BFA student Arianne Tubman picking up her care package.
With the challenges of this year, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies wanted to do something special to support their students and show them that everyone in FCCS is thinking of them.
Denise Kenney
Denise Kenney, Head of Creative Studies, came up with the idea to make this connection with our students so they know that we care, and staff and faculty worked to put together the care packages.
“For me, the teaching relationship is not one of teacher and learner, but rather one of all of us learning together as we navigate our way through each experience—even a global pandemic!” she says.
In a time where we know many may be struggling with isolation and students are working hard to complete their courses in a completely new format to stay on track for their degrees, there is no better time to reach out to help students.
“With so much uncertainty around big picture questions—when will a vaccine be available? How will I make it through all my exams? What will next term be like?—I am proud to be part of a community that has paused to make this small gesture,” says Bryce Traister, Dean of the faculty. “To turn toward our students and offer them acknowledgement and kindness. That is not a small thing. It is mighty.”
For those students who live in the local area, they were able to pick up their packages on campus, or at the Kelowna Art Gallery, and for those who live out of town, a special card and gift was mailed to them.
Kenney adds: “When we are once again able to return to our classrooms to learn side-by-side, maybe we’ll care for each other with offhand smiles or an offer to buy someone coffee. Until then, we hope these care packages communicate to our students just how much they matter to us. We really wanted them to have something to actually “touch” besides their keyboards!”
We are grateful to all those faculty and staff who helped put the packages together, provided artwork and baking, and to the local business that supported this initiative by donating or offering discounts to fill the packages, including the UBC Okanagan Bookstore, Cherry Hill Coffee, Chai Baba Tea, The Kelowna Candle Factory, and Opus Framing and Art Supplies. Special thanks to the Kelowna Art Gallery for helping disseminate the packages in Kelowna.
If you are a student in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and were not aware of this initiative, please reach out, as we want to support you! Contact us at fccs.ubco@ubc.ca
Denise Kenney and Shauna Oddleifson handing out the FCCS Care packs to students
Care package contents
