Welcome to the Community Engagement subcommittee page, which is chaired by Kristen Smith, Manager, Student & Community Outreach.

Kristen Smith

Manager, Student & Community Outreach

Canada Games provides Brock University with a unique opportunity to engage with our local and national community as we prepare to host the Summer Games in 2021. The Community Engagement Sub Committee is composed of staff from across the University who serve to recruit, train and support student volunteers as they become involved with the Games over the next two years. Through the creation of the Brock University Volunteer Association (BUVA), the committee works alongside the Canada Host Society to identify volunteer needs and to meet those needs through training and preparation of a cohort of student volunteers.

2019-2020 was the inaugural year for the Brock University Volunteer Association (BUVA) as part of the Community Engagement Sub-Committee for Canada Games.  BUVA members participated in monthly training sessions delivered by Brock staff, faculty and alumni to better prepare them to be engaged volunteers.  Collectively, BUVA members contributed 385 volunteer hours to organizations and events across the Niagara Region. Some of these organizations included the Niagara 2021 Host Society, Bear Clan Patrol, PFLAG Niagara, and the Southridge Shelter. Events that BUVA students provided volunteer support for included the 2020 Wrestling Canada Trials, Niagara Grape & Wine Festival and the Niagara Social Justice Forum. In a satisfaction survey of BUVA members, 100% of the student respondents said they would recommend BUVA to a friend or classmate.

The second year of BUVA looks to be even more exciting with the 2021 Canada Games being hosted here in Niagara!

To learn more, see the Brock University Volunteer Association (BUVA) page.