First off, let me introduce myself. Hey! My name is Gaby. I am happy to be the Sheridan Student Union’s VP for HMC, this school year. I believe that everyone has the opportunity to do good in this world, but we sometimes do not know where to start.
It can be challenging to take the first step in reaching out to causes, and helping to spread the word in your local community.Especially now in the pandemic, I think it’s safe to say that we have an urge to help those in need, while still staying safe and healthy. Personally, that urge pushed me forward. Within the first couple of weeks in my new position, I started formulating an idea and planning with the other Vice Presidents and Student Life Coordinators to make the #SherTheSupport initiative a reality.
For those who have no idea what I am talking about, #SherTheSupport is an awareness initiative to help support causes that are close to the Sheridan student body’s heart. Each month, the SSU will focus their efforts on creative events and social media engagements to show our appreciation and our commitment to aiding these causes. Some months will have a variety of events while other months will have one event to concentrate on. The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness among the Sheridan student body on different causes, and show backing for the charities involved. Even if you are not impacted by a cause personally, then you can learn more and be an ally to either a friend or a family member close to you.
Having these events is also an effort to create a sense of community within our new virtual wave of learning. We see our classmates' names in the chatbox and hear their voices from time to time but rarely do we get to see their faces. These events can help bring us together with causes that we are passionate to support. If there is a cause you believe we should support, please send me an email. We will try to make your vision a reality. Some of the causes we intend to support include; Breast Cancer awareness, Movember and Black History Month.
We’ve recently concluded our week devoted to Breast Cancer Awareness with a partnership involving the Canadian Cancer Society. We had hosted different virtual events containing rock painting, paper quilling, trivia and bingo. Two of them involved an intimate experience where the students and the hosts crafted together, and spoke about facts and experiences surrounding Breast Cancer. The other two incorporated guest hosts to facilitate the events while at the same time raising funds.
One event that resonates the most with me was Trivia Night. This is because we invited a member of the Canadian Cancer Society and a Breast Cancer survivor to speak to the attendees and give them some base knowledge before starting the trivia. Nancy (a member of the Canadian Cancer Society) spoke to the importance of getting checked and what Breast Cancer is. Michelle (Breast Cancer survivor) told us about her own experience battling Breast Cancer from when she detected that something was wrong to how her family helped her through it. Honestly, I was almost on the verge of tears. The other attendees and I were so moved by it all.
Now that Breast Cancer awareness week is completed, it is now time to transition into November. We will focus our efforts on raising awareness for the Movember movement. Movember strives to aid men battling both prostate and testicular cancer as well as those combating mental illness. If you want to see what we have in store, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to be one of the first to know.