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 →

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 →

For the fifth year in a row, Red River College has been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers. This annual award acknowledges RRC’s environmentally-friendly policies, and programs that effectively engage staff in their sustainability efforts.

“Red River College continues to be a champion of sustainability in Manitoba, and I congratulate Sara MacArthur, Kristine Koster and Sue Hayduk from our Sustainability team for their efforts in continuing to cultivate a culture of sustainability,” said David Rew, Interim President and CEO, Red River College.

“As the only post-secondary institution in Manitoba to receive this honour each year for the past five years, this is something every member of our College community takes pride in.”

RRC works hard to be designated one of Canada’s Greenest Employers and is proud of the many sustainable initiatives launched by the College, including: Read More →

Red River College’s Culinary Arts students already benefit from having access to the finest chocolate, and now a new agreement ensures that arrangement will continue for the foreseeable future.

The in-kind donation comes from a partnership between RRC’s Paterson GlobalFoods Institute and Cacao Barry and Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products. Originally signed in 2012, the successful union continues with a three-year extension that will see Barry Callebaut provide RRC with an expanded line of chocolates and fillings.

“Cacao Barry and Callebaut’s top-end chocolates have been a huge resource for the college, and have taken the chocolate lessons we provide to a higher level,” says Don Pattie, pastry instructor in the Culinary Arts program. “Continuing with this partnership is an outstanding opportunity for our students that places them well above students in a lot of other colleges.”

In addition to the chocolate, RRC will continue to send one Culinary Arts instructor each year to Barry Callebaut