions in an organizational/corporate/business context
Experience in being a consultant to an organization
The opportunity to be creative and break new ground in your recommendations
Mentorship and coaching from the Director and Manager related to career pathways, industry trends, etc.

Students will report to Hilary Statton, (Director, People, Culture and Engagement) and Kathy Ma (Manager, People, Learning and Engagement).

Eligibility and How to Apply

Time commitment: 60 hours per person, including required onboarding meetings with the Arts Amplifier team and host organization, to be completed before the end of December, 2024.

Compensation: $1800 stipend, to be paid as a lump sum upon the project’s completion.

Remote: Yes

Eligibility requirements:

Masters or Doctoral student in the UBC Faculty of Arts. In order to receive a stipend, you must not be on leave and you must remained enrolled as a student for the duration of the project.
For this project, we have funding for 2 international student positions.

To apply, fill out the Qualtrics survey by end of day October 1, 2024. We anticipate positions to begin in October. If you have any questions, please email arts.amplifier@ubc.ca.

First Nations Technology Council

The First Nations Technology Council (FNTC) is an Indigenous-led non-profit organization based in British Columbia. Its mission is to enhance digital literacy, improve internet connectivity, and provide guidance on data and digital technologies across all 204 First Nations communities in the province.

FNTC’s work includes research, digital skills training, career path development, and initiatives to foster Indigenous leadership in technology. This work is pivotal in ensuring that Indigenous communities can participate effectively in the digital world, which is crucial for education, health, economic development, and cultural preservation.

About the CCP project

FNTC has funding to develop a new strategy, A Strategy to Advance Indigenous Leadership in Technology—Digital Skills Training & Career Development. The result will be an actionable strategy for the council to build its Digital Skills Training and Career Pathways Departments

Previous research by the council identified the need for internships, mentorships, and Work-Integrated-Learning (WIL) opportunities as essential career development services to advance Indigenous leadership in tech and tech-enabled industries. This research also identified the need for training opportunities for Indigenous people to apply for job postings in different areas of the province.

FNTC is looking for a graduate student team to create reports in 3 areas relevant to their strategy. Additionally, this cohort will create materials for Indigenous people's working groups to advise on the development of Indigenous Career Pathways and Digital Skills Training departments at FNTC.

The outputs of the 3 research are:

A baseline understanding of best practices in career development, specifically internships, WIL and mentorships.
A literature review on digital skills training and career development opportunities to support delivery to Indigenous students by Indigenous-led organizations.
A survey of tech training available to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in BC.

The cohort would work with Christina Schlattner, the senior manager of Research and Engagement at FNTC, who directs several independent research projects. She has an MA in Adult Education from UBC and 30 years of experience in adult education and communications.

Project objectives

Advocacy research/literature review of Indigenous-led training for Indigenous learners
Comparative analysis of digital skills training and career development opportunities for tech skills in BC
Benchmark research on best practices in career development, including WIL, mentorships, and internships

Benefits to working with FNTC

A better understanding of key concerns in digital literacy, internet connectivity and data and digital technology for First Nations across British Columbia
Opportunity to learn from leaders in an Indigenous-led nonprofit
Experience in contributing to a research team that will shape work at FNTC and have an impact for First Nations in BC
Experience drawing on research findings to create a wide-variety of materials
Mentorship and guidance from the Senior Manager of Research and Engagement, as well as other key staff at FNTC

Qualifications and desired skills

Knowledge of Indigenous ways of knowing and approaching research questions
Skilled in conducting online research and literature reviews
Experience in creating assets based on existing research data (visual presentations, communication materials, etc.)
Strong communication skills
Analysis of research to extract themes
Excellent writing and editing skills
Ability to take large amounts of information and present it concisely and powerfully, using written or graphical presentation
Background in social sciences or experience with research, analysis, writing, and presenting

Eligibility and How to Apply

Time commitment: 60 hours per person, including required onboarding meetings with the Arts Amplifier team and host organization, to be completed before the end of December, 2024.

Compensation: $1800 stipend, to be paid as a lump sum upon the project’s completion.

Remote: Yes

Eligibility requirements:

FNTC is particularly interested in receiving applications from Indigenous graduate students for this project.
Masters or Doctoral student in the UBC Faculty of Arts. In order to receive a stipend, you must not be on leave and you must remained enrolled as a student for the duration of the project.
To be eligible for funding for this project, students must hold Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or refugee status in Canada.

To apply, fill out the Qualtrics survey by end of day October 1, 2024. We anticipate positions to begin in October. If you have any questions, please email arts.amplifier@ubc.ca.

2023 Networking Week

February 2023 Participants

Aftab Erfan (she/her) - Chief Equity Officer, City of Vancouver

Aftab Erfan (she/her)
Chief Equity Officer, City of Vancouver
As the head of the Equity Office I provide leadership, coordination, monitoring, and advisory supports to advance diversity, inclusion, decolonization and anti-oppression within the City of Vancouver. The Equity Office acts as an expertise hub, and drives strategic change initiatives to shift the City’s internal structures and workplace culture in the direction of equity. The core purpose of the Equity Office is to reverse marginalization. We work at the systemic level on behalf of those who have been institutionally excluded.
My education: PhD in Community and Regional Planning
My LinkedIn profile
I'm from an equity-deserving group: I identify as a racialized woman.

Alyssa Martens (she/her)
- Program Manager, ArtStarts in Schools
- Writing Workshop Facilitator

Alyssa Martens (she/her)
Program Manager, ArtStarts in Schools
Writing Workshop Facilitator, DAREarts; Megaphone Magazine; Arts & Health: Healthy Aging Through the Arts
Alyssa Martens (she/her) is the Program Manager of Public Programs at ArtStarts in Schools, where she curates bi-annual exhibitions with/for young people in alignment with the BC Curriculum, First Peoples Principles of Learning, and that centre place-based and inquiry-based pedagogies. In this role, she also oversees all family programming and ArtStarts' artist-in-residence program for early career artists. Outside of her role at ArtStarts, she is funded by the Canada Council of the Arts to spend one day per week writing and researching the effects of climate change in the Arctic, and turning this research into poetry.
My education: BFA from Concordia University, MEd in Education for Sustainability from UBC
My LinkedIn profile

Annie Moore (she/her)
- Research Education and Grant Facilitator, Island Health
- Managing Editor, Postmodern Culture
- Founder and Editor, The Magic Word

Annie Moore (she/her)
Research Education and Grant Facilitator, Island Health
I manage Island Health’s internal granting program, and identify external funding by maintaining a list of current opportunities, seeking funds for specific projects, and supporting applicants through the process. I also organize and advertise workshops, lectures, and other collaborative learning opportunities, and manage departmental communications.
Managing Editor, Postmodern Culture
I am responsible for tracking and responding to all submissions and queries; communicating with the editor, authors, board members, and journal staff; coordinating reviews, edits, and final proofs of accepted submissions; and finalizing each issue for online publication in a timely manner.
Founder and Editor, The Magic Word
Please see the above link for information about the services I offer through The Magic Word.
My education: BA (Hons) English and History, UBC; MA Peace Studies, Lancaster University (England); MA and PhD Comparative Literature, University of California at Irvine
My LinkedIn profile
I'm from an equity-deserving group: I am a woman.

