Get Involved!

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!

The Chemainus Biodiversity Education Project is seeking volunteers to assist with discussions and open-air classroom type field activities to take place in Chemainus and adjacent areas from May to September, and to assist in creating environmental education materials suitable for grades K-12 (to be completed in Spring 2009). Individuals with backgrounds in environmental studies, geography, biology, First Nations studies, curriculum development, youth leadership, or desktop publishing would be especially welcome. For more information or to inquire, please contact Kelly Bannister.
 
Volunteering
At POLIS, we value and appreciate volunteerism for the relationships and mutual benefits that can emerge. POLIS is in the process of establishing a system to enable volunteers to be meaningfully involved in some of our individual projects as well as broader initiatives such as the Discussion Series and other POLIS events. If you are would like to volunteer and have some specific skills or ideas to contribute, please contact us by email and we would be pleased to discuss possibilities.

Anna Johnston, an undergraduate student in the Geography and Writing Coop program at UVic, has been volunteering with POLIS since Fall 2006. She has honed her editorial skills in the production of two major proceedings, co-edited with Kelly Bannister:

• Community-based Research and the University of Victoria
• Culture, Heritage and Intellectual Property Rights: Opportunities and Challenges for Indigenous Communities [coming soon]

Collaborating
POLIS is involved in a variety of collaborations with non-profit groups, First Nations organizations, academic and administrative units on campus, and others. If you have a project or activity that fits with the POLIS mission and vision, contact us by email to discuss the potential for collaborating.

In Dec 2006, undergraduate student Michelle Reid completed a LE,NONET research apprenticeship with Dr Kelly Bannister in collaboration with the International Society of Ethnobiology. Michelle’s work involved traveling to Thailand to assist with an international workshop and congress that led to the completion of a new Code of Ethics for the Society.