UFV has received membership to the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) in exchange for designing and completing a yearly project to help further the ten goals of the organization, which include topics such as poverty reduction, affordable clean energy and partnership between the 1,500 different organizations spanning 145 countries that are members of the UNAI.
Since its launch in 2010, the UNAI has been focused on upholding the United Nations (UN) Charter, as well as completing a variety of projects each year with participating universities around the globe to help bring about international change. UNAI “[uses] scientific inquiry, academic research, and education to further the realization of UN goals and mandates.” Member universities are able to propose new projects, discuss their ongoing work in any field and how it pertains to the goals of the initiative. In return, the UNAI helps members connect with each other and offers coverage of the research and projects currently being worked on. This ensures that everyone can see what is happening in the ongoing work towards climate sustainability, conflict resolution, and human rights movements.
As part of the application process, UFV suggested some current and future projects that align with the 10 goals of the UNAI. These include the International Emergency Fund (IEF), which provides scholarships to post-secondary students fleeing humanitarian crises. As well, UFV has several research centers within the categories of social justice, human rights and heath, such as the South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) and the Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC). Various academic programs that are currently being offered to students will offer future research to fulfill the 10 goals of the UNAI, such as the Environmental Studies program within the School of Land Use and Environmental Change. UFV also created the Office of Sustainability in early 2021 “to navigate sustainability at UFV.”
Membership in UNAI extends past the borders of UFV campuses as well. UFV has pledged to continue partnering with the community on various efforts, such as the Abbotsford Disaster Relief Fund which they helped establish after the Abbotsford floods in 2021. They have also cited the CityStudio project, a collaboration between the City of Abbotsford and UFV, where students are invited to discuss ongoing community issues and offer solutions while “[connecting] with city staff to research, design, and implement projects through which [the students can] develop job skills, experience group processes, and network with sector experts.” Additionally, UFV has a chapter of the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), through the Student Refugee Program (SRP), sponsoring one to two refugees each year through a $2.00 levy in student fees each semester.
Along with the current programs, UFV also brought forward its plans for the future with regards to the UNAI. The first of these plans is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, which was started in 2019 by the President’s Office, but which offers new goals and progress reports each year. Similarly, UFV has developed the IYAQAWTXW (House of Transformation) Integrated Strategic Plan, which lays out UFV’s plan to fulfill the goals of engaging learners, transforming lives, and building community over the course of next four years.
Allison is starting her BA in English with a minor in Criminology to become a publishing contract lawyer. In her spare time, she watches way too many true crime shows and reads a lot of Y.A. fiction, while slugging along on various articles.