Belle Cheung (she/her) - Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives (City of Vancouver, City Manager’s Office)

Belle Cheung (she/her)
Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives (City of Vancouver, City Manager’s Office), City of Vancouver
- Working across urban/community planning, cultural, social, and heritage planning with anti-racist and equity-informed approaches to develop policies and planning practices that serve equity-denied communities.

- My role focuses on two key areas:

1. Cultural Redress and Equity: Policy-making for the City of Vancouver as it relates to equity and cultural redress. This includes work across arts & culture, social policy, urban/community/land use planning, community engagement to recognize and support equity-denied communities in City policies and work processes.

2. Chinatown: Providing strategic leadership and support to departments within the City with work related to Chinatown (arts & culture, cultural infrastructure, social policy, urban planning, City operations) and senior levels of government, including supporting cultural heritage and cultural expression, and work towards a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for the neighbourhood.

Belle specifically wants to meet with BIPOC and other equity deserving students.

My education: UBC BA Hons, Theatre Studies; UBC MA, Geography
My LinkedIn profile
I'm from an equity-deserving group: I am Chinese.

Danielle Barkley (she/her) - Educator, Career & Professional Development, UBC Centre for Involvement & Careers

Danielle Barkley (she/her)
Educator, Career & Professional Development, UBC Centre for Involvement & Careers
I graduated with my PhD in English literature (19th century novels) in 2015, and now work in a student-facing/advising role in higher education. I also have a small freelance side hustle writing online study guides. I’m happy to talk about job searching with a PhD, mobility/geography in the job search, career paths in higher education, intellectual fulfillment in non-academic jobs, side hustles/freelance work… and anything else that you might have questions about!
My education: PhD in English Literature from McGill University
My LinkedIn profile

Elissa Gurman (she/her) - Managing Consultant, MacPhie Consulting

Elissa Gurman (she/her)
Managing Consultant, MacPhie Consulting
- I develop and maintain relationships with key clients, serving as a trusted advisor who listens to, understands, and responds to client needs.
- I collaborate with internal team members and external partners to develop and deliver team and leadership development programs, strategic planning, strategic communications, brand definitions, qualitative research, and executive facilitation.
- I actively contribute to a positive internal culture, through mentorship and supervision of junior team members, as well as defining relevant internal systems and processes.
My education: PhD (English) from the University of Toronto; MA (English) from Dalhousie University; BA Hons (English) from McGill University.
My LinkedIn profile

Erin Williams (she/her) - Senior Program Manager, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Erin Williams (she/her)
Senior Program Manager, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
Erin Williams is a Senior Program Manager at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada), a not-for-profit think tank focused on building Canada’s relations with the countries and peoples of the Asia Pacific. In her role at APF Canada, she focuses on developing programming that builds young Canadians’ skills and knowledge of contemporary Asia. She previously worked for the Canadian Member Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, including acting as Associate Editor of its annual flagship publication. She has also worked in Adult Basic Education, specifically in the area of English-language skills for new immigrants and refugees. Erin has graduate degrees in International Relations and Asia Pacific Policy Studies, and a B.A. with a double major in Asian Studies and Hispanic Studies.
My education: M.A. Asia Pacific Policy Studies (UBC), M.A. International Relations (Boston University), B.A. Asian Studies, Hispanic Studies
My LinkedIn profile

Jacky Leung (he/him) - Program Director, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Foundation

Jacky Leung (he/him)
Program Director, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Foundation
A UBC Arts graduate with major in Economics and minor in philosophy, Jacky joined the non-profit industry by chance as a result of his participation in student clubs. He applied many transferable skills learned throughout his undergraduate years in supporting newcomers and immigrant seniors from settlement support to health education. Currently he is a program director at S.U.C.C.E.S.S., supporting a wide range of programs and services from volunteer management to digital literacy education.
My education: BA from UBC (2011)
My LinkedIn profile
I'm from an equity-deserving group: I'm East Asian, originating from Hong Kong

Joe Bardsley (he/him) - Coordinator, Music Programs, Creative BC

Joe Bardsley (he/him)
Coordinator, Music Programs, Creative BC
I am a grants manager and program coordinator for Creative BC, a provincially-aligned music funding agency.
My education: BA, Journalism (Mount Royal University, 2006)
My LinkedIn profile
I'm from an equity-deserving group: I am a gay male.

John Estabillo (he/him) - Publisher, Nelson Education

John Estabillo (he/him)
Publisher, Nelson Education
As literacy and social studies publisher for Nelson, I research how to best support K-12 teachers across Canada and create business cases for new publications to provide that support in digital and print media. I then work with subject matter experts, authors, educators, editors, and reviewers to launch approved projects.
My education: PhD - English, University of Toronto (2017)
My LinkedIn profile
I am a mixed-race person of colour, but I am not sure if my personal experience meets the criteria for equity-deserving.

Kay Slater (they/them) - Program Facilitator, Preparator (art handler/gallery installations), ArtStarts in Schools

Kay Slater (they/them)
Program Facilitator, Preparator (art handler/gallery installations), ArtStarts in Schools
Kay works at ArtStarts to develop and challenge the traditional gallery experience to reflect the ever changing and ever present need for public space, specifically focused on accessibility and youth. Working both as a facilitator for ArtStarts public programming, and as a digital creator, Kay is passionate about making space for hands-on, process-based learning and critical thinking for humans of all ages. Kay has been designing and building gallery exhibitions for ArtStarts In Schools (as well as other galleries on unceded Coast Salish Land) for the past 5+ years. Kay founded and leads the weekly online programming ArtStarts Explores; our province at play, which can be found here: https://artstarts.com/explores-online . Kay also produced the community workshops series Non-Auditory Access: Captions and Transcripts in partnership with grunt gallery and ArtStarts In Schools in 2021 as a free, low barrier co-learning series. They continue to work as an accessibility consultant for multiple organizations including the city of Vancouver.
My education: Emily Carr Certificate of Fine Arts, UVic English/French Literature, VCC College (ASL)
My lived experience: Employed as an Arts Worker for 10 years at Contemporary Art Gallery (CAG), Richmond Art Gallery, Gallery Gachet, grunt gallery (current), Roundhouse Community Centre, and Carnegie Community Centre and DTES Small Arts Grants Program (current).
My LinkedIn profile

Leif Schenstead-Harris (he/him) - Acting Manager/Senior Policy Analyst, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Leif Schenstead-Harris (he/him)
Acting Manager/Senior Policy Analyst, Environment and Climate Change Canada - Strategic Policy Branch

Advisor, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Deputy Minister’s Office) Responsible for policy advice related to the mandate of Environment and Climate Change Canada; formerly responsible for strategic policy related to the Federal Sustainable Development Act (ie., Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, progress reporting, etc)
My education: BA (English, Saskatchewan), MA (English, Dalhousie); MPPPA (Concordia), PhD (Western)

Marybeth Curtin (she/her) - Manager, Secretary of the Cabinet Communications, Ontario Public Service

Marybeth Curtin (she/her)
Manager, Secretary of the Cabinet Communications, Ontario Public Service
Marybeth Curtin is currently a Senior Advisor, Engagement & Creative, in the Associate Deputy Minister’s Office of ServiceOntario. She received her PhD in English Literature from the University of Toronto in 2011 and has worked in a variety of internal and external communications roles in the Ontario Government since then. In her spare time, Marybeth is also a member of Burlington, Ontario’s Mundialization Committee, which seeks to promote international relations, strengthen partnerships and educate citizens about Burlington’s sister city relationships. She is happy to talk about her experience in communications and what it’s like to transition from academia to public service roles.
My education: PhD, English, University of Toronto
My LinkedIn profile

