Vanier College
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Course “The Tropics: Opportunities and Challenges- An Exploration of Human-Environment Relationships in Belize”
As part of an International Complementary Course 21 students will have the opportunity to participate in an ecological and cultural field trip to Belize. The course examines the challenges faced, and solutions adopted, by many tropical countries addressed through a multi-disciplinary framework. Belize is the country of choice due to its many unique characteristics: The lowest population density but the second highest population growth rate in Central America; a rich variety of wildlife and ecosystems; 60% of its landmass covered by forest; the second largest barrier reef in the world; a unique history and culture dating back to the Mayan people; and strong environmental protection policies. This trip will give students the opportunity to enrich the theoretical component of this course with an on-the-ground study experience that will include explorations of the tropical rainforest, the barrier reef, wildlife preserves, agricultural production sites, and Mayan villages and ruins. Upon return from the fieldtrip students will be asked to participate in Earth Week activities in order to sensitize the Vanier Community towards sustainable development in the tropics.

Course «Une Planète en danger : le développement durable à la rescousse!»
The issues affecting the development of the planet are as important as they are worrisome. Indeed, economic growth is achieved regardless of the quality of the environment or the satisfaction of the basic needs of the population. And yet, sustainable development offers solutions, seeking to link economic growth to respect for the environment and social equity. To understand these concepts, students will first familiarize themselves with the concepts of various francophone sustainability practitioners and theorists. They will then be able to use their knowledge during a 10-day trip to France and Switzerland, during which they will visit various international organizations like UNEP, UNESCO, etc., and grassroots groups.

Environmental and Wildlife Management Internships
The 2019-2020 Academic year saw 12 students from the Department of Environmental and Wildlife Management (EWM) go abroad to complete their internship, a program requirement for graduation. EWM students were hosted by The Canadian Organization for Tropical Ecology and Rainforest Conservation (COTERC) at the Caño Palma Biological Station in Tortuguero, Limon, Costa Rica; the Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society (TREES) in Stan Creek, Belize; The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia; the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation (AIMC) in Samos, Greece; and Global Vision International (GVI) in the Seychelles. Student projects ranged from tracking and monitoring white lipped mud turtles, performing tropical forest surveys, caring for dogs that are used to deter cheetah attacks on farms and ranches, counting and observing wildlife at Namibia’s watering holes, sea bird monitoring, sea turtle monitoring, water quality analyses, and predator management. Students spent 6 weeks in their respective internship placements contributing to data collection of their host organizations and bridging the gap between being students and working as professional technologists in the field of EWM.

In the Spring of 2018, Vanier College signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cheetah Conversation Fund (CCF), a not-for-profit organization located in Namibia, Africa. By Winter of 2019 we sent two students from Environment and Wildlife Management on their 8-week, end of program internship on location in Namibia. CCF, an internationally recognized center for excellence in conservation of cheetahs and their ecosystems and has a mission of saving the cheetah with education and land use to benefit all species, including humans. One of the greatest threats to cheetah in the wild is human wildlife conflict, particularly since 90 percent of the world’s cheetah live outside protected areas and alongside human communities. Our students learn how it is possible to create a sustainable space; a world in which wild animals coexist with people within a sustainable system that is protective of the environment, socially responsible, and economically viable. We plan to extend this program to Animal Health Technology and to include students from the Sustainability major in the next few years.

Malawi Nursing Exchange
Over the past 10 years, 60 Vanier College students have travelled abroad to complete their final seven week clinical stage, experiencing nursing in a very different context while developing their intercultural skills. From the very beginning, the exchange program has focused on the need for nurses to develop the ability to provide culturally competent and meaningful care to all patients. Many of the past annual conferences have focused on topics such as Cultural Humility, Cultural Safety and Intercultural Competence. We have tried to shine a light on our own marginalized communities, where health care is often inadequate and disease rates of Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS rival those in developing and under-resourced countries, like Malawi. The primary goal is to complete 160 clinical hours where time is split between the village and the teaching hospital in the city in conjunction with the University of Malawi. There are other projects that are done at the same time, sometimes building wells, health promotion and palliative care visits.