The Alternative Reading Week model connects students with community to enhance their academic training. During Reading Week, students engage in three days of project-based work with local non-profit agencies to explore their role in community, and learn firsthand about social justice challenges and solutions in Winnipeg. This year, placement agencies include new and returning partners, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg, North Point Douglas Women’s Centre, Two Spirited People of Manitoba, Wahbung Abinoonjiaag, West Broadway Youth Outreach, Winnipeg Harvest and others.

The projects proposed by partners this year are interesting and fun learning opportunities, including:

• Supervise programming for youth ages 4 and up with West Broadway Youth Organization
• Explore a Two Spirit Pride event in the North End of Winnipeg with Two Spirited People of Manitoba
• Help North Point Douglas Women’s Centre prepare for their All-You-Can-Eat Perogy Dinner and Cake Auction fundraiser
• Research and blog about human rights-related topics of interest for the Manitoba Association of Rights and Liberties
• And many more!

Reading Week starts with Monday FunDay, includes three placement days with a community partner agency, and ends at Winnipeg Harvest, where students learn more about poverty, food security and other challenges. Before Reading Week, students will participate in Community Engagement Training to develop their knowledge and skills in community development, plan their Reading Week projects with local non-profits, and begin a dialogue that will be carried on throughout the program. Guided reflections before and during Reading Week help students deepen their understanding of development challenges in Winnipeg, discover how to think critically about existing issues, and make connections between their formal academic training and their experiences at local organizations.

Community Service-Learning offers free local programs for students interested in applying their knowledge outside the classroom and gaining relevant hands-on experience in the community. ARW Winnipeg is offered in partnership with the University of Manitoba Student Union. Students who successfully complete the program are eligible for recognition on their Co-Curricular Record.

Apply now on UMCommunityLink. Applications for the program are due January 10, 2019.

Do you want to feel connected to your city and community? CSL is here to help.

Community Service-Learning helps students, staff and faculty connect to community: both a community of practice with like-minded people, and a community of action with members of the wider community.

Available programs

New this year, students, staff and faculty are welcome to take part in year-round programs that increase poverty awareness  and explore our connection to land and water as volunteers, mentors and facilitators.  Visit the website for more information, and for application deadlines.

February Reading Week and Summer Term programs are open to all U of M students.

What will participation do for you?

• Develop skills in project planning and community engagement through Alternative Reading Week Winnipeg
• Learn about natural building, plant-based medicine, permaculture and survival skills while exploring the Amazon during February Reading Week
• Join a collective of social justice artists bringing performances and workshops to remote island communities in the Patagonia region of Chile
• Support Indigenous youth engagement and leadership development in Northern Manitoba and the Toledo District of Belize

Local programs are free of charge, and needs-based travel bursaries are available to support students applying to northern and international programs, including part-time and international students. Applications for these programs are due November 30.

 Community engagement training

Participants in all programs will take part in orientation and training to develop the foundational knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to work with community. These include critically reflecting on our identity, gifts and roles, valuing the knowledge and expertise of communities, and taking action in ethical and culturally safe ways.

“I did a program like this before and it didn’t have the same pre-departure training, and I think for that reason, I got a lot less out of it,” reflects Veronica Sharkey, B.A. Hons in Sociology and a past participant in the Leaf Rapids and Land and Water programs. “I think CSL gives you tools and skills to take with you on your programming, and also you can take your skills with you later. They’re really good at capacity-building and equipping you, and listening to your needs in the same way that they are listening to the community needs.”

For more information about CSL programs and workshops, visit the Community Service-Learning website or reach out to a CSL Coordinator at 204.474.6992 or service [dot] learning [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.  All CSL programs can be included on your Co-Curricular Record. 

Here’s what student project teams worked on this Reading Week:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg Inc.
Students led group mentoring workshops for elementary school-aged children. The workshops focused on building self-confidence and self-esteem through activities and games. This short-term program serves children who don’t typically qualify for the agency’s community-based programs.

Circle of Life Thunderbird House
Students designed a new winter initiative for youth that includes a winter teaching lodge and land-based programming. While the winter initiative still needs to secure funding, it provides an important opportunity for urban young people to connect with the land in winter.

Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre
Students worked out of the agency’s Community Care Sites, serving coffee, getting to know community members, and having difficult conversations with people about how to tackle an emerging community priority: crystal meth.

Check out Nina Lam’s Instagram Takeover on February 21.

Manitoba Association of Rights and Liberties (MARL)
Students worked on communications for MARL’s public education initiatives, helping to produce creative content such as infographics and factsheets. Students also had the opportunity to attend a workshop at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights with executive director Michael Barkman.

Check out Tishad Ahamed’s Instagram Takeover on February 20.

Mount Carmel Clinic
Students researched potential program funders and opportunity timelines for Mount Carmel Clinic’s Indigenous Wellness program– the first of its kind in a western clinic setting. This placement provided students with a snapshot into the constant drive for funding required to run a non-profit organization.

N.E.E.D.S. Inc.
This placement team helped supervise newcomer and refugee students in classes, as well as provided tutoring and homework support in a variety of subjects. ARW students gained some understanding of the challenges faced by English-language learners who are studying new subjects in a new language.

West Broadway Youth Outreach (WBYO)
Students worked on a tight schedule to clean up storage spaces at WBYO in need of tidying and organizing before youth arrived for the after-school programming. Students learned about the positive cascade that an organized space can provide: staff can grab needed resources, spend less time searching for supplies, and quickly redirect their attention back to youth, which improves their overall relationship and rapport with the young people.

Winnipeg Harvest
Following the Reading Week placements, students were treated to a tour of Winnipeg Harvest and a chance to get their hands dirty, literally, in the warehouse sorting food for distribution – a drop in the more than 13 million pounds of food that Harvest distributes annually. Students also participated in an oppression workshop, which provided an opportunity to understand power and oppression in the context of community organizing, and witnessed a ‘living library,’ a powerful and emotional ‘lived experience panel’ consisting of Winnipeg Harvest clients, volunteers and employees.

Check out some of the photos that ARW students captured during Reading Week.

Community Service-Learning offers free local programs for students interested in applying their knowledge outside the classroom and gaining relevant hands-on experience in the community. ARW Winnipeg is offered in partnership with the University of Manitoba Student Union.

Students involved in the international program travelled to Belize or Ecuador, while those who participated in the local program visited community organizations such as Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre and Winnipeg Harvest.

Here’s a look at some of their experiences captured using #AltReadingWeek on Instagram.

For more information contact, Community Service-Learning.

Help Q’eqchi’ Maya youth explore changing Indigenous food systems in light of new economies and climate change or implement a three-day project with a nonprofit organization in Winnipeg. Foster intergenerational dialogue about the future of Indigenous Medicine in the Chilean Patagonia or support a boreal gardening project in Northern Manitoba.

With a comprehensive assortment of Community Service-Learning programs available to U of M students, choose the opportunity that’s right for you.

Note: International travel bursaries of up to $1,000 are available to students who can demonstrate financial need.

Alternative Reading Week Programs
Belize: Learn about global Indigenous experiences of changing food systems with the Q’eqchi’ Maya community of Laguna, Belize! Participants will facilitate a weeklong project with local youth exploring the way changing food preferences are related to increased market foods, lifestyle diseases, and climate change impacts. Students will also visit the Belize Zoo, a cacao forest farm, a Maya chocolate-maker and have a day at the beach.

Winnipeg: Develop your knowledge and skills through the Community Leadership Development Program and then carry out a Reading Week project with one of our great partner agencies: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, Manitoba Association of Rights and Liberties, Mount Carmel Clinic, N.E.E.D.S. Inc., Circle of Life Thunderbird House and West Broadway Youth Outreach.

Applications close Tuesday, January 9.

Winter Term Programs
Children Rising Mentorship Program: Learn about life on a First Nations reserve as part of this cultural exchange between the U of M and Skownan First Nation. As a mentor, you will introduce Skownan youth to the U of M and learn about Skownan First Nation from the youth.

North Meets South: Truth, Healing and Relations-Building: Take part in monthly campus and community visits, events and intercultural workshops to learn more about Winnipeg. A friendly staff facilitator will help you prepare, engage with others and reflect on your experiences, as you learn about Indigenous and newcomer cultures. With different opportunities each month, sign up for something that fits your interests and schedule.