Dan Pon (he/him) - Librarian and Archives Manager, Langara College

Dan Pon (he/him)
Librarian and Archives Manager, Langara College
Dan Pon is a librarian at Langara College and the Archives Manager at grunt gallery on unceded Coast Salish territories know as Vancouver. He works to preserve and activate material and non-material culture and is interested in the practice of artists intervening in archives, liberatory community archives, and imaginative models at the intersection of visual arts and information science. Dan has a Masters of Library and Information Science degree (2012) from UBC.
My Education: MS, Library and Information Science, UBC

Mathieu Aubin(he/him) - Business Development Advisor, Mitacs

Mathieu Aubin(he/him)
Business Development Advisor, Mitacs
Mathieu Aubin completed his PhD in Interdisciplinary studies at The University of British Columbia focusing on the influence of literary small presses in Vancouver on queer social movements. He is now working as a Business Development Advisor with Mitacs where he works closely with Concordia faculty members and students in the social sciences, humanities, and arts in developing their research partnership projects. He would be happy to chat about graduate school as well as life after graduate school in academic and alt-academic fields.
My Education: PhD, Interdisciplinary Studies, UBC

2024 Networking Week

Our next Networking Week will be held on February 20 & 21, 2024. A mandatory preparatory workshop will be held in-person on Feb. 14, 2024.

Registration is now open and will close on Friday, February 12, at 9am. Spots are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first served basis.

Interviewees for February 2024

Joseph Bardsley (he/him) - Coordinator, Music Programs, Creative BC

Joseph Bardsley (he/him)
Coordinator, Music Programs, Creative BC

Joseph joined the Music team at Creative BC in 2022. Prior to this role, he spent five seasons at Music on Main as the company’s inaugural Development Manager, leading all fundraising and grant writing efforts for the organization. Before Music on Main, Joseph spent seven seasons at Vancouver Opera as the company’s grants manager, building on earlier grant writing and fundraising experience at Theatre Calgary and Alberta Theatre Projects.

Beyond his work at Creative BC, Joseph sits on Vancouver Foundation’s Arts and Culture grants advisory as a volunteer peer assessor, spends additional time as an advisor for the City of Vancouver’s Neighborhood Matching Fund, and is a Board member for the annual Indian Summer Festival. Joseph is also a seasonal presenter on grant writing for undergraduate arts management students at Simon Fraser University, and has provided similar contracted support to the UBC Faculty of Music. He’s served as a music panelist for the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, the City of Vancouver, and the Province’s artsVest program. He’s also received recent professional development funding from the Canada Council for the Arts and the BC Arts Council for self-directed arts management and mentorship projects.

Joseph is a 2020 alumnus of the Banff Centre’s Cultural Leadership Program. In 2017, he was part of the inaugural Talent 2 Lead national arts management cohort, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Metcalf Foundation. Joseph holds a BA in Journalism (2006) from Mount Royal University, in Calgary. Beyond all things work-related, he's also one of two Trustees for the Bardsley-Heng Family Fund, held at Vancouver Foundation, which provides annual support for local arts, culture, and health-focused charitable projects.

Danielle Barkley (she/her) - Educator, Career & Professional Development, UBC Career Centre

Danielle Barkley (she/her)
Educator, Career & Professional Development, UBC Career Centre

Danielle graduated from McGill University with a PhD in English literature; she subsequently pivoted into working in higher education/student services. She has worked as a career advisor at McGill University and UBC, and also has a small freelance business/side hustle writing and editing online study guides. Danielle is also involved in a professional association (Graduate & Postdoctoral Development Network) that facilitates collaboration amongst higher ed professionals across Canada.

Mel Carroll (she/they) - Research, development, and chase producer for TV

Mel Carroll (she/they)
Research, development, and chase producer for TV

Mel Carroll (she/they) is a queer writer with a PhD in English and Cultural Studies, specializing in LGBTQ+ loneliness and the politics of queer emotions. They currently work as a researcher, writer, chase producer and developer for TV. They have just completed their first fiction novel and a book proposal based on their thesis and are shopping for management. Their fiction and personal essays have appeared in places including “The New Quarterly,” “The Matador Review” and “The Rumpus.”

John Estabillo (he/him) - Publisher, Nelson Education

John Estabillo (he/him)
Publisher, Nelson Education

As literacy and social studies publisher for Nelson, I research how to best support K-12 teachers across Canada and create business cases for new publications to provide that support in digital and print media. I then work with subject matter experts, authors, educators, editors, and reviewers to launch approved projects.
My education: PhD - English, University of Toronto (2017)
My LinkedIn profile
I am a mixed-race person of colour, but I am not sure if my personal experience meets the criteria for equity-deserving.

Henry John (he/they) - Kaatza Station Museum and Archives

Henry John (he/they)
Kaatza Station Museum and Archives; Heritage Branch of the British Columbia Government

Henry John is a British settler currently living and working on unceded Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Coast Salish territories. He completed his doctoral dissertation in 2023, writing on the shifting relationship between Vancouver Island woodworkers and environmental movements during the latter half of the twentieth century.

Henry has spent the last four years working at the Kaatza Station Museum in Lake Cowichan, originally through the UBC Arts PhD Co-Op Program and later in a permanent position. His responsibilities have included managing and publicizing an enormous archive of forestry labour movement records, fundraising, and facilitating the museum's relationship with the local Ts'uubaa-asatx people.

He begins a new position in the Heritage Branch of the British Columbia Government in March, and would be delighted to discuss the hiring process for BC Public Service Jobs.

Jacky Leung (he/him) - Program Director, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Foundation

Jacky Leung (he/him)
Program Director, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. FOUNDATION

A UBC Arts graduate with major in Economics and minor in philosophy, Jacky joined the non-profit industry by chance as a result of his participation in student clubs. He applied many transferable skills learned throughout his undergraduate years in supporting newcomers and immigrant seniors from settlement support to health education. Currently he is a program director at S.U.C.C.E.S.S., supporting a wide range of programs and services from volunteer management to digital literacy education.

Erica Machulak (she/her) - Founder, Hikma Consulting

Erica Machulak (she/her)
Founder, Hikma Consulting

Erica Machulak (she/her), PhD, is the Founder and Lead Facilitator of Hikma, a social impact startup with a mission to mobilize scholarship for the public good through consulting, capacity building, and storytelling. Over the past two years, Hikma clients have secured $6M+ in research funding, informed new policies, and published their work in media outlets such as Forbes and the CBC.

As a writer, editor, and facilitator, Erica believes that the world needs to hear more from people who resist easy answers. Since completing her dissertation on Arabic influences in medieval English literature, Erica has written articles for Inside Higher Ed, Intellect Ltd, and Humanities, the magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the University of Oxford (MSt.), and the University of Notre Dame (PhD).

Visit the Hikma "About Our Founder" page to learn more about Erica and the Hikma Collective: https://www.hikma.studio/founder

Alyssa Martens (she/her) - Program Manager, ArtStarts in Schools; Writing Workshop Facilitator

Alyssa Martens (she/her)
Poet, Educator, Curator
Writing Workshop Facilitator, DAREarts; Megaphone Magazine; Arts & Health: Healthy Aging Through the Arts

Alyssa Martens (she/her) is a Brazilian-Canadian poet, educator, and curator based between London, UK and Vancouver, Canada. She creates, produces, and curates works with a focus on ecological justice for print publication, performance, and installation.

