Big ideas led to big returns at this year’s Independent Professional Project (IPP) presentations, where students from Red River College’s Creative Communications program raised nearly $30,000 for a range of worthy charities and causes.

CreComm’s IPP component consists of two full-credit courses in which second-year students are tasked with conceptualizing, planning, marketing and executing an independent project that falls under one of three categories: research, promotional or creative.

The projects themselves take a wide range of forms, including events, documentaries, promotional videos, websites, books and novellas, musical endeavors, and advertising, marketing and promotional campaigns.

Often, they include a fundraising component. This year’s beneficiaries included Siloam Mission, KidSport Winnipeg, the Manitoba Down Syndrome Society, Resource Assistance for Youth, the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief, The Wasichana Fund, the Margaret Pidlaski Scholarship Fund, and the Health Sciences Centre’s Adult Eating Disorders Program.

All told, the projects raised a total of $29,568 for the above-mentioned organizations. Read More →

A group of 700 middle school students joined Hon. Kevin Chief, Minister of Jobs and the Economy, at Red River College’s Stevenson Campus today, as he officially proclaimed May 25–29 Aerospace in Manitoba Week.

Chief made the announcement while attending Aviation and Aerospace in Manitoba (AAiM) Day, an annual event that draws Grade 6 students to RRC to learn more about the province’s thriving aerospace and aviation industries.

While at Stevenson, students were given a first-hand look at some of the concepts they’re learning about in the “Flight” module of their Grade 6 curriculum, including aircraft inspection, fundamentals of flight, manufacturing, rocketry and craters.

Additional Aerospace Week activities include a special supplement in the Winnipeg Free Press on May 25, an industry networking breakfast meeting on May 27, and a community-building volunteer event at Siloam Mission on May 29.

Learn more about AAiM Day, made possible each year by RRC, the Manitoba Aerospace Human Resources Council and a dedicated group of 150 volunteers.

National Leasing has opened up new doors for students in Red River College’s Business Administration and International Business programs, through a $50,000 donation that has enabled research in the emerging area of social innovation.

The first step of the resulting student project — which culminated last week with a series of judged presentations — was for students to learn exactly what social innovation is, and to identify ways in which it can be implemented in different communities.

Tatjana Brkic, instructor of Applied Commerce and Management Education at RRC, says the ‘social innovation’ tag is one people are still struggling with.

“Social innovation is something that we as a global community have to figure out how to unravel,” Brkic said.

In its most basic form, social innovation occurs when an organization or concept meets a community’s needs. Social innovation fills gaps, addresses social issues, and develops the community. It’s about reducing negatives — like crime and poverty — and boosting economic development. Read More →

She’s devoted years to the development of a global online resource that links early childhood educators with the latest in research and knowledge.

So it’s no surprise that Red River College’s Janet Jamieson — Research Chair for the School of Health Sciences and Community Services, and the driving force behind the College’s world-renowned Science of Early Child Development (SECD) research project — has been nominated for a 2015 Women of Distinction Award.

Jamieson (shown above, at centre) was nominated in the category of Community Activism and Social Enterprise — a perfect match, given she’s been the principal researcher and lead developer on a series of projects for RRC that are grounded in the advancement of social equity, and have in turn led to the advancement of economic and environmental priorities.

The most notable of these is SECD, a knowledge mobilization initiative designed to make current research accessible to anyone interested in learning more about the profound impact of the early years on lifelong health and well-being.

First developed as a tool to help share the emerging science about early brain development and its implications for practice across sectors, SECD has grown and evolved into three online living textbooks, as well as other educational resources. Updated regularly, it brings research and concepts to life with hundreds of readings, videos, links and interactive activities. There have been many versions and modules developed to support its use with a variety of audiences throughout the world. Read More →

Creative Communications students proved their industry training has gone to the dogs (and cats) this month, while helping to find homes for neglected animals during the Winnipeg Humane Society’s annual fundraising telethon.

On Sunday, March 22, students took part in their fourth Liberty Tax 1001 Donations event, a live nine-hour telethon on Shaw TV that’s produced entirely by students from all four CreComm majors — advertising, journalism, public relations and media production.

Students were responsible for filling every moment of screen time with alternately heart-breaking and heart-warming content, shooting and editing nearly 30 behind-the-scenes stories depicting how WHS staff and volunteers care for injured, abused and abandoned animals.

Students were also responsible for creating all graphics and promotional materials, and on the day of the telethon, for all control room and camera work, as well as on-air hosting and live interviews.

“The show was such a success, almost every available animal was adopted,” says CreComm instructor Joanne Kelly.

Fundraising totals are still being tallied, but the telethon has already drawn raves from the Canadian broadcasting industry.

In May 2014, Kelly’s Live TV Production class earned the Best Student Special/Live Remote award from the Broadcast Educators Association of Canada (BEAC), for their work on the 2014 telethon, which raised a record $72,000 for the Humane Society.

Red River College’s Hospitality and Culinary students served up a very special surprise to diners at their downtown restaurant this month — treating guests to an impromptu performance by former Winnipeg rockers The Watchmen.

The alt-rock quartet was in town for a reunion show at the Burton Cummings Theatre on Sat., March 21, but made a detour through our restaurant Jane’s a night early, much to the delight of diners and invited guests.

On the night in question, around 50 guests were gathered at Jane’s — enjoying meals of pan-seared duck breast, stuffed pork tenderloin and cedar-grilled salmon — when Christine Crowe, RRC’s acting vice-president Academic and Research, rose to welcome the Watchmen and invited them to play a short set.

