Collaboration & Partnerships
![Kelly Terbasket](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2021-09/Terbasket.jpg?h=e50e676e&itok=1bwXqjGS)
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. &nbs...
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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 students in pay...
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Volunteers needed for a sweet cause: Enactus OC students invite community to join them in picking apples
September 17, 2021
A group of ʪƵ business students are once again putting the call out for volunteers from OC and the community to help them harvest fruit that will be used to make healthy snacks for children and others in need. Launched in the fall of 2018, Fruit Snaps is a Vernon- and Penticton-based project co-ordinated by Enactus OC students in partnership with the North Okanagan Valley Gleaners Society facility. It’s focused on taking unused apples from local orchards and dehydrating them into snacks for local schools. The Fruit Snaps tea...
Read more...Building the energy efficient home of the future
August 23, 2021
ʪƵ and UBCO collaboration powers up Wilden Living Lab Phase 2 It’s a research partnership that’s about more than bricks and mortar. ʪƵ and UBC Okanagan — together with Wilden’s Blenk Development Corp., AuthenTech Homes and FortisBC — have broken ground on Phase 2 of the Wilden Living Lab research project. Phase one started in 2016 when two homes were built side-by-side in Wilden. One was built to current building codes including a natural gas furnace, standard plumbing fixtures and appliances, doub...
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Jillian Harris sets up award fund to support underrepresented students
August 20, 2021
A much-coveted subscription box from Canadian influencer and Kelowna local Jillian Harris will open up more than just surprises for recipients, but opportunities to support a generation of historically excluded students at ʪƵ with every subscription sold. Jillian Harris, through her fall Jilly Box, is raising $50,000 to create awards for Indigenous students, Black students and students of Colour at ʪƵ. The Jilly Box is seeding the fund with $15,000 and subsequently, will match donations up to $10,00...
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LCRB Clarifies Legality of Sample Distribution for Wine Releases
July 5, 2021
Sent on behalf of the BC Beverage Technology Access Centre BC BTAC Consults with Licensing Branch to Confirm Legality of Wine Sample Delivery The province’s Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) confirmed this week that the local beverage sector may legally deliver taste-sized samples of their product, which is great news for boutique producers and medium to large companies alike as it will allow for the traditional ‘Vintage Release’ for BC wineries in virtual format. In searching for ways to offer up its services to suppo...
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Edible garden project at OC’s Penticton campus to feed students, community members
June 29, 2021
A partnership between ʪƵ's Penticton campus and the Medical Arts Research Group is helping to root out food insecurity amongst students and local families. An edible garden program is being established on the north end of the Penticton campus, with the aim to provide fresh vegetables to OC students and food bank patrons in the community. Medical Arts Research Group donated the wood and fence material for the project. Raised garden beds were built in May by students in the Women in Trades Training program, and installed outsi...
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Partnership dishes up meal ideas by OC Culinary Students and local food products
June 24, 2021
A new partnership between ʪƵ and produce supplier company Farm Bound is bringing locally sourced organic foods to your doorstep with delicious summer-ready recipes crafted by OC Culinary Arts students. Food-lovers can now order the OC Inspiration Box from the Farm Bound website. The box has fully portioned ingredients for recipes to make Middle Eastern Chicken Za’atar, Carrot and Radish Salad, Pea Risotto with Asparagus and a spice blend to make your own Za’atar Spice Mix. Not only will you learn new recipes but also a few c...
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Post-secondary partners seek to unite early childhood education instructors across Canada
April 28, 2021
Virtual conference will focus on outdoor pedagogy in college ECE programs How does playing in the mud support children’s cognitive and social development? Why is outdoor play such a powerful conduit for learning? How can we advance curriculum to empower current and future early childhood educators (ECEs) to tap into it? These and other questions will be explored during a unique virtual conference next month that will bring together ECE instructors and outdoor play experts from across the country. On May 18, ʪƵ, in collabor...
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OC doing its part to reduce emissions
April 22, 2021
As the world’s leaders gather on Earth Day 2021 to discuss steps to battle climate change, ʪƵ is pointing to recent statistics that demonstrate how far its energy savings efforts are advancing B.C.’s sustainability agenda. Calculations completed this week show that OC has reduced its total overall greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 44 per cent since 2007 – this in the face of an overall growth in space of 44 per cent in the same period. The calculations show that OC has managed to decrease its per-square-metre emissions by mor...
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RIPE with opportunity: Join OC for a conference showcasing applied research in the region
April 9, 2021
From proposal writing to hydroponics, chemotherapy to climate change, and early childhood education to engaging with marginalized populations, the region is RIPE with applied research projects and ʪƵ is inviting you to attend its free showcase event to hear about the innovative research projects happening in your own backyard. RIPE (Research, Innovation and Partnerships Expo) is happening on May 4 from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. as a virtual event, allowing people from across the region to attend. The event is an opportunity for com...
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Students invest in Health Sciences Centre
April 7, 2021
It’s an investment in future students and community health, and one the ʪƵ Students’ Union (OCSU) says is even more important in light of the ongoing pandemic. OCSU is donating $15,000 to the ʪƵ Foundation’s Our Students, Your Health campaign to complete construction of a new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. “It’s always good to invest in education, but the pandemic has really brought to the forefront how important nurses and other health care providers are," says Joseph Welton, OCSU board member. ...
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OC business students take trio of first-place finishes at Enactus Western Canada Regionals
March 30, 2021
ʪƵ business students enjoyed a fruitful victory at the Enactus Western Canada Regionals, earning three first-place finishes and ensuring their ticket to the National Competition in May. The Regional competition took place last week in a virtual format with teams from a multitude of post-secondary institutions submitting their student-created and student-run initiatives that seek to positively impact communities in a social, economic or environmental way. The award-winning OC Enactus initiative FruitSnaps was entered – and w...
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College culinary program supports students facing food insecurity
March 15, 2021
When Mariko Nagata picks up a free lunch at ʪƵ she likens it to a warm hug. The mother of two was laid off during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic giving her a chance to return to school and enrol in the Culinary and Pastry Arts program. Now, she's helping cook healthy meals that not only support her during her studies but a range of fellow students who are facing food insecurity. “It's nice to be able to access this help and the food is always so beautifully presented,” says Nagata. “I think it makes a difference in a l...
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ʪƵ automotive program receives donation from Ford of Canada and Orchard Ford
March 8, 2021
Contribution of a 2020 Ford F-150 will allow students to gain valuable hands-on experience Automotive trades students at ʪƵ are getting a big boost for their education with the arrival of a shiny new training tool on which they can hone their skills. Ford of Canada and Orchard Ford are donating a 2020 Ford F-150 to the College to be used by students in its automotive service training programs. The vehicle has arrived at the Kelowna campus and will be put to good use in the shop immediately, notes Dean of Trades Steve Moores....
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Student housing initiative announcement
March 5, 2021
To the ʪƵ community, Earlier today, B.C. Premier John Horgan, Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu, and OC President Jim Hamilton – joined by Business Administration student Evan Smith – announced an important student housing initiative that will see 376 more beds added to the College’s housing stock. The project involves buildings in Kelowna (216 beds), Vernon (100 beds) and Salmon Arm (60 beds) and will cost a total of $67.5 million, with the province contribution $36.3 million in grants, another $30.2 million in loans and...
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