Trent University Students Showcase Community Impact Projects at Year-End Celebration
/Recipients of Trent University's Impact Microgrant Program presented project results showcasing work advancing food security, safe consumption and cybersecurity at the Trent Student Centre Wednesday.
fourth-year social work student bhawani persaud. Photo by Felicia Massey.
Led collaboratively by the Office of Student Affairs and Careerspace at Trent, and funded in part by Canada Service Corps, the Impact Microgrant Program is a national movement for youth aged 15 to 30 to gain experience and build skills while contributing to their community. Over the last year, nearly $500,000 has been distributed to student‑led projects through this partnership, with a total of $1.5 million in funding committed over three years.
In the first year of the program, 101 eligible youth across Canada were each awarded up to $5,000 to advance proposed social, cultural, economic and arts initiatives, and participated in virtual training on leadership and event management.
Nearly 50 grant recipients presented their work at the year-end showcase, including projects that supported community organizations in the Peterborough region.
Trent Durham student Bhawani Persaud showcased her book “this is us,” a collection of poetry and prose from racialized second-generation immigrant youths.
“I grew up with this sort of in-between feeling of not really being in the Western culture but not really being from the culture my parents are from,” said Persaud. “I really wanted to make a space for those who identify with this.”
A digital copy of Persaud’s project is linked on the this is us Instagram.
trent peterborough student andrea sturgis. Photo by Felicia Massey.