The bandmates happily obliged, delivering acoustic versions of new track Trampoline and fan favourites All Uncovered and Any Day Now. Following the performance, they stuck around to mingle and sign autographs for fans — many of whom had received special invitations to Jane’s, but weren’t told their dinner would include a surprise show.

The event was made possible through a partnership between RRC and Tourism Winnipeg, whose reps were in attendance to help showcase the sort of one-of-a-kind cultural opportunities that occur “only in The Peg.”

(Not surprisingly, the corresponding hashtag #onlyinthepeg was trending sixth in all of Canada the night of the show, as guests shared photos and video clips through social media.)

“We’re all about doing unique things in this city, and that’s what #onlyinthepeg is all about,” says Cody Chomimak, director of marketing for Tourism Winnipeg. “Working with Red River College, Jane’s and The Watchmen made for some seriously fun times. You could tell everyone had a blast — and how could you not, when the food, service and entertainment was so brilliant?”

Jane’s will soon re-open for lunch and dinner service. Click here to explore the menu, or to make a reservation.

It could be a while before it’s warm enough for tents and trailers, but here at Red River College, camp season is already in full swing.

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll host a number of specialized camps and workshops designed specifically for younger students interested in exploring the following areas:

Electronic/Electrical Engineering Technology

First up are the Saturday Kids Kamps offered by RRC’s Electronic and Electrical Engineering Technology programs. From now until April 4, students in Grades 7 and 8 can take part in day-long sessions that introduce them to basic concepts and theory, while also giving them the chance to put their new knowledge into practice through fun activities and assignments.

In the Electronic Technology camps (9 a.m.-noon at the Roblin Centre), kids learn about basic electrical concepts such as voltage, current and resistance; work with lab instruments like digital multimeters and oscilloscopes; and study pitch, volume and timbre by observing sounds created by guitars and amplifiers.

In the Electrical Engineering Technology camps (1-4 p.m. at Notre Dame Campus), kids are introduced to robotics and robotic programming via the Lego NXT-G system. After learning about sensors and actuator functions, they’ll work in groups to program solutions to increasingly difficult problems, before building their own robots using a selection of available materials.

Both camps are free of charge; click here for more information or to register. Read More →

An advertising student from Red River College’s Creative Communications program will showcase extraordinary stories about ordinary lives, when he launches a new book about Manitobans with Down syndrome this weekend.

Second-year student Jordan Power has spent the least year compiling stories of work, love and accomplishment into a series of eight profiles called Extra-Ordinary: Stories of Manitobans with Down Syndrome.

“They’re [stories] about getting fired and making friends. They’re about winning and losing and swimming and skiing. They’re about laughing and loving and looking forward to sex,” says Power, who’ll complete CreComm and receive a BA in Communications from the University of Winnipeg this spring.

“Everyone has a story to tell. You just have to ask.”

Among those profiled is Ruth Elizabeth Joseph, a student in RRC’s Academic and Career Essential Skills program, which launched last year with funding from the College’s Transforming Futures campaign.

Power will read passages from the book this Saturday at a launch and discussion from 7-8 p.m. at McNally Robinson. Proceeds from the new book, which Power wrote as part of his year-long Independent Professional Project (IPP), will be donated to the Manitoba Down Syndrome Society.

Click here to learn more about Extra-ordinary, and here for more on RRC’s Creative Communications program.

Red River College will soon begin providing hope and educational opportunities to student refugees in Winnipeg, thanks to a new humanitarian aid initiative launched in partnership with World University Services of Canada (WUSC).

The College’s newly announced Student Refugee Program will allow the RRC community to support one passionate and dedicated student per year, as they arrive in Canada as permanent residents to pursue post-secondary education.

Each year in Canada, similar Student Refugee Programs allow more than 55 student refugees to enter the country and begin their studies.

The program’s success is ensured by WUSC, whose members facilitate the overseas selection of the student refugees, place them at Canadian universities and colleges, and provide training and guidance to local WUSC committees. Each refugee is sponsored by a campus-based Local committee, whose members raise any necessary funds ahead of time, and provide students with at least 12 months of financial, social and academic support.

“In addition to the compelling nature of the program on humanitarian grounds alone, the Student Refugee Program is an extremely valuable way of promoting peace and social justice, facilitating learning and understanding, and establishing on-campus opportunities for all staff and students to become involved through volunteerism,” says Lauren Konrad, Student Integration Coordinator with RRC’s Diversity and Intercultural Services office.

The College’s first student refugee will arrive in Canada in August 2015. The student will be enrolled in RRC’s Applied Accounting program, and will live on-campus at the College’s student residence downtown. Read More →

Congratulations to the most recent recipients of Red River College’s Lieutenant-Governor’s Medals for Proficiency, awarded as part of our 2015 Winter Convocation ceremonies on Feb. 9 and 10.

Each year, a maximum of four Lt-.Gov.’s Medals are awarded to RRC students who best combine good character, academic and technical achievement, and involvement in College and/or community activities. This year’s winners are:

DIEGO FERNANDO MENDOZA, Chemical and Biosciences Technology

A May 2014 graduate of the College’s Chemical and Biosciences Technology program, Diego Mendoza was born in El Salvador, and moved with his family to Canada in 1993, following years of civil unrest.

He graduated with an International Baccalaureate diploma from Miles MacDonnell Collegiate in 2003, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Sciences degree with a major in Microbiology from the University of Manitoba.

After working in quality assurance for a local food company, he enrolled at RRC, where he hoped to gain further experience in analytical and laboratory work. As part of his program’s co-op education component, he landed his current job as a laboratory technician with the City of Winnipeg’s Water and Waste Department, where he monitors local industries to ensure proper waste treatment processes and environmental protections are in place. Read More →