Join the International Education Centre in celebrating diversity, culture, and international education at UTM! From November 14th – November 18th, the IEC along with on-campus partners, UofT faculty, and community members will be talking about all things global!
Our theme this year is Making Connections. Fall 2022 will not only bring back in-person learning but also a unique opportunity to observe and embrace the full campus experience once again.
Making Connections continues to build from where we left off. This year, the IEC is planning events that will internationalize the experience by providing UTM’s students, staff, faculty, and other community members in-person opportunities to (re)connect with and learn from each other.
This year's IEW is now over. It was a great success and thanks to everyone for participating. Check back in Summer 2023 for details about IEW 2023.
Below was our full IEW schedule for IEW 2022:
Monday November 14th, 2022: Making Connections through Art!
12pm - 2pm in the CCIT Atrium and open to everyone (students/staff/faculty):
- Mehndi: Popular in South Asia countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, Mehndi is a temporary body art illustrated from a paste made from Lawsonia inermis, the henna plant. Deeply rooted in the culture of many South Asian communities, Mehndi has been used for centuries during numerous occasions including weddings!
- Mural painting: The International Education Centre is a place for both domestic and international students! In keeping with the IEC 2022 IEW theme of Making Connections, We All Belong is a mural project which invites all UTM students, staff, faculty and community members to be part of this permanent art piece which will hang within IEC and eventually within the new IEC’s home within the new Student Services Hub. To be part of this UTM community art project, each participant will receive a puzzle piece which they can paint to represent who they are. Is there a piece of your culture that you want to share? Do you have a passion that you can express through art? Is there something from your time here at UTM that you want to add to this collage? If so, stop by our table in the CCT Atrium and add your piece to this giant puzzle.
- International stories presented by the UTM Library to expand our intercultural mindsets!
Tuesday November 15th, 2022: Making Connections through Conversation!
- 11am - 12:30pm: Human Library in the MN Grand Hall: The human library attempts to build a positive framework for conversations that challenge stereotypes and prejudices. Dialogue can achieve a lot. It is through storytelling and human interaction that we learn to empathize and work as a global community. Join the IEC and 10 unique international students from across the globe to gain insight into the different perspectives within the world in which we live. Learn about their lived experiences, food, and culture, it may just help you see the world through a lens with an extra shade or two! Audience: open to all students, staff and faculty.
- 12pm - 2pm: Gratitude Across Faiths, facilitated by the Centre for Student Engagement, Davis 2nd floor outside of the IEC Hallway: Have you ever said thank you and felt warm and fuzzy? Or wondered what that means for somebody else from another culture or religion? Come by our gratitude table on Nov 15th 12-2pm to learn more! There will be games and prizes
- 1pm - 2:30pm: Networking Across Cultures with the UTM Career Centre in MN6128: International Education Week is proud to host this session in collaboration with the UTM Career Centre on Networking Across Cultures!
How do we have conversations across cultures? How can networking get us to where we want to be? Join us for a workshop on networking, with a focus on dialogues across cultures. Audience: open to Students only.
Wednesday November 16th, 2022: Making Connections through Food!
- 3pm - 5pm: History and Salsa Dance Lessons with the Latin American Students Association in the UTM Dance Studio: Come out and join the Latin American Students Association as they teach us about the history of Salsa dancing and facilitate a dancing lesson as well! Light refreshments will be served. Audience: Open to all: students, staff, and faculty.
- 6:30pm - 8pm: Tastes of Culture in the Blind Duck Pub: Join us in this global celebration of food from around the world! Students, staff, and faculty are invited to engage their senses of taste, smell, and sight with samples of favourite dishes from a variety of cultures. Audience: Staff, students, and faculty are all invited. Bring your appetite and can't wait to see you there!
Thursday November 17th, 2022: Making Connections through Movement!
- 10am - 11:30am: Global Commons: Locked Up: Exploring the Use of Immigration Detention -
Provinces around Canada jail asylum seekers, but there is a movement to change that with four provinces announcing an end the detention of asylum seekers. Canada is one of the few countries that puts no limit on the amount of time an individual may be locked in detention, with some at risk of being detained indefinitely (https://www.amnesty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/canada0621_web.pdf).
