Students meet weekly to build connections and friendships while engaging in intercultural learning
UFV International’s Friends Without Borders (FWB) is a place of gathering for international and domestic students looking to build friendships and connections with people from diversebackgrounds. The FWB community is made up of staff from UFV International and students choosing to be either members or community leaders. Students that have previously participated as members in the program can volunteer to become leaders and assist others with select parts of the program.
International student support coordinator Adrian Bontuyan described the program:“Friends Without Borders is an intercultural program that is inclusive and engaging forinternational and domestic students. It’s a place where students can build social connections with their peers. We would love for them to explore and engage with other students and into the greater UFV community.”
The weekly online meetings create a space to develop intercultural communication and leadership skills while learning from community experts and volunteers about different cultures.
“FWB is a safe space for new students so that they can start to feel confident and learnmore about what’s happening and what’s available at UFV,” Bontuyan said. “It’s also a place where we [UFV staff] assist the transition, engagement, and case management of international students, especially those needing extra support. This support includes helping members navigate the resources available through UFV, but also in the local community.”
Bontuyan explained the importance of developing relationships between members and community leaders. “It’s hard to mentor culture, but we can all learn from each other. Community leaders, whether international or domestic, play a leadership role in the community of Friends Without Borders. They are taught how to be inclusive, to be good listeners, and how to engage in intercultural learning,” he said.
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on Friends Without Borders. The restrictions have forced FWB to move away from their face-to-face meetings and into an onlineformat. This has caused lower than expected participation. Bontuyan explained that with students engaging in so much online learning, it is challenging for them to commit to additional online content.
“Students get tired, but we do have students that are coming and they are engaging andlonging for it. In fact, at the end of the sessions I do a debrief or a quick survey, and students are talking about this being a space where they feel they can connect with other students and be who they are,” Bontuyan said. “This is their only social space at UFV at this moment. Here they can learn new perspectives and look forward to learning about other cultures. They can feel accepted in our community.”
The online environment also offers unique challenges including varying levels of internet connectivity, different world time zones, and working with the schedules of participants indifferent countries. Scheduled meetings may include online games, group discussions, and sometimes workshops with guest speakers. To learn more, email the international student support coordinator, Adrian Bontuyan, at: adrian.bontuyan@ufv.ca.
Friends Without Borders (UFV International)
Steve is a third-year BFA creative writing/visual arts student who’s been a contributing writer, staff writer and now an editor at The Cascade. He's always found stories and adventures but now has the joy of capturing and reporting them.