A new club at St. Thomas this year is looking to change someone’s life. World University Services of Canada is a non-governmental organization that raises money to bring a refugee from a developing country to a Canadian university for post-secondary education.
WUSC committees from all over Canada met this past weekend for its annual national conference in Ottawa. Chair of the STU committee Lindsey MacKay attended.
“It was emotional to meet the refugees. Some of them had been in Canada for less than a year. Some of them had just gotten there a week before the conference. They’ve never been to anywhere like Canada. They’ve lived in refugee camps their whole lives. To see them experiencing Canada, it really just is wonderful.”
The third year student has implemented WUSC at STU and UNB this year. They are now both recognized by the student unions.
Right now, MacKay said she is trying to recruit more people because there are only two other members at STU. The events include raising awareness and fundraising events.
WUSC Regional Coordinator Brandy Robertson has been involved with the organization for over eight years and encourages people to get involved.
“Students, staff, faculty and community members should get involved with WUSC because it is the only program of its kind in the world – a program that links post-secondary education directly to the developing world,” said Robertson.
“Education is integral to growth and development and, while it is readily available in Canada and many parts of the developed world, that is just not the case in much of the developing world. Giving someone education gives them hope, gives them a future, gives them a life.”
To bring a refugee to a university usually costs $30,000. MacKay said one way to do this is by holding referendums.
“During elections at UNB and STU when people are running for different positions what we’ll do is we’ll go up and we’ll give a speech, and a referendum is asking the students if we can add a dollar or something like that onto their tuition and that will go towards WUSC.”
MacKay said she plans to do this at each school in the spring elections.
“I feel like a dollar is small price to pay to change someone’s life.”
The conference last weekend was filled with workshops and events. Some of the workshops included motivational speakers often by former refugees who benefited from the program.
The conference also holds the student refugee program, which is a training program for WUSC members so they know what to do when a refugee comes to their university and how to help them.
“When a refugee comes to university, it’s a cultural shock. You’re their family. They don’t know anybody else. They have no friends, no family. You’re all they have. You have to know how to deal in certain situations. They’ve never been here, they don’t’ know what to expect. They don’t know how to live. They’ve probably never had money before.”
MacKay said because they don’t have experience with money, she will have to give the refugee small amounts at a time.
“A lot of them will send it home to their family. We try to advise them not to.
“Most of them don’t have anything when they get here – most of them come with what they’re wearing so we have to help them buy things for their new dorm room.”
Robertson said her experience hosting a refugee at her university was amazing.
“So much work goes into the preparation to bring a student from camp to campus, but what we do on this side of the world is little compared to what the student go through on their side of the world. These students that come to our campuses are incredible testaments to the strength of the human spirit. They are the epitome of all that is good within humanity. We change their lives, but they impact ours so much more.”
