±õ³Ù’s always amazing to see how much can shift on a university campus in just twelve months: new faces, new projects, and new connections! The Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement continues to grow each year, and the past year has been no exception. As she returns to the Centre for Peace Advancement for another spring co-op term, Pinar Gurgen reflects on everything th²¹³Ù’s changed since she was last here. One of the biggest changes? Our Grebel Peace Incubator community continues to evolve. We said goodbye to the founders of BeBlended and Just Outcomes, and welcomed the founders of Mind and Educational Games, Enabled Talent, and Local Futures into the incubator. These new participants bring additional inspiring ideas to the Centre, and ·É±ð’r±ð excited to support their journeys.Ìý
±õ³Ù’s not just the people and projects that have changed; our digital presence has too. Over the past year, parts of the Centre’s website have been refreshed, including the launch of a brand-new Learning Opportunities page. Training has been a core focus of the Centre from the very beginning, alongside research and community engagement. This new page offers a window into the wide range of learning opportunities available through our network, from certificate programs to one-off workshops, designed for students, professionals, community leaders, and anyone interested in getting involved.ÌýÌý
This week the Centre’s staff had a booth at the UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Innovation Open House. Last year at this event we met Gabriel Jabile, who went on to become this year’s Map the System campus winner! His research into livestock disease outbreaks in Uganda impressed the judges, and we are excited to see him represent the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ at the Canadian finals next week.Ìý
The Innovation Open House, hosted each semester by Velocity, is the perfect opportunity to casually connect with students and explore the world of innovation and entrepreneurship on campus. ±õ³Ù’s a vibrant event that brings together groups from across À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s innovation ecosystem, including GreenHouse, Math Innovation and the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business. ±õ³Ù’s another opportunity to stop and notice how the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem evolves year upon year. New to the event in the past year are the Future Cities Institute, which supports interdisciplinary capstone projects with real world applications and graduate programs, and a student led community of makers whose participation on campus has grown exponentially in the past year! Many campus innovation partners are collaborating on new initiatives that align with the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ's Global Futures vision, so you can expect more exciting new changes in the year ahead as well.
±õ³Ù’s easy to miss a beat in a constantly evolving space like the Centre for Peace Advancement. To stay in the loop, make sure to follow us on and and subscribe to our to stay connected, learn more about the work of our core collaborators and incubator participants, upcoming events, and community highlights!Ìý