She has been commissioned by various cultural and education organizations, including the International Centre of Art for Social Change, Sierra Club BC, the University of British Columbia, Culture Days Canada, Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival, Car Free Day Festival, The Only Animal, and the Vancouver Park Board. She is the recipient of two Canada Council for the Arts project grants (2022-23 and 2023-24), which support two current projects, Black Winter (her debut environmental poetry collection) and Que Saudades: From Brazil to Canada (a forthcoming touring literary exhibition showcasing stories of intergenerational immigration).

She regularly facilitates poetry and nonfiction writing workshops, and has taught creative writing through Thrive Youth Development Canada, Megaphone Magazine, Arts & Health: Healthy Aging Through the Arts, Sierra Club BC, the Bolton Academy of Spoken Arts, and the University of British Columbia.

She is a member of the League of Canadian Poets, and has been a writer-in-residence at the Spitsbergen Artists Center (Norway, 2023), Sierra Club BC (Canada, 2020), Gullkistan Center for Creativity (Iceland, 2019), and the Bolton Academy of Spoken Arts (Canada, 2016-2019).

My education: BFA from Concordia University, MEd in Education for Sustainability from UBC
My LinkedIn profile

Annie Moore (she/her) - Editor & Grant Facilitator, Island Health & Postmodern Culture

Annie Moore (she/her)
Research Grand & Education Facilitator, Island Health

Annie Moore lives and works as an uninvited white settler on the homelands of the lək̓ʷəŋən people, now known as Victoria. She has a full-time position as Research Grant and Education Facilitator for Island Health (regional health authority), and run a freelance editing business (www.themagicword.ca) on the side. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from UC Irvine (2011).

Outside of work, she likes to read, knit, walk, bake, and try to keep up with her three-year-old.

Annika Rosanowski (she/her) - Business Development Advisor, Mitacs

Annika Rosanowski (she/her)
Business Development Advisor, Mitacs

Annika (PhD) has nearly 10 years of experience working in academia, supporting research activities and research partnerships. She is currently a Business Development Advisor for Mitacs, and has actively developed long-standing, and innovative partnerships with researchers and communities, municipalities, and not-for-profits. She is currently co-funded by SFU FASS and also works closely with UBC and Emily Carr. She focuses on emergency management, interactive arts, and Indigenous engagement.

Leif Schenstead-Harris (he/him) - Acting Manager/Senior Policy Analyst, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Leif Schenstead-Harris (he/him)
Acting Manager/Senior Policy Analyst, Environment and Climate Change Canada - Strategic Policy Branch

My education: BA (English, Saskatchewan), MA (English, Dalhousie); MPPPA (Concordia), PhD (Western)

Kay Slater (they/them) - Exhibitions Manager, Grunt Gallery

Kay Slater (they/them)
Exhibitions Manager, Grunt Gallery

Visual Description:

Kay is a white, middle-aged person with awkwardly growing back-length hair the colour of wet West Coast sand. Their hair is shaved at the sides and back, and they often wear it up and away from their face. They have cow-brown eyes, a triple-pierced nose, double-pierced lip, and large, rosy cheeks. They have a yellowed, tea-stained, teeth-exposing smile that crinkles the corner of their eyes. They are of average to large build and stand 5'6 or 168 cm. Their appearance reads as femme, and their clothing is neutral and casual in colour, fabric and style. Kay's name sign is the letter K in ASL (palm facing out, with index and middle fingers sticking up like the letter 'V', the thumb is tucked at the base of the two extended fingers. The rest of the hand is curled in, touching the palm.) with the middle finger touching just to the side of their mouth at their dimple, and twisted back and forth like the sign for pickles.

Bio:

Kay Slater is a multidisciplinary artist, accessibility consultant and arts worker. As a consultant, they work directly with artists and organizations to build accessibility in at the planning stage and to incorporate sustainable, grassroots strategies that support evolution in artistic presentation. Their work is rooted in anti-oppression practices, and they employ open-source and community-engaged approaches to support ongoing knowledge transfer with makers and creators at all stages of their careers. They are a proud volunteer and social coordinator at Queer ASL, and have completed the Rick Hansen Foundation’s Accessibility Certification program. Kay is passionate about sharing knowledge with the wider arts community. Kay is queer and hard of hearing. They use They/Their/Theirs pronouns as they fumble and learn as an uninvited “guest” across Coast Salish territory.

Brianna Wells (she/her) - Research Development Officer, UBC-O

Brianna Wells (she/her)
Research Development Officer, UBC-O

Brianna Wells holds a PhD in English from the University of Alberta (2017), where her doctoral research focused on the mediated circulation of opera in early twentieth century North America. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at UAlberta’s Sound Studies Institute, she joined the research development team at UBC Okanagan in 2018. As a Research Development Officer, her work is balanced among 1) offering one-on-one support for Social Sciences and Humanities faculty at any stage of their project development, 2) development and delivery of grant-specific supports for SSHRC research funding opportunities (including writing workshops, offering reviews, and supporting application logistics), and 3) providing high level strategic support for leadership at the Department, Faculty, and central units of UBC regarding initiatives and priorities for advancing research capacity in the humanities and social sciences. One of her favorite parts of the job is being part of the moments where nascent ideas bloom into research projects of all shapes and sizes.

F.A.Q.

Q: When can I apply?

A: Applications will open on Thursday, February 1, and will close on Friday, February 9, at 9am. Scroll to bottom of this page for the application.

Q: Will everyone who applies be able to take part?

A: We will do our best to accommodate as many applications as possible; however, because there are a limited number of hosts, we may not be able to accept all who apply. Applications will be accepted on first-come, first-served basis.

Q: What can I do to prepare for networking week?

A: Consider trying out our Building Professional Relationships self-paced training module, available through the Arts Amplifier Training Hub.

Application

You will be assigned at least three 20-minute informational interviews with our list of professional hosts. All interviews will take place on February 20-21.

As well as the opportunity to connect with professionals working in a broad range of fields, Networking Week includes one mandatory career exploration workshop, which includes about 1-hour of pre-work.

To participate, you must attend the mandatory workshop on Wednesday, February 14, from 12pm to 1pm. This workshop will include tools and tips to help you prepare for your interviews, set up an interesting conversation, and follow up in ways that develop your network and career understanding.

Applications will open on Thursday, February 1, and will close on Friday, February 9, at 9am.

If you have any questions, please email arts.amplifier@ubc.ca.

2024 Summer Cohort

Our Collaborative Cohort Projects employ a team of current Arts graduate students who work with a community partner on a project identified by that partner. Together the student team and their partner organization determine a final approach to the project. The student team divides the work according to their expertise and interests and each person completes a component of the project. Students who complete the project receive an $1800 stipend in exchange for 60 hours of work. Due to funding requirements, we can only offer positions to students who are Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents, or Persons with Refugee Status.

This summer, the Arts Amplifier is running collaborative, cohort-based applied research projects with 5 partners: First Nations Technology Council (FNTC), Heritage Vancouver Society (HVS), Centre of International Contemporary Art (CICA), Generation Squeeze, and Hikma Collective.

Each partner will employ a team (or teams) of Arts graduate students who will work on a project identified by that partner. Together the student team and their partner organization will determine a final approach to the project. The student team will divide the work according to their expertise and interests and each person will complete a component of the project.

