Collaboration & Partnerships
Scotiabank makes $250,000 investment in youth skill building at À¦°óSM
May 31, 2022
The donation will support gateway programs focused on technology and entrepreneurship for students who have faced barriers to education Kelowna Secondary School Grade 12 student Kiana Nazembokaei has known for several years that she’s wanted to study computer programming. Having moved to Canada from Iran, Nazembokaei thought she’d have to wait until university to begin her learning journey. That all changed when she signed up and was accepted into Gateway to Tech, presented by Scotiabank, at À¦°óSM. The 17-week program i...
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OC Business students embrace international study again
May 30, 2022
Business students from À¦°óSM are once again able to travel to Jyväskylä, Finland to experience an international summer school at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences. Finland’s education system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. OC Business Professor Blair Baldwin, who has taught Services Design at JAMK for several summers, says working in Finland has helped him innovate and create new teaching methodologies.“JAMK employs experiential learning across its curriculum,†he says. “They stress cri...
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Conference to discuss outdoor learning in Early Childhood Education programs
May 6, 2022
How does being outdoors help children’s cognitive and social development? The involvement of outdoor pedagogy in college programs will be discussed during a virtual conference on May 16, that will bring together Early Childhood Education (ECE) instructors and outdoor play experts from across the country. À¦°óSM, in collaboration with Bow Valley College, Saskatchewan Polytechnic and New Brunswick Community College, and colleagues at the YMCA and the University of Fraser Valley will host a conference call...
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À¦°óSM proudly presents the Gold Medal Banquet fundraiser
May 4, 2022
Fundraising has never been so tasty. À¦°óSM is partnering with Culinary Team B.C. and Junior Culinary Team Canada to present a banquet worthy of a gold medal, to raise funds for the teams to compete at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg this coming November. Culinary Team BC will be cooking its community catering menu during a special fundraising dinner hosted at À¦°óSM’s Kelowna campus on May 27. OC Culinary Arts students will assist the provincial and junior teams as they prepare this world-clas...
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Annual applied research expo shines spotlight on inclusivity
May 2, 2022
As society emerges from a post-pandemic world, now is the perfect time to get those creative juices going for innovation. À¦°óSM is set to host the Research Innovation Partnerships Expo (RIPE) on Tuesday, May 10 – a free event for community members, industry, educators, researchers and students to network and learn about the impact of applied research. Presentations cover a range of topics, from podcasting and applied research innovation, supporting inclusive workplaces, microplastics in Okanagan lake, engaging in educat...
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Community collaboration studies microplastics in Okanagan Lake
March 21, 2022
In what they hope will be a watershed moment for raising awareness of microplastics and their impact on both our local freshwater and downstream environments, several community partners and À¦°óSM (OC) students have teamed up to determine if there are microplastics in Okanagan Lake and municipal wastewater. Kelowna residents Gregg Howald, Ryan Cope, and Jan Vozenilek all witnessed plastic pollution’s devastating global reach, and impact on the marine wildlife while at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. From their shar...
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Experience limitless adventure during free outdoor play day
February 18, 2022
Do you know a child who loves to stomp in the mud, look under rocks to see what crawly creatures might be living underneath or challenge themselves to walk the tightrope of a fallen log? Children will have a unique opportunity to express their creativity and engage their sense of wonder at an upcoming outdoor playday on Saturday, March 5 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. at À¦°óSM’s Kelowna campus. The outdoor play day is being hosted by À¦°óSM in collaboration with Bow Valley College, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, New Brunsw...
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À¦°óSM launches online reporting for campus sexual violence
February 3, 2022
À¦°óSM has partnered with REES (Respect, Educate, Empower Survivors), a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week centralized online reporting and information platform that provides increased options for students and employees to report campus sexual harassment, misconduct and assault. REES includes multiple reporting options and critical information about resources and supports available both on campus and in community. “While our sincerest hope is that no À¦°óSM student will ever have need to use this platform, sadly we kn...
