Bridge Through Sport programs are coordinated by UBC students. They are employed by the UBC Work Learn Program, and work under the direction of UBC First Nations House of Learning.
DANETTE JUBINVILLE
UBC Faculty of Arts – First Nations Studies
| “Danette Jubinville is Plains Cree and Anishinaabe, and has had the honour and privilege of being born and raised in the lands of the Coast Salish peoples. Danette is currently completing the fourth year of her undergraduate degree in First Nations Studies at UBC. Currently, she is the FNHL Homework Club tutor at the Urban Native Youth Association. Danette loves her job because she gets to connect with some of the brilliant young Indigenous minds in the city, and they inspire her to keep working hard towards achieving her goals. In the future, she hopes to pursue further studies in the field of Aboriginal health and midwifery.” – DANETTE |
HENRY LAI
UBC Faculty of Science – Integrated Sciences Program
| “Hi everyone! I am the Math & Science Club Coordinator (2012-present). I work with UBC student volunteers to deliver after school science workshops and tutoring sessions for youth at the Musqueam Community Centre. Working with the same group of youth is rewarding because I get to strengthen my connections with them as a mentor, and friend. Some of my favourite moments with the youth – which include hiking in Deep Cove and hosting the annual soccer tournament – have come from working with Musqueam Outreach. One particular experience that resonated with me was the opportunity to chaperone a group of high school Musqueam youth in a field trip to Prince George, where we joined a thousand other delegates in an Aboriginal youth conference called Gathering Our Voices. In addition to my work in the Musqueam community, I have reached out to First Nations youth across the province through my involvement in summer outreach programs at UBC, such as CEDAR and Summer Science. My goal is to use education as a tool to advocate health and wellness in youth, and to use this learning experience to shape my career path in pediatric medicine.” – HENRY |
JASLEEN GREWAL
UBC Faculty of Arts – Social Work
| “My favourite part of BTS is being able to be part of the community at Musqueam! Hanging out with the kids, and meeting other community members at the rec centre has been amazing. Also, the food, reading and sports of course! As the Reading Club Coordinator, I plan after school snacks, reading club activities and help coordinate volunteers. Another important part of my job is fostering a positive environment where kids can kick back and connect with UBC students after a long day at school. The work at BTS can be challenging, which is great! There’s such a diversity of kids that show up at the club, and it’s helped me learn how to interact and reach out in different ways. Also, it’s provided an educational component for me where I’ve begun to learn various things about Musqueam that I didn’t know before. Being interested in the Social Work field, I think it’s important that I’m aware of different groups living in the Vancouver region and to at least attempt to understand their unique experiences. Lastly, BTS has really helped me develop leadership skills when working with various people.” – JASLEEN |
NIGEL GRENIER
UBC Faculty of Arts – History Honours
| “My name is Nigel Grenier and I am the student coordinator for the Musqueam Youth Program (MYP). My ancestry is Gitxsan from Gitsegukla as well as Cree from Churchill Manitoba. My role within the MYP is to design workshops to do with the youth and to act as a mentor. For my workshops, I draw from the different areas of my life that I am passionate about. I also talk to the youth and listen to their interests and try to do activities that they find engaging. My favourite aspect of the MYP is that for the most part, it is the same group of youth that come week after week. At the beginning of each session we share our ‘golden moment,’ meaning the best thing that’s happened to each of us over the last week. Over the last two years I’ve really got to know the youth, and I am always proud of the amazing things that they do. Let me tell you a bit about myself. I am currently enrolled in my fourth year of studies in the History Honours Program at UBC. I like to share my passion for writing, reading, and public speaking. Last summer, I presented a paper at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am also the Public Relations Officer for the Indigenous Students Association at UBC and on the organizing committee for UBC’s first annual Nehiyopasquaitsimowan Pow-wow. When I was young, my grandparents trained me in traditional Gitxsan dance and now I am a lead dancer for the Dancers of Damelahamid. I also recently started dancing men’s grass at Powwows. Language is another one of my interests. I am fluent in French and am in the process of learning Gitsenimx and Cree.” – NIGEL |