Q&A Sessions

The Arts Amplifier runs Q&A sessions with our community partner hosts for students interested in joining a CCP team. These Q&As give students and partners a chance to meet and learn more about the role before applying. All of our Q&A sessions for the summer 2024 CCP projects have now concluded. To view the recording of any of our Q&A sessions, please click here.

Project Details and Application

First Nations Technology Council

About FNTC

FNTC's work includes research, digital skills training, career path development, and initiatives to foster Indigenous leadership in technology. This work is pivotal in ensuring that Indigenous communities can participate effectively in the digital world, which is crucial for education, health, economic development, and cultural preservation.

Project description

FNTC is looking for a graduate student cohort to create reports in 3 areas relevant to their strategy. Additionally, this cohort will create materials for Indigenous people's working groups to advise on the development of Indigenous Career Pathways and Digital Skills Training departments at FNTC.

The outputs of the 3 research are:

A baseline understanding of best practices in career development, specifically internships, WIL and mentorships.
A literature review on digital skills training and career development opportunities to support delivery to Indigenous students by Indigenous-led organizations.
A survey of tech training available to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in BC.

Project objectives

Advocacy research/literature review of Indigenous-led training for Indigenous learners
Comparative analysis of digital skills training and career development opportunities for tech skills in BC
Benchmark research on best practices in career development, including WIL, mentorships, and internships

Ideal qualifications

Skills in conducting online research and literature reviews
Analysis of research to extract themes
Excellent writing and editing skills
Ability to take large amounts of information and present it concisely and powerfully, using written or graphical presentation
Background in social sciences or experience with research, analysis, writing, and presenting

Please note: This research is part of a larger project with funder-set timelines. Please only apply for this position if you are 100% committed to meeting a timeline that wraps up at the end of August.

Application deadline: Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 9am

Centre of International Contemporary Art

About the organization

CICA Vancouver is a non-profit multidisciplinary art organization established in 2021. We are committed to fostering artistic dialogue and community engagement through our multidisciplinary exhibitions and programs. With a focus on inclusivity and representation, we provide a platform for both established and emerging artists to share their stories and perspectives. Our seasonal exhibitions, along with special programs, offer diverse audiences the opportunity to explore contemporary art in a welcoming and accessible environment. Engagement and accessibility are two major goals CICA Vancouver strives to achieve. We aim to enrich education through art and facilitate the development of cognition, creativity and critical thinking for learners of all ages.

Project description

CICA Vancouver is looking forward to hiring a CCP team to work on some combination of the following tasks for our current events and exhibitions:

Communication / Press Release / Exhibition Review Writing: The student team could choose to work with our Marketing Coordinator to craft compelling press releases to announce upcoming exhibitions, capturing the essence of each showcase to attract media attention. Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to flex your writing skills by producing insightful reviews of our exhibitions and providing valuable feedback and analysis to enhance our future events.
Membership Development (Non-Profit): The student team could also choose to work in organizing membership drives, cultivating relationships, and implementing strategies to grow our membership base, ensuring that more individuals can benefit from our offerings.
Event Planning and Administration (Fundraising Event): The student team could also choose to contribute to the successful execution of fundraising events that fuel our mission and initiatives. From coordinating logistics and managing guest lists to assisting with marketing efforts and on-site coordination, in this work you would play a vital role in bringing our events to life.
Research: As part of their responsibilities, the student team may engage in comprehensive research assignments focused on particular artists, specific art forms, or related content relevant to CICA's exhibitions and events. This research could entail delving into the backgrounds, styles, and influences of various artists, exploring the evolution of specific art movements, or analyzing thematic elements within contemporary art discourse.

Ideal Qualifications

Passion for the arts and an appreciation for the organization's mission to promote cultural exchange and artistic expression within the framework of a non-profit organization.
Creativity, innovation, and an interest in bringing fresh ideas and perspectives to the table.
Communication skills, written and oral.
Teamwork and an interest in collaborating with staff and and volunteers to ensure the success of exhibitions and events.
Attention to detail and organizational skills.
A commitment to community engagement.
Basic knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office would be an asset.

The student team will work with Viahsta Yuan, Curator; Saghi Ehteshamzadeh, Curatorial Assistant; Dyana Kim, Marketing Coordinator; and Nathen Bi, Gallery Assistant. The CCP team working with CICA will gain hands-on experience in operating and managing an art gallery as a community-engaged space.

Application deadline: Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 9am

Heritage Vancouver Society

About the organization

Heritage Vancouver Society promotes public engagement and dialogue on changes to significant aspects of Vancouver's cultural heritage.

They advance a comprehensive understanding of heritage that captures the diverse ways people establish meaningful connections with the environment around them—whether they be built, cultural, natural or social. They:

Provide a voice for the diverse stories of diverse peoples and places that shape Vancouver
Advance a broad public understanding of what heritage and heritage conservation is, and why it matters through online resources and a range of informative and affordable events, talks and tours
Contribute to dialogue and the exchange of views through public forums, in order to stimulate thinking around important civic issues and be a source for people to be informed
Focus on the present and the creation of heritage in its many forms to be taken to the future
Provide opportunities for communities to understand and participate in sustaining Vancouver’s heritage

They envision a Vancouver where everyone acknowledges, comprehends and values the diverse ways in which people forge deep connections to place through identity, cultural practices, history and memory. The value an urbanism rooted to place.

Project description

HVS is focused on building up its website with more resources for the community to engage with diverse spaces and places across Vancouver. For this project, the CCP team will have the option of proposing their own site or place in Vancouver and developing web-based resources that draw awareness to some aspect of a group or community's connection to that place and its meaning to them. HVS is especially interested in showcasing spaces and places that are a focus of community concern. Some places HVS has worked on/have been working on include: local small businesses, artist spaces, and spaces important to the queer community in the '80s and '90s.

While the CCP team will have the scope to propose any site or place in Vancouver as a focus for their work, they may also choose contribute to one of HVS's ongoing projects. For example, HVS is currently working on an oral histories project on the Filipino Canadian experience of place in Vancouver. The CCP team may choose to work on developing web-based materials connected to some of the places that have been identified in that project.

Project objectives

The cohort will produce a page on the HVS website to present the places of significance that are the focus of their work. The thematic focus, places of significance, and final form of this page are flexible depending on the project team's interests. For example, the page could take the form of a map with descriptions, a collection of narratives, or a companion to a self guided walking tour.

Regardless of the place and what the final content looks like, the project will likely require speaking with people with significant ties to that place and/or finding information from other sources such as newspaper articles, archives etc. Outputs could include: descriptive writing, interview transcriptions, photography, drawing, graphic design.

Ideal qualifications

Have good people skills, can create good rapport with others, and understands the sensitivities that can arise from conversations about personal topics.
Understand that HVS does not fit a traditional image of what a heritage organization is and does. We are concerned with helping people understand the city, what connections and relationships they have with place, and why it is important to them.
Skilled at helping people tell stories in creative ways.
Desire to work with people in different disciplines, in line with our HVS's multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary practice of heritage.
Reliable and responsible, especially when working on their own.
Good writing skills and ability to adapt writing to a general audience.
Curiosity about the city, its people, differing cultural communities (note: "cultural" is not limited to "ethnic"), and to learning about diverse perspectives and opinions.
Graphic design (Canva, Photoshop, InDesign), audio editing, and illustration skills are an asset.

