COMMUNITY

Highschool Outreach

First-year university students are faced with the struggles of stress, anxiety, and depression caused by everything from moving away from home to social and academic pressures. Through outreach events, Rebecca Gagan shares with high school students the process of navigating this transition from high school to first-year university and strategies for finding success in such overwhelming times. Changing the way we approach these types of conversations can help students before they become overwhelmed. These presentations will explore how to build a successful foundation and skill set that will change the course of a student’s academic journey.

Takeaway 1

The path can be unclear and that is OK. Your degree is your own (own it!).

Takeaway 2

Allow for imperfection. (Start building a healthy relationship to assessment—yes, to grades!).

Takeaway 3

Ask for help early and always prioritize your mental health and wellness.

Takeaway 4

Online learning accelerates the acquisition of skills needed to be successful in university (including resilience and self-care).

‘Na̱mnasolag̱a Andrea Cranmer

Cultural and Wellness Leader | Co-founder and Group Leader of the Ts̓asała Cultural Group | Co-Owner of The CultureShock Gallery in Alert Bay

“I have been blessed to be on a path of healing and have been brought up in our traditions. I come from a long line of Chiefs and Matriarchs who against all odds kept our culture alive for our generation and we have grabbed the torch and continue to pass it on to our children and to all children. I am blessed to have strong matriarchs, Chiefs, cultural leaders, cultural teachers & wisdom keepers in my life. My oldest sister Barb Cranmer was an award-winning documentary film maker. Unfortunately, our beautiful, visionary sister passed in May of 2019. Her documentaries share the history and stories of our bak̓wa̱m people past, present, and future.

 

My Grandparents, and parents have had a big impact and shaped us into who we are today. Living in balance with our great bak̓wa̱m teachings and traditional knowing and integrating it in our everyday living keeps us, strong, focused as we do our part to make this world a better place.”

cultureshocklife.com; U’mista Cultural Centre (umista.ca); Ts̓asała Cultural Group (tsasalaculturalgroup.ca)

David Clark

Professor in the Department of English and Cultural Studies | Member of the Council of Instructors, Arts & Science Program | Associate Member, Department of Health, Aging and Society

Chorong Kim

Photographer | Filmmaker

Chorong Kim is a Korean-Canadian filmmaker and photographer. Born in Berlin, raised in Seoul, and now living in Toronto, she experienced distinct cultural landscapes as a hybrid and transversal nomad. She completed her Master’s degree at the University of Victoria, BC, focusing on German fantasy fiction, an expertise that she hopes to infuse into her creative works someday. She has recently worked on season 3 of the HISTORY Channel series History Erased, and was nominated for the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards’ Barbara Sears Award for Best Editorial Research.

Chorong has actively contributed her filmmaking and photography skills to the awareness of human rights issues, such as Holocaust education, mental health, disability awareness and inclusion, preservation of First Nations’ culture, and prevention of sexual violence on campus. Chorong’s photography received multiple awards from the University of Victoria, and her published credits include CBC, Huffington Post, Toronto Arts Council, CHEK News, and Times Colonist.