There’s more to being a student than simply showing up for classes and going home, and Make A Difference Day is the perfect opportunity to explore the various opportunities that UFV offers. Make A Difference Day, which is on October 22, is a day described on the organization’s website (makeadifferenceday.com) as “one of the largest annual single-days of service nationwide,” a day when volunteers and communities come together to improve the lives of others. The event evolved from an idea to have a national day of service on February 29, 1992. This idea in turn became the stepping stone to creating the current Make A Difference Day, which is held every October, on the fourth Saturday of the month. Part of Make A Difference Day’s mission is to “inspire the nation to make a difference.” Make A Difference Day encourages everyone, regardless of who they are, to do something that will improve the life of another.
But making a difference doesn’t have to be limited to one day each year. As university students, we have tons of opportunities to make real differences. There are already plenty of ways that students have been making a difference through their daily activities, whether they know it or not. Helping peers with homework or opening the door for someone carrying a pile of textbooks is already spreading positivity throughout campus. Whether it’s on campus, in our community, or globally, attending university can introduce us to a variety of clubs, associations, and organizations that are built around improving lives and communities.
The Student Union Building (SUB) is the place to start. Our SUB is home to organizations such as the Student Union Society, Student Life department, a variety of clubs, and the upcoming pride and women’s centres, along with much more. At the Student Union Society, you’ll see students volunteering their time to put on events to bring students fun and informative activities. They volunteer their time to plan events by being involved with the engagement, equalities, advocacy, finance, and clubs & associations committees.
The Student Life department is another great example of students taking part in their university’s community to make a difference. The Coast Capital Savings Peer Resource and Leadership Centre is situated within the Student Life room with students who volunteer their time to provide a safe and welcoming space for other students. Student Life ambassadors also do their part in helping new students and taking initiative in making our campus more welcoming.
However, the SUB is not the only place where students are making a difference. UFV International is another department where students become greatly involved. They make connections with both domestic and international students with programs such as Friends Without Borders, all while bringing culture to our campus through events and activities.
Other clubs that have also made a positive impact are UFV Circle K International through their service projects; the mental health awareness club, who supports students and plans events to bring awareness to mental health; and UFV Oxfam, which supports sustainability, freeing the world from poverty and injustice, and equality. However, these are only examples of a few clubs on campus that I have personally been involved in. There are so many more clubs run by students dedicated to improving the lives of others in different ways.
All of these clubs, organizations, and departments on campus are successful because of the people who put their time and effort into making a positive difference. We, as a community, can impact the lives of others in many different ways, whether it’s volunteering for an organization, being part of a club’s service project, or finding our own unique way to make a difference. Everyone has the ability to improve lives and communities; however, as students and young adults we have even more opportunities. Lots of students on campus take the initiative in creating their own ideas and planning their own events to support what they are passionate about. We can all find ways to make positive changes within our world if we look in the right direction.
Make A Difference Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the countless ways that we can improve the lives of others. However, the point of this day is to not only encourage us to make a difference on October 22, but to encourage us to make a difference long after that as well. We don’t need to be a part of big projects in order to improve lives, because putting a dollar in a donation box or helping a peer who is struggling in class can go a long way. Therefore, Make A Difference Day does not have to be restricted to 24 hours; it can be every day.