The student team will be working with the Executive Director, Bill Yuen. The Executive Director is responsible for all the programmatic activities the organization undertakes to ensure that the projects align with the organization’s goals and principles.

Application deadline: Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 9am

Generation Squeeze

About the organization

Gen Squeeze is an award-winning Think and Change Tank with a mission to build a Canada that works for all generations. They champion generational fairness to preserve what’s sacred – a healthy childhood, home and planet – so we all leave a proud legacy.

Our understanding of generational fairness is based on 3 principles:

Planning wisely for all ages, investing in wellbeing from the early years onwards
Being good stewards of the resources on which younger and future generations are also counting
Following the intergenerational golden rule to treat other generations the way you’d want yours to be treated

Our track record is proven. Public affairs leaders affirm we have “influence far beyond social advocacy groups of comparable size.” We created the $10/day child care brand key to achieving $30B in government investments. We put new housing solutions on the radar of governments, with the Prime Minister affirming our goal of stalling home prices. The 2024 BC Budget cites Gen Squeeze in new promises to “keep B.C. working for all generations.” Our evidence and framing is behind 2024 federal budget promises of “Fairness for Every Generation.”

Gen Squeeze is a university-community collaboration. The Lab at UBC turns data into policy solutions and applies rigorous academic standards to make our work credible at a time of misinformation. The Charity amplifies this evidence to engage Canadians in systems change.

Project: A campaign to promote intergenerational solidarity in the voting booth ahead of the BC election

We're looking for a team to encourage democratic engagement by fostering intergenerational dialogue about election issues in the run up to BC's election this fall. People under the age of 45 turn out to vote less often than older people, but electoral outcomes will ripple through younger people's lives for decades to come, as they inherit growing climate costs, rising government debts, and increasingly unaffordable housing. All ages stand to gain from more conversations about these issues across generational divides. Older people will better understand the impact of their voting decisions on those who will follow in their footsteps, while sharing their longer-term perspective and enthusiasm for voting. Younger people will have a chance to share how generational unfairness plays out in their lives and feel more empowered as citizens.

We have some ideas about how this campaign might unfold, what backgrounds and skill sets might be a good fit, and what materials might need to be created, such as conversation guides and promotional videos. But given our experience with Arts Amplifier students, we're very open to new ideas and are eager to hear how teams envision reaching our goal.

Ideal candidates are:

Interested in Canadian public policy, and the role it plays in shaping wellbeing
Motivated by the idea of empowering people to participate in public and political dialogue to support policy and systems change
Aware of the challenges younger Canadians face today, including rising living costs, stagnant wages, unaffordable housing, growing climate risks, and increasing public debt
Creative thinkers who can look at issues from different angles and explore various strategies for advancing project goals
Strong communicators who are comfortable meeting with/speaking to diverse potential audiences
Willing and able to work remotely, as part of a small team
Able to work independently, organizing their time effectively to meet expectations and deadlines
Available during some regular work hours in the Pacific time zone

Project tasks:

Designing and executing advocacy campaigns
Designing social media messaging and campaigns
Convening people and organizing events
Making presentations
Writing articles, blogs, media stories, and educational materials
Creating infographics and other visual tools to share and mobilize information

What students can gain from this experience:

Experience working with an innovative university-community collaboration at the cutting edge of research and knowledge mobilization on today’s public policy challenges
Experience turning knowledge into action to achieve policy and systems change
Experience and skills in engaging and organizing people
Hands-on opportunities to be creative and take initiative in designing and leading work
Knowledge of the generational tensions that are undermining the financial security and wellbeing of younger and future generations that can be applied to future work and study opportunities

We’re eager to welcome diverse students to the Gen Squeeze team, including women and members of LGBTQ2S+, Indigenous and racialized communities.

Students will be working with Dr. Paul Kershaw (Gen Squeeze Founder and UBC Public Policy professor), Andrea Long (Senior Director of Research and Knowledge Mobilization), and Megan Wilde (Strategic Communications Lead).

Application deadline: Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 9am

Hikma Collective

About the organization

Hikma Collective is a knowledge mobilization agency that works with scholars across disciplines to design and implement research programs that benefit the public. We support our clients at any stage in their processes through grants crafting, strategic planning, creative media production, and a wide range of training programs. Most of our clients’ research focuses on social and climate justice, and we have a strong reputation for providing rigorous, innovative, and inclusive support.

In Summer 2024, we are launching a research impact certificate that will be co-certified by CIFAL Victoria and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). We will be piloting this program with client partners on campus at UBC Point Grey.

Our founder, Erica Machulak, has a book in progress with Rutgers University Press provisionally titled Hustles for Humanists: Build a Business with Purpose (anticipated: Spring/Summer 2025). We are also designing programs related to the book.

For a sense of what we do, browse our Impact Stories: https://www.hikma.studio/impact

Meet our founder here: https://www.hikma.studio/founder

Check out the Hikma Collective Podcast: https://www.hikma.studio/podcast

Project description

The Hikma Collective works with scholars across disciplines to mobilize social and climate justice research for the public good. Hikma is recruiting an interdisciplinary group of graduate students to carry out a literature review and produce knowledge mobilization materials related to our SSHRC-funded research partnership, “Beyond the Academy: Professional Learning and Agency in Virtual Contexts.” We seek to advance analysis and knowledge sharing focused on these themes:

The power of agency and learning communities in emerging PhDs’ professional development
Entrepreneurship as a pathway for self-determination and agency
Illuminating connections across stories through rigorous analysis of qualitative interviews

The overarching goal of this initiative is to produce a peer-reviewed article analyzing qualitative interviews with PhDs-turned-entrepreneurs led by Co-Director Andrea Webb (UBC Faculty of Education). The team should deliver results in the form of an annotated bibliography and written literature review as well as data visualizations and other materials to be co-determined with Dr. Webb and the Hikma team. Short monthly presentations would also be welcomed and encouraged.

The possibility of co-authorship is available to dedicated team members. At minimum, the article will acknowledge your contributions. In addition, team members will have the opportunity to pitch and create knowledge mobilization materials such as data visualizations, podcast episodes, and blog posts that Hikma will circulate through our social media channels and website. These materials will be co-designed according to team member interests and the opportunities available.

The Hikma team will provide feedback, mentorship, and amplification of the article and knowledge mobilization materials to support the portfolios and professional development of team members.

Desired skills qualifications

We are looking for candidates from any discipline with a strong desire to learn new skills and thrive in a collaborative environment. Preferred skills:

NVivo skills, Adobe, and skills with any data visualization software are preferred, but not required
Excellent writing and communication
Writing literature reviews, analyzing qualitative interviews
Any form of creative knowledge mobilization
Unique perspectives on the intersection of professional and lived experience

Candidates should indicate any tools with which they have familiarity, as there will likely be opportunities to co-design knowledge mobilization materials that align with their interests and experience. Candidates must have access to their own laptop with updated antivirus software, email, and a word processor.

What students can gain from this experience

Graduate students will have the opportunity to develop their own portfolios and gain direct experience working at a social impact startup. All team members will be invited to regular meetings, where they will not only share their own progress but also get a behind-the-scenes look at our client-facing projects, upcoming training programs, and book launch. We are an organization committed to supporting experiential learning opportunities for grad students, and we look forward to supporting graduate students’ career development well after the work term by sharing their work, inviting them to engage in future events, and providing informal long-term mentorship.

