A student club looking to sponsor a student refugee to attend TRU this September needs to raise $4,000 by the end of January to make studying in Fall 2016 a reality. So far, about $500 has been raised.
The TRU chapter of the Canadian non-profit World University Service Canada (WUSC) will need to raise a total of $25,000 to sponsor a student refugee for one year. The portion required by the end of January is to secure a commitment fee and application to the WUSC Student Refugee Program (SRP).
This initial fee covers the cost of WUSC finding and screening eligible students and processing the paperwork for the student refugee to come to Canada to study and settle as a permanent resident. The remainder of the funds would be raised in the coming months.
After the first year, the student is responsible for covering expenses for subsequent years of study through employment or other means such as student loans. The WUSC club acts as a support system in that transition.
The WUSC club is currently investigating the possibilities of imposing a future student levy which would see a few dollars of student fees per year go towards annually funding a student refugee. This fundraising model is the norm at other university WUSC clubs that participate in the SRP.
An informal poll by the club indicates students may be willing to support a levy. Twenty-nine out of thirty students polled said they would support a levy of up to $5 per year.
Levy fees aside, the club is eager to see a student refugee arrive this year, and due to the tight application deadline they are turning to the hearts and wallets of local charities and individuals.
“We decided to take matters into our own hands, for this year,” said Emma Persad, a fourth-year microbiology student and co-chair of the TRU-WUSC chapter. Persad is coordinating a media blitz and upcoming presentations at Rotary groups to raise awareness and funds for the project.
“I would love to see this happen before I graduate. While we wait to see what unfolds with regard to the student levy, we figured why not try fundraising locally for now,” said Persad, adding that if they miss the January deadline, next year’s committee will apply to the SRP again in a year’s time.
Persad first learned about WUSC and its student refugee initiative last summer when she and her committee co-chair, fourth-year sociology student Kenna Sim, were sponsored to attend a national WUSC conference in Ottawa.
The pair received information about the conference from Lian Dumouchel, TRU’s Director of Global Engagement, who acts as mentor-advisor to the club. Dumouchel registered TRU with WUSC in early 2015 and was keen to get students involved, encouraging them to form an official student club.
“Joining WUSC was born out of an interest to ignite passion and capacity for development work,” said Dumouchel. She adds that the move also fits with TRU’s approach to internationalization, noting there is also an employee WUSC initiative focused on international volunteering.
