January 4, 2017 - 4:00pm
Nine Vancouver Island University students — three undergraduates and six master’s degree students — got the chance to research sustainable economic activities in Belize last year as part of the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships program.
The program aims to activate a dynamic community of young global leaders across Canada and the Commonwealth to create lasting impacts both at home and abroad through cross-cultural exchanges encompassing international education, discovery and inquiry, and professional experiences. Participants join a global community of scholars to share knowledge, exchange ideas and collaborate on meaningful initiatives.
Over two years, 31 of these scholarships will be awarded to VIU and Belizean scholars to participate in the Building Resilience in Coastal Communities project. Through this project scholars will undertake research, project work and internships in collaboration with community partners in Belize and on Vancouver Island. The aim is to support each community’s capacity to foster sustainable economic activities, manage water, produce sustainable aquatic and agricultural foods, manage protected areas and parks, and respond to climate change.
The first round of scholars was announced in February 2016, which included nine VIU students going to Belize and five Belizean QE graduates, who arrived at VIU in September to start their graduate studies.
*This article originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2016 issue of VIU Magazine. Check out more stories from the latest issue of VIU Magazine here.
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