The Partnership Recognition & Exploration (PRE) Fund opened for spring 2024 applications in May, and has already provided funding for 16 incredible community-university projects this year.
From facilitating the recovery of grizzly bears within the North Cascades Ecosystem to harvesting invasive plant species used to create visual artworks, this spring’s PRE recipients have formed valuable partnerships with UBC students, faculty, and staff who are passionate about making differences in their communities.
In one project, the Kelowna Museums Society partnered with the UBC Okanagan Library to host a zine-making workshop and Queer Zine Fair during Kelowna Pride Week to celebrate and promote queer culture in the Okanagan through creative expression and community connection. Reflecting on the event, Erik Beardmore from the Kelowna Museums Society remarked that, “it was inspiring to see queer youth feeling emboldened to share spoken poetry with a supportive public and share zines they had made at the event. Zines are a common vehicle for social activism, and many exhibitors engaged the public with issues of local and global topics and community-building.”
The PRE Fund awards up to $1,500 to bridge small resource gaps, enabling community partners to forge reciprocal relationships with the university. Since 2017, the fund has invested $597,647 in 396 community-university partnerships, with approximately 50% of the funding supporting IBPOC-led community organizations.
Please visit the Community Engagement website to learn more about these inspiring community-university partnerships.
Through Strategy 20: Co-ordinated Engagement, UBC is committed to working with diverse partners to listen, learn and develop shared values for effective engagement, and to reinforce a culture of reciprocity.