Applications for Children Rising Mentorship Program close Tuesday, January 9. The North Meets South program is by drop-in. Everyone is welcome.

Spring Programs
Island of Chiloé, Chile: Assist with the promotion and coordination of workshops where Indigenous Williche youth and practitioners of Indigenous Health will gather to learn from each other, exchange perspectives and find a sustainable future for Traditional Indigenous Health in their communities. This program runs for six weeks in May and June.

Leaf Rapids, Northern Manitoba: From food security and sustainability to education, recreation and Cree culture, discover the realities of everyday life in the North while living in a community, interacting with residents and volunteering in the boreal gardening project and local school. This program runs for six weeks in May and June.

Applications close Thursday, February 1.

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Community Service-Programs are open to all U of M students.

To register and for more information, visit Community Service-Learning’s website or email anny.chen@umanitoba.ca.

“We’re trying something new this year,” explains Nicki Ferland, Service-Learning Coordinator. “We’ve combined our Community Leadership and Alternative Reading Week programs to give students the opportunity to plan and implement hands-on projects with local agencies.” During Reading Week, students engage in three days of project-based work with local non-profit agencies to explore their role in community, and learn firsthand about social justice challenges and solutions in Winnipeg. Partner agencies include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, Manitoba Association of Rights and Liberties, Mount Carmel Clinic, N.E.E.D.S. Inc., Circle of Life Thunderbird House and West Broadway Youth Outreach. Reading Week starts with Monday FunDay! and ends at Winnipeg Harvest, where students learn more about poverty, food security and other challenges.

Before Reading Week, students will participate in the Community Leadership Development Program to develop their knowledge and skills in community development, plan their Reading Week projects with local non-profits, and begin a dialogue that will be carried on throughout the program. Guided reflections before and during Reading Week help students deepen their understanding of development challenges in Winnipeg, discover how to think critically about existing issues, and make connections between their formal academic training and their experiences at local organizations.

“Last year, the feedback from students and agencies was really positive – students had fun, developed leadership and teamwork skills, and demonstrated civic engagement and social responsibility. Most importantly, students who participated helped non-profits meet their communities’ needs,” says Ferland. For example, last year’s participants were able to help long-time partner Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg serve 30 more children in the community. This helped the non-profit increase the overall children served by 5-10%.

Community Service-Learning offers free local programs for students interested in applying their knowledge outside the classroom and gaining relevant hands-on experience in the community. Alternative Reading Week Winnipeg is offered in partnership with the University of Manitoba Student Union. Students who successfully complete the program are eligible for recognition on their Co-Curricular Record.

 Apply now on UMCommunityLink. Applications for the program are due January 9, 2018.

Deadline extended for Alternative Reading Week Belize. Applications are now being accepted until January 9, 2018.

Every year, dozens of students receive travel bursaries to participate in international and local Community Service-Learning programs. “This Reading Week and summer we are taking student teams to the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador, the Patagonia in Chile, the Caribbean in Belize and Northern Manitoba,” says Gerardo Villagrán, Community Service-Learning coordinator.

“We want to encourage U of M students to take advantage of this Experiential Learning Fund. The truth is that approximately 95% of students that register for our travel programs receive financial

Students in Ecuador

support through this fund. Applying for it is very easy. All students have to do is apply for one of our programs and fill out the travel bursary section in the same application form,” explains Villagrán.

University of Manitoba travel programs are able to keep the cost low for students as all fees go toward paying for students’ transportation, meals accommodations, project supplies and to support the communities that host them during these programs. This is a unique feature, compared to similar programs offered by outside companies. Program fees are also all-inclusive (return flights, accommodations, meals, travel insurance, etc.), so students who participate shouldn’t expect to pay for additional fees.

“I highly recommend that all U of M students participate in a least one of our opportunities during their time here,” says Villagrán. “Our programs offer them the chance to apply their knowledge outside of the classroom and gain relevant hands-on experience as they travel to amazing places to meet and learn from wonderful people.”