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OC supports Gitxaala Nation with vital trades training for economic and cultural growth
January 24, 2022
In one northern village, Indigenous cultural needs and massive construction projects combined to create demand for specialized À¦°óSM Trades training to support community members. Located on the north coast of British Columbia, the Gitxaala Nation’s main community is in Kitkatla. It identified the need for skilled trades people several years ago, as projects such as the LNG Canada in Kitimat and port expansion in Prince Rupert were announced. But it was a smaller project closer to home that inspired Gitxaala Nation to em...
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Partners launch resilient housing solutions project at Kanaka Bar to assist with rebuild of fire-ravaged Lytton, B.C., region
January 13, 2022
Kanaka Bar Indian Band, SAIT, À¦°óSM, Foresight Canada and Seko Construction partner to harness innovation to provide options for the rebuild of the region Kanaka Bar, B.C. (Jan. 13, 2022) — Patrick Michell, Chief of the Kanaka Bar Indian Band, announced today they have entered into an agreement with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) on a pilot project focused on climate-resilient housing options for evacuees who lost their homes in the June 30, 2021 Lytton, B.C., wildfire. The project is expected to rev...
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OC business students seek community support to launch investment fund
January 5, 2022
Justin Rantucci and Steven Fiust speak highly of their education at À¦°óSM, but there is one thing they would like to change. When networking with other finance students at post-secondary institutions across Canada, they learned that schools with a student-run investment fund seemed to result in a better transition to finance careers for their graduates. Seeing an opportunity to provide hands-on experience for more OC students while building capacity locally, Rantucci, Fiust and fellow student Riley Dunsmore are lo...
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Dec. 6 Candlelight Vigils return to OC’s Vernon and Salmon Arm campuses
December 2, 2021
Candlelight is returning to À¦°óSM’s campuses, as a symbolic commitment to end violence against women. Communities in the Okanagan and Shuswap are marking the 32nd anniversary of the École Polytechnique Massacre, in addition to the ongoing cases of missing women from the region, with a Candlelight Vigil on Dec. 6 co-hosted by a network of organizations and volunteers. “The SAFE Society has been partnering with À¦°óSM and students for over a decade to offer the Dec. 6 event, as an important way to remember and h...
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New funding connects people to tourism careers in the Okanagan
November 15, 2021
The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has announced a program that will provide skills training to as many as 30 eligible British Columbians to prepare them for jobs in the hospitality industry in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions. “Graduates of this skills-training project will be qualified for a variety of jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors,†said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “The training participants receive will prepare them for exciting careers and give them...
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Soaring Indigenous sculpture unveiled in OC's new Health Sciences Centre
November 3, 2021
A nine metre (30 foot), hand-cut metal sculpture by local Indigenous artist Clint George is now installed and proudly on display in À¦°óSM's new Health Sciences Centre. The sculpture represents the Four Food Chiefs, and depicts the Syilx Okanagan oral history (or captikʷɬ) on how food was given. James Coble, Director of Student Services and Indigenization Task Force Chair at À¦°óSM, says the sculpture demonstrates the College’s commitment to creating welcoming spaces for Indigenous students. “The opportunity t...
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kinSHIFT: a powerful—and local—way to learn about Truth and Reconciliation
September 27, 2021
Kelly Terbasket of IndigenEYEZ has created a new sister organization for allies—kinSHIFT. Launched this spring, kinSHIFT is a tailored set of workshops for non-Indigenous allies who want to take the next step. Designed in response to increasing requests from people who want to be genuine allies, kinSHIFT is a safer space to do the work. &n...
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FortisBC powers up support for women and Indigenous students
September 24, 2021
New awards and opportunities for mentorship with FortisBC are making it easier for female and female Indigenous students to be successful with their trades education. FortisBC recently set up three scholarships for women in trades with a focus on supporting female students who are at the mid-point in their education. The scholarship comes with the potential for the student to meet with FortisBC representatives and connect with someone working in a role they may be interested in pursuing in the future. "We wanted to support student...
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