International relations at home

> Douglas students begin Japanese-Canadian Association

Mercedes Deutscher
News Editor

 

ctober 27 marked the inaugural
meeting of Douglas’ Japanese-
Canadian Association in room 1220.

The association was started by
Ben Gallagher and Kana Kiyono, as
an effort to better connect domestic
and international students—
particularly those who have an
active interest in Japanese culture.

“I started this club because
I wanted to foster a relationship
between Japanese international
students and Canadian students.

A lot of my Japanese friends here

at Douglas wanted to meet more
Canadian students, so I thought ‘why
not start a club?’ I’ve also taken every
Japanese course here at Douglas as
well, so it’s a good experience for
Japanese learners to interact with
native speakers,” said Gallagher.

The association’s first meeting
was a casual affair, where domestic
and international students introduced
each other, played games, and shared
experiences. It was a very inclusive
environment, where all students were
friendly and eager to participate.

It also provided students
an opportunity to practice
linguistics outside of class, with
students speaking in English,
Japanese, and some Korean.

“The goals are pretty simple—
have domestic students who are
interested in Japanese interact with

 
 

native Japanese speakers, as well
as Japanese international students

interact with native English speakers!”

With the success of the first
meeting, the association is already
planning more of them. The

association went on its first outing

on November 1, with many more

planned for the future. Outings could

include activities such as bowling

or laser tag, grabbing dinner, or

going to the pub for some drinks.
Students interested in

 

practicing language, or simply
making new friends, are encouraged
to join the Douglas Japanese-
Canadian Association Facebook
group to find out when future
meetings and outings will be.

Big opportunity for low-income households

> Rent bank plans to open in New Westminster

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reporter

 

n the past year, housing affordability

has driven many Vancouverites out
of the city. Yet for those who remain
in Metro Vancouver, low income is an
ongoing issue day in and day out.

With countless BC households
living paycheque to paycheque, the
absence of a steady income (or too
low of an income) is a major concern.
Whether it be a single mother
struggling to make ends meet, an
unexpected illness in the family,
or restarting a life after escaping
domestic violence, New Westminster
MLA Judy Darcy hopes to ease those
stresses by providing a rent bank in
the local community. A rent bank is a
largely Canadian service that provides
interest-free loans to low-income
households who face eviction due
to an unforeseen financial crisis.
Darcy, alongside her constituency

office staff, has had her eye on
introducing a rent bank in New
Westminster since January 2015.
Since then, she and her staff have
been reaching out to community

shareholders, hoping to build a
strong base for their endowment
fund. Finally, Darcy and her staff
have been able to accumulate
contributions from Westminster
Savings Credit Union, Greater
Vancouver Community Credit Union,
G&F Financial Group, Coast Capital
Credit Union, Community Savings
Credit Union, and Vancity, totalling
a substantial amount of $35,000.
With the idea of a rent bank

 

finding resonance among locals, city
council has agreed to add to the fund
an additional $20,000 on a yearly basis
for three years to assist with admin
and operating costs for the bank.
“Now there will be a process
for community agencies to submit
or indicate they are interested
in running it,” Darcy said to the
New Westminster Record.
“The whole idea is to have this
embedded in a community agency

Image via Thinkstock

that already gives supports to people,
so that when someone applies for
assistance from the rent bank, that
community agency is already ina
position to say we have these other
ways to support you. Whether they are
eligible for the rent bank or not, there
are other ways that community agency
would be able to support them.”

The rent bank is hoping to open
in New Westminster soon, following
the footsteps of the Sources Rent Bank
in Surrey, one of the first of its kind in
the mainland region. Two years ago,
Patricia Stewart, a single mother of
two and student at Douglas College,
found a source of assistance in her
greatest moment of need. Due to child
tax credit taking away a significant
portion of welfare for that month, she
was immensely grateful for the rent
bank’s willingness to lend a hand.

“Sometimes dealing with the
housing issue earlier on, and in
this case potentially preventing
homelessness, can be a much
more efficient, compassionate, and
effective way of dealing with housing
challenges,” stated Mayor Jonathan
Cote to the New Westminster Record.

Art via Douglas College Japanese-Canadian Association