Project details

The student team will report to Erica Machulak, who founded Hikma in 2020. They will also receive research guidance and mentorship from Andrea Webb (UBC Education, Hikma Advisory Board) and Ai Mizuta (Hikma Operations Manager).

This is a 100% remote position with mandatory virtual biweekly team meetings. We anticipate inviting students to 1-2 team optional social events on campus over the summer. To facilitate effective collaboration and mentorship, the team will co-determine at least one scheduled weekly shift during which all members will be expected to work synchronously.

Application deadline: Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 9am

Additional Details

Number of openings: four positions per team

Time commitment: 60 hours per person, including three required onboarding meetings with the Arts Amplifier team and host organization, to be completed before the end of August, 2024

Compensation: $1800 stipend, to be paid as a lump sum upon the project’s completion.

Remote: Yes

Eligibility requirements:

Masters or Doctoral student in the UBC Faculty of Arts. You must not be on leave during the duration of the project in order to receive the stipend.
Must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or hold refugee status in Canada (due to funding restrictions).

2023 Fall: UBC Public Humanities Hub, Writing Short is Hard

Our Collaborative Cohort Projects employ a team of current Arts graduate students who work with a community partner on a project identified by that partner. Together the student team and their partner organization determine a final approach to the project. The student team divides the work according to their expertise and interests and each person completes a component of the project. Students who complete the project receive an $1800 stipend in exchange for 70 hours of work.

New for Fall 2023, an opportunity to work with the Public Humanities Hub to map public humanities research and research support within the wider UBC-O and UBC-V communities.

Project Description

Public Humanities Hub

The UBC Public Humanities Hub (PHH) fosters and supports collaborative, public-facing Humanities research in Arts, Law, and Education at UBC-Vancouver. PHH is recruiting an interdisciplinary group of graduate students to carry out a mapping project of public humanities research support, research areas and scholars, and related public humanities activities within the landscapes of UBC-Vancouver and UBC-Okanagan. The project will prioritize the fields of:

Health Studies (e.g. Applied Science, Nursing, Medicine, Disability Studies, etc.)
The Faculties of Education, Law, and Arts
The wider UBC-V and UBC-O communities

PHH is particularly interested in scholars, departments, funding initiatives, and programs engaged in what appear to be humanities activities or methodologies in ways that are creative, innovative, and/or publicly engaged. The project team will define the scope of “creative, innovative, and/or publicly engaged” humanities activities for the purpose of this project and include that definition in final project deliverables. The team should deliver results in the form of a written report, utilizing data visualizations, graphics, or other methods they deem best to represent the results of the research. A short, final presentation of results to the PHH leadership team would also be welcome and encouraged.

Arts students with interdisciplinary backgrounds or research interests in medicine, health, law, or education are particularly encouraged to apply. Applications from graduate students and post-docs in the Faculty of Arts will be prioritized, but students in Education or Law will not be excluded from consideration. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until the deadline.

Position Details

Time commitment: 70 hours per person, including one required onboarding meeting with the Arts Amplifier team and some pre-work.

Compensation: $1800 stipend, to be paid as a lump sum upon completion of the work

Remote: Yes

Eligibility requirements:

Current Masters or Doctoral student in the UBC Faculty of Arts. You must not be on leave during the duration of the project in order to receive the stipend.
Must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or hold refugee status in Canada (due to funding restrictions).

Application Form

Please click here to go to the application form

Application deadline: November 28, 4pm. Note: applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until the deadline.

Questions? Contact us at arts.amplifier@ubc.ca

***

Currently underway, the Arts Amplifier has an interdisciplinary team of Arts graduate students working with Writing Short is Hard. Applications for this project are closed.

Project Description

Writing Short is Hard

Letitia Henville, PhD, is a freelance academic editor at shortishard.com. You can find her company’s mission, vision, and values on her website. Letitia is interested in hiring a small team of students to work collaboratively to write content for her blog and newsletter. Some ideas for content include:

Analyses of well-written, highly cited journal articles using writingwellishard.com;
Interviews with academic editors for the series “Editing After Academia”; or
Advice on SSHRC grant applications from faculty who have served as merit review committee members in the Insight or Partnership competitions.

Letitia is also open to your ideas for blog or newsletter content that fits within her business model and that leverages your strengths & expertise. All team members in the CCP would need to work on the same general topic or project, but take different perspectives. Writing for the blog and newsletter needs to be concise (ie, no more than 800 words per piece) and to provide high-value information for readers–that is, info that they can’t find elsewhere online. No experience in writing for the web is required, but enthusiasm is, so please be prepared to tell her what you’re hoping to get out of this work experience.

To learn more, please RSVP for the Q&A, to be held September 7, 11:30am-12:30pm on Zoom.

2023 Summer: Women Transforming Cities, UBC Research Commons

This summer, the Arts Amplifier is running collaborative, cohort-based applied research projects with two partners: Women Transforming Cities and UBC Research Commons.

Project Descriptions

Women Transforming Cities

Women Transforming Cities (WTC) is a grassroots organization based in Vancouver that works alongside equity-seeking genders to dismantle intersecting systems of oppression and transform where we live into places where everyone can belong, participate, and thrive. They build participation and power at the local government level for people historically excluded from civic processes and decision-making to radically shift power to gender-marginalized people through a feminist, intersectional lens.

One of the ways they do this is through City Action - a series of workshop offerings focused on civic literacy & education. The general target audience for these workshops are women and gender-diverse people who face systemic exclusion from civic processes due to intersecting identity factors and are connected to community organizations across BC.

WTC is seeking a cohort of researchers, digital designers, and writers to join the team and create downloadable takeaway resources for those who may not have access to our workshops. The materials will include PDFs with consolidated resources, video content, and more.

Eligibility: WTC is an intersectional feminist, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, anti-colonial, and anti-neoliberal organization and they are looking for values-aligned applicants. Priority will be given to applications from Indigenous peoples, Immigrant and Refugee people, Black people, racialized folks, women, girls, trans, non-binary, genderqueer, and Two-Spirit people.

To learn more, please RSVP for the Q&A, to be held 1pm May 24 on Zoom.

UBC Research Commons

UBC Research Commons is a communal space on the 4th and 5th floors of Koerner library that includes a Digital Scholarship Computer Lab and provides workshops and expertise on Data Analysis, Citation Management, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and more. They embrace both new and traditional exploratory scholarship and provide access to services and expertise for the advancement of research.

They have two projects for which they are seeking student teams:

Digital Humanities skillsets are increasingly required for participation in multimedia academic work (i.e. digital theses). The first project aims to collect and develop training resources for a base digital literacy skill set informed by the local context at UBC. This project will build on topics identified by The Carpentries, the Digital Humanities Literacies Guide, Digital Literacies as defined by the MLA Guide, and areas identified by UBC’s Digital Scholarship Librarian. The goals of this project are to 1) create a resource (i.e. spreadsheet) of core literacies to be addressed for each of the areas identified by the team; and 2) create GitHub pages using the UBC Library Research Commons workshops template (see example workshops here). If there is time or scope some or all members of the team could deliver workshops using the developed content. Students interested in this project do not need to have a pre-existing knowledge of the Digital Humanities or GitHub, they will be offered training in core concepts by the UBC Library Research Commons.

