UBC Student Opportunity:
**This opportunity is similar to the social justice course design for North American high school students except the student demographic and context for this opportunity will be high school students located in India.
Youth have a powerful role in moving society towards a more just and sustainable future – as such we are seeking the engagement of UBC students as course designers and facilitators. Passionate about a particular social justice topic pertinent in India that you want to engage youth on? We’re looking for students with lived experience and/or disciplinary knowledge and understanding of India, and Indian society as it relates to social justice and human rights. The UBC students engaged in this opportunity will be asked to focus and design learning activities for a particular topic of interest to them that is relevant to the course. Examples of topic themes and content include but are not limited to: climate justice, gender equity, youth voice in governance just to name a few. The experiential learning activities will take place in the (virtual) classroom and content and activities designed should strengthen student learning and engagement of that particular topic. Additionally, students in this engagement opportunity will be asked to reflect on their own positionality and bring that into how they design and understand the course content and their topic of focus. Content developed through this engagement opportunity may be used in the offering of a 2 week intensive course for high school aged youth in India from May 31 to June 11, 2021 if it is well received.
Background:
UBC Office of Regional and International Community Engagement (ORICE) is working with an organization in India that focuses on youth development outside of the traditional classroom to on develop a non-credit course for youth in India (highschool demographic) that will explore the topics of social justice and human rights through a systems-thinking lens, and examine how individuals interact with and are a part of, these systems. Through a series of experiential and interactive activities, participants will explore their own position and identity in society, and reflect on how these systems influence and reinforce their individual and collective identities and vice versa. This course will also explore opportunities to disrupt and change the status quo working towards addressing systemic injustice. The overall content and activities of the course will be designed in collaboration with community organizations, activists and scholars from India to situate topics of social justice and human rights within this geographical context. This course will involve participant discussion, media such as podcasts and videos, guest speakers from around the world, and a facilitation team of staff and students from the University of British Columbia.
Student Expectations:
From May 3 to June 25 a small team of UBC students will spend 4-6 hours each week to design content for particular topics within an online non-credit course with ORICE. UBC students will propose topics and develop the course content for the agreed-upon topic. Students will work independently on the topic but will meet as a team for learning sessions on content development and facilitation, as well as to gather input and feedback on their work. Students will be provided with an opportunity to be part of the facilitation team for a variety of sessions within the course as it is being offered – including sessions designed by peers. Youth taking the course from May 31 to June 11, will be enrolled from all across India. **Due to timezones, the facilitation of these sessions will take place in the evening PDT, and morning IST**. The UBC student team will be expected to participate in weekly scheduled calls to ensure collaboration and accountability goals are defined and met in May and June, participate in course delivery in June, and conduct an evaluation and update of the piloted module following the course delivery in June. In addition, the UBC student team will participate in learning and reflection sessions to ensure they have the necessary orientation and resources to complete the task and have the opportunity to make meaning of this experience in relation to their own discipline and interests.
Specific tasks may include:
- Offering input into the overall design and delivery of the course.
- Researching information and resources about the particular social justice topic
- Identifying and integrating guest speakers and organizations pertinent to the class
- Designing learning activities and content to incorporate into facilitation plans
- Preparing multimedia tools to aid in teaching including ppt and videos.
- Draft facilitation plans to maximize engagement in the online environment and co-facilitating activities /leading discussions during the course sessions.
- Meetings with the UBC team to prep pre-session and debrief post-session
Project dates:
May 3 to June 25, 2021
Academic integration:
Please note this is a not-for-credit applied research opportunity. This is a 4-6 hr/ week unpaid volunteer opportunity with a team.
Ethics of Engagement:
UBC ORICE is committed to embedding anti-oppression and social justice in our daily work and ongoing projects. Students are encouraged and expected to consider how they can apply an anti-oppression and social justice lens when producing and or using the developed content through ORICE, as well as utilize connections between community-based organizations, academics, and government. This might include, but is not limited to, ensuring the incorporation of the ongoing and often unrecognized work of organizations advocating for justice for minorities, particularly during the pandemic; or engaging with the politics of citation in including and citing the work of non-white scholars and other researchers.
Eligibility
- Open to all UBC undergraduate and graduate students (domestic or international)
- Demonstrate ability to think critically and creatively
- Prior knowledge about or interest in social justice and human rights concepts. Students with an interest, disciplinary background, and/or (lived) experience with an Indian context are preferred.
- Prior experience or interest in delivering or facilitating workshops
- Have access to a reliable internet connection and computer to collaborate with peers and attend all meetings remotely;
Timeline
- Deadline: April 25, 2021 @ 11:59pm
- Successful shortlisted candidates contacted by: April 27, 2021
- Short interviews by: April 30, 2021
- Project dates: May 3 – June 25, 2021
How to apply:
We are no longer accepting applications for this opportunity. Follow us on social media (@ubc_orice) to find out about future program offerings!
Please reach out to us at ubc.orice@ubc.ca if you have any questions.