Please join us for this timely virtual event to hear from Dr. Laura Cristina Dib Ayesta from the University of Los Andes, and Toronto Star’s immigration reporter Nicholas Keung, as they share stories and experiences, and lead a discussion on the practice of immigration detention. Participants will have an opportunity to meet with students from Columbia, South Africa, Canada, France, India, and the United States. Share and hear perspectives from other students as you discuss and present strategies for effective and responsible treatment of migrants seeking refuge.
- 11am - 1pm: Beverages from Around the World (Davis 2nd floor, outside the IEC hallway): Join us for a sip! Business student leaders in collaboration with UTMM will be showcasing beverages of the world. UTM's business student leaders look forward to sharing their culture and engaging with you! This will be a great opportunity for you to also share fond memories of growing up in a different country such as enjoying a nice cold drink with friends on a hot summer day or enjoying a cup of tea in the afternoon with family. For others it could be a chance to share a beverage they enjoy here that reminds them of back home. Audience: open to all students, staff, and faculty.
- 6:30pm - 8:30pm: Sports Trivia Night with the RAWC in Multi-Purpose Room A: Join in on the exciting Sport Trivia Game Night on November 17th! UTM students will get the chance to rigorously exercise their brains, as they flex their sport and international knowledge during the Kahoot segment. As you know, the faster you answer the questions correctly, the more points you earn, so ensure you don't leave your speed at the door. You will also get the chance to compete with other UTM students in the Family Feud event! Students will get an opportunity to form their teams/Family and feud their way to the final showdown. The Family with the most points gets to take home the grand prize! Prizes such as UTM Eagles Ball Caps, Gift cards, UTM Eagles Sweater & more are all up for grabs! Don't miss out on this amazing event where you will get to meet great people. Also, keep an eye out on our Instagram, where you can participate in the pre-Event trivia series. Audience: open to students only.
Friday November 18th, 2022: Making Connections through Learning!
- 9:30am - 10:30pm: Global Learning Information Session on Zoom: Join the Global Learning session to learn how an international experience can work for you and your degree. There are well over 200 different opportunities available to you as a UTM student at locations all around the world. Learn how to earn credits towards your degree and access generous funding. Audience: open to students only.
- 12pm - 1:30pm: Local Commons Action Hour: Migrant Workers' Rights: Join The Centre for Community Partnerships and Hart House Global Commons for our next Social Action Pop-Up focused on Migrant Workers' Rights. Social Action Pop-Ups are one-time events where you can learn about social issues and ways that you can take action. With the 2022-2023 Global Commons theme focused on Migration, this partnership is an opportunity for students to come together and learn about the experiences of migrant workers.
- 1pm - 2pm: Embracing Linguistic Diversity in MN3170: Language is intimately tied to your identity. Whether it be the phonology, the inventory of words, or the structure of sentences that you have, language is a communicator of who you are as a person. In this lecture, we will explore how there is no "right" way to be a language user. No variety of language is "broken": All varieties of language have systematic rules. Come find out how various languages work from a scientific perspective and experience how complex, dynamic, and intriguing the linguistic expression of self can be.
Facilitated by Professor Dr. Ai Taniguchi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Language Studies at UTM. Audience: Open to all students, staff, and faculty.
IEW + Co-Curricular Record
This is a CCR recognized program (https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/utm-engage/co-curricular-record). In order to earn CCR, participants must have attended a minimum of 3 IEW affiliated sessions (refer to the schedule above). Once participants have attended a minimum of 3 sessions in order to earn CCR, please submit a reflection of discussing any of the following:
- Your submission can take the shape of a 1-2 double spaced paper
- Why is international education important?
- What were your key takeaways from IEW? Any new insights or knowledge that you have gained?
- What action will you take to continue to enhance your global learning?
- What did you learn about interculturalism and how will you put it into practice?
- How does interculturalism play a part in your life?
- How have you experienced different cultures in your life?
All entries are due via email to rebeca.mahadeo@utoronto.ca by Friday, December 9 at 11:59 PM EST (extended deadline) with the subject title IEW Reflection - Your Name (First, Last) in order to qualify for CCR.