All U of M students (international, local, undergraduate and graduate) who demonstrate financial need can apply for the Experiential Learning Fund.

To learn more about travelling with Community Service-Learning this Reading Week or during the summer: umanitoba.ca/servicelearning

The deadline to apply for international Alternative Reading opportunities is November 16, 2017. 

Arianta, a bachelor of science student majoring in psychology, said she hopes to fine-tune her skills during the week as a leader with a group of University of Manitoba students working with children at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg.

“I feel like having that experience with kids and knowing how to deal with situations, how to help a child grow or have somebody to look up to, that drew me in,” said Arianta.

This marks her first year participating in Alternative Reading Week: Winnipeg.

U of M students involved in the program will volunteer at a range of non-profit organizations through the week of Feb. 16, including at Winnipeg Harvest and Newcomers Employment and Education Development Services Inc.

Along with the Winnipeg program, organized in a partnership between the student life department and UMSU, there are also two international placements this year run by student life.

Brendan Hughes, executive director of student engagement at the U of M, said the Alternative Reading Week programs compliment student learning and give them access to apply to communities what they’ve learned in the classroom.

“From our perspective, we feel that we’re enhancing their student experience,” said Hughes.

About 40 students are participating in the program in Winnipeg this year, while 11 students headed off to Belize and Ecuador, he said.

“There’s a theme involved, so Belize is about connecting with indigenous ways of agriculture as well as education, so they’re working with a school – a Mayan institute on language and culture,” said Hughes, adding the students have headed to inland, rural communities there.

“In Ecuador, they’re going into the Amazon and to learn more about the impact of the oil and gas industry,” said Hughes.

Along with enabling students to carry out community engagement and use their skills in the community, he said it also helps establish important connections.

“(It) helps students from any discipline to be able to come together and work with a community partner,” he said. “It’s a reciprocal relationship with an organization that is looking to make the world a better place, starting in Winnipeg or whatever community we’re in, and where the students have an interest in exploring their interests and to hone their skills. Our students are quite capable.”

Hughes said the response to the program has been “extremely positive” over the years, including seeing some students decide to shift their majors based on their experiences.

“They had such a transformative experience (at Alternative Reading Week) that they felt that by engaging in the community, they decided they wanted to explore social work, or education or law as examples,” said Hughes. “It just opened their eyes to the possibilities of what they actually wanted to do…that again is another opportunity we’re trying to afford students is helping them figure out what they’re passionate about.”

Some students will be taking over the @umstudent Instagram account during Alternative Reading Week February 15th-19th, for a different perspective on the February break. Follow the many different service learning experiences, both local and international, on Instagram with #altreadingweek.

Further reading:

• Winnipeg Harvest: Feeding the hungry and providing hope
• Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre: A positive place for kids in the North End
• Art City: Bridging the gap between Winnipeg’s West Broadway neighbourhood and post-secondary education

48 U of M students were able to fill this need for one day by volunteering during U of M’s Alternative Reading Week. The service learning opportunity takes theory learned in the classroom and applies it to agencies in the city.

“Here at Winnipeg Harvest students participating in Alternative Reading Week really get to put theory into practice and physically help our clients, their fellow Manitobans who are experiencing hunger and poverty,” says Janelle Duerksen, the community engagement coordinator at Harvest. “They’re working in our warehouse, making kits that will go to our clients, as well as sorting flour for our clients.”

In about an hour, the students were able to fill enough bags of flour to feed over 200 families in need. This small act of manual labour had a direct impact on hungry families with the flour being packed into kits to be distributed to food banks the very next day.

Winnipeg Harvest has been serving the hungry since 1985, currently serving on average 60,000 people per month. Because of the volume of food Winnipeg Harvest deals with, it’s constantly looking for volunteers.

Duerksen says that the two increasing demographics using food banks supplied by Winnipeg Harvest. More and more seniors are finding their pensions aren’t meeting their needs — but more surprising is that post-secondary students are getting food from Winnipeg Harvest.

“That goes to show that the with the increase in university costs, increase in tuition rates, housing and so on, students are feeling that pinch and they in turn use agencies such as Winnipeg Harvest to help ease the burden,” says Duerksen.