Digital Scholarship in the Arts has a strong presence at UBC, but there is no consolidated location where this work is showcased. The second project team will identify, collect, and present projects that reflect Digital Scholarship in the Arts and develop a WordPress site through UBC CMS to showcase this work. Students interested in this project do not need to have pre-existing web development skills and will be offered training in creating a web showcase by the UBC Library Research Commons. If there is time or scope some or all members of the team could explore the possibility of physically showcasing digital projects in the Digital Scholarship Lab and organizing an event inviting the showcase participants to present their work in an informal meetup.

To learn more, please RSVP for the Q&A, to be held 11am May 23 on Zoom.

Position Details

Number of openings: up to 4 positions with Women Transforming Cities, up to 8 positions with UBC Research Commons.

Time commitment: 70 hours per person, including three required onboarding meetings with the Arts Amplifier team and host organization, to be completed before August 25, 2023.

Compensation: $1800 stipend, to be paid as a lump sum in August 2023

Remote: Yes

Eligibility requirements:

Masters or Doctoral student in the UBC Faculty of Arts. You must not be on leave during the duration of the project in order to receive the stipend.
Must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or hold refugee status in Canada (due to funding restrictions).

Application Form

Please click here to go to the application form

Application deadline: Wednesday May 31 at 9am.

2022 Summer: Women Transforming Cities

This summer, the Arts Amplifier is running one collaborative, cohort-based applied research project. This project will employ a team of Arts masters or doctoral students who will work with a community partner on a project identified by that partner.

Each student team will meet with their community partner to determine the final approach taken on the project. You will divide the work according to their expertise and interests, and each person will complete a component of the project. The partner organization, as well as Amplifier staff, will provide ongoing mentorship and support.

Project Description

Women Transforming Cities (WTC) is a grassroots organization based in Vancouver working alongside equity-seeking genders to dismantle intersecting systems of oppression and transform where we live into places where everyone can belong, participate, and thrive. One such project that WTC leads is the Women Friendly Cities Challenge (WFCC): a living library of Wise Practices from around the world that helps make cities more gender-inclusive, and thus better for all.

To learn more, and to contribute to the shaping of the project, please RSVP for the April 12th Q&A.

Position Details

Number of openings: 5 positions

Time commitment: 70 hours per person, including three required onboarding meetings with the Arts Amplifier team

Compensation: $1800 stipend, to be paid as a lump sum in August 2022

Remote: Yes

Eligibility requirements: masters or doctoral student in the UBC Faculty of Arts. You must not be on leave during the duration of the project in order to receive the stipend.

Application to Participate Form

Please click here to go to the application form

Application deadline: Tuesday April 19th at 9am.

2021 Fall: CityStudio Vancouver, Reach Gallery Museum, Friends for Life

This fall the Arts Amplifier is running three collaborative, cohort-based applied research projects. Each project will employ a small team of Arts PhD students who will work with a community partner on a project identified by that partner.

Each student team will meet with their community partner to determine the final approach taken on the project. The students will divide the work according to their expertise and interests, and each person will complete a component of the project. The partner organization, as well as Amplifier staff, will provide ongoing mentorship and support.

Project Descriptions

CityStudio Vancouver

CityStudio Vancouver is looking for one or two small teams of PhD students who will work together to address a research question for the City of Vancouver. Want to be involved in a City of Vancouver project? RSVP for CityStudio's Q&A session.

Eligibility: PhD students in the Faculty of Arts. Open to Canadian citizens, Permanent residents and students with refugee status, and currently awaiting funding confirmation for international students.

The Reach Gallery Museum

The Reach Gallery Museum is looking for up to four bilingual (Punjabi/English) Arts graduate students to work collaboratively with The Reach’s curatorial team to translate selected parts of the Punjabi Patrika newspaper archive. The Reach believes that issues that tend to be racialized in their community (real estate, gang violence, etc.) have been reported on qualitatively differently in English versus Punjabi news media; however, they need support from researchers who can read Gurmukhi script to explore this suspicion and evaluate the content of the archive.

Eligibility: Masters or PhD students in the Faculty of Arts of any citizenship.

Friends for Life

Friends for Life is looking for up to four Arts graduate students to work collaboratively with their leadership team to develop an online resource outlining the history of Friends for Life and its role in the early history of AIDS activism and organizing in Vancouver. This resource will likely be developed through a combination of primary source research, including: reading through transcribed interviews from the "HIV in My Day" oral history project, conducting additional interviews with long-time clients and volunteers, and consulting publicly available documents through the Vancouver archives on AIDS activism and history. They are looking for at least one student with web design and development skills to help with building the online interface.

Eligibility: All PhD students in the Faculty of Arts are eligible to apply for these positions. We have secured funding for Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and those with refugee status to take part in this paid work, and are awaiting confirmation of funding for international students.

Position Details

Number of hours per student: 70 hours, with schedules to be decided between the student teams and their community partner

Compensation: $1800 (less income taxes, EI, CPP, WCB, and +4% vacation pay) as a Graduate Academic Assistant appointment

Remote: TBD with each community partner and students

Eligibility requirements: Active* graduate students (not on leave) in the Faculty of Arts and residing in Canada for the duration of the project. Please see above for more specific eligibility requirements for each project.

Note: These projects are contingent on external funding.

Information Sessions

Stay tuned for future Live Q&As on our events page. If you have questions, please email arts.amplifier@ubc.ca.

Application Details

Applications closed on Thursday, August 19th 2021.

2021 Summer Cohort: BC Forest Discovery Centre, Squamish Nation

This summer the Arts Amplifier is running two collaborative, cohort-based applied research projects. Each project will employ a team of four Arts PhD students who will work with a community partner on a project identified by that partner.

Project Descriptions

BC Forest Discovery Centre is looking for Educational Developers to support the development of resource packages that can be used as educational material for schools. This work will include: museum interpretation, heritage preservation, digital design, and the development of online and printed learning materials.

Member Services office at the Squamish Nation is looking for Applied Researchers to conduct an environmental scan investigating mental health. This work will include: conducting interviews and surveys, data collection and analysis, a literature review, and developing a report and recommendations.

Position Details

Number of openings: 4 positions per project

Number of hours per student: 70 hours, with schedules to be decided between the student teams and their community partner

Compensation: $1800 stipend

Remote: Yes

Eligibility requirements: Active* PhD students in the Faculty of Arts who hold Canadian citizenship

Note: These projects are contingent on external funding.

* PhD students must not be on leave during the duration of the project in order to receive the stipend.

Information Sessions

Have questions for Squamish Nation or BC Forest Discovery Centre?

Watch the info sessions available on our Past Events page to learn more. If you have more questions, please email arts.amplifier@ubc.ca.

Program Assistant with Dr. Luisa Canuto

Vancouver Foundation

First Nations Technology Council

February 2023 Participants

Interviewees for February 2024

F.A.Q.

Application

Q&A Sessions

Project Details and Application

Additional Details

Project Description

Position Details

Application Form

Application deadline: November 28, 4pm. Note: applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until the deadline.

Questions? Contact us at arts.amplifier@ubc.ca

Project Description

Project Descriptions

Position Details

Application Form

Application deadline: Wednesday May 31 at 9am.

Project Description

Position Details

Application to Participate Form

Application deadline: Tuesday April 19th at 9am.

Project Descriptions

Position Details

Information Sessions

Application Details

Project Descriptions

Position Details

Information Sessions

Application to Participate Form

Applications closed on May 24th at 11:59pm