The food given out by the University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) food bank was at one point supplied by Winnipeg Harvest. Duerksen says that this service is now self-sustaining, meaning the U of M community supports it through their own donations.

Dharma Aguilar-Cardenas participated in Alternative Reading Week for this first time this year. She’s in her second year at the U of M, studying in the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences and was surprised to hear that the U of M even had a food bank.

“You’d think that people attending university would be a little bit more well off because university is expensive,” says Aguilar-Cardenas. “It’s good for people to get out of their comfort zone and see more so of what’s happening in their communities because it can start change. It just takes a little bit; something on a smaller scale and that could escalate change even more.”

In addition to feeding the hungry, Winnipeg Harvest also provides training opportunities to its clients and raises awareness around issues related to poverty and hunger.

“There’s poverty in Winnipeg and quite a bit more than there was before. Organizations like Winnipeg Harvest are trying to address those problems, trying a different approach, rather than just handing things to people they’re trying to make them more sustainable” says Aguilar-Cardenas.

What about those who are more typically disadvantaged — can they explore creative endeavours via artistic mediums? Of course they can; however, the poor often need to navigate around larger barriers to make it happen.

Art City has effectively removed some of those barriers, allowing disenfranchised populations throughout Winnipeg to paint, draw, build and sculpt — all at no cost.

“People often thank us for keeping kids out of trouble and keeping kids out of gangs,” says Eddie Ayoub, Art City’s artistic director. “What we do goes way beyond either real or supposed harm reduction. What we want is for everyone to have the same expectations of children throughout Winnipeg that they would have of their own children and grandchildren. Education in all its facets and forms is how that can be achieved.”

As a not-for-profit community arts centre located on Broadway in the heart of the West Broadway neighbourhood, Art City is dedicated to providing people of all ages with high-quality arts programming, free-of-charge. Its primary goal is to provide the opportunity and a safe environment for anyone who wishes to express creativity through art. Programming generally starts when schools in the area let out for the day because most of the participants coming to Art City are school-aged kids.

“People drop into Art City on their own terms, on their own schedule within our programming time,” says Ayoub, who graduated from the U of M with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998. He adds, “Art City is open to parents, grandparents, family members, community members, adults who don’t even have kids and teenagers — people of all ages are all welcome. This makes us, I would say, the purest definition of a community centre, because of our accessibility and lack of any barrier to participating.”

A lot of the programming at Art City relies on volunteers. On any given week different community artists willing to share their own creative expression or cultural art form volunteer at Art City. Many of the volunteers are professional artists, who provide Art City’s participants opportunities to engage in a number of art forms and with the artists themselves.

A Reading Week break not spent on the beach

University of Manitoba students participating in Alternative Reading Week — a service learning initiative where students visit Winnipeg non-profit agencies to learn first-hand about socio-economic and political justice issues and to explore their role in the community — volunteered at Art City. From February 16 to 20 students from the faculties of law, science, agriculture and the Asper School of Business got their hands dirty, helping school-aged kids paint, draw and sculpt.

“We wanted to leave it open by calling it University of Manitoba Mixed Media Team-Up,” says Ayoub. “Instead of going snowboarding or relaxing on a beach, these students spent their week at Art City. I think that’s a good example for the kids here.”

Having students from a broad range of faculties, not typically associated with fine arts, fits into Art City’s theme for 2015, Art City University.“The whole purpose of that is to engage our participants in activities and experiences of post-secondary education,” says Ayoub. “Getting them to imagine the day when they’re finished grade 12 and they get to decide what to do next, and really pushing the fact that when you’re in post secondary education, you’re in classes with people who are interested in the same thing. You’re making friends, you’re having fun, with people who have the same interests.”

Kay Xu was one of the students volunteering at Art City for Alternative Reading Week. The first year science student wanted to get in touch with her crafty, artistic side and thought Art City would be a good fit. She also enjoyed guiding participants towards the direction of university, while assisting them in their creative projects.

“I hope that I was able trigger some sort of thought about university or post-secondary education in these kids. Maybe some of them haven’t been exposed to this kind of train of thought, so I hope to spark that and maybe spark some creativity along the way,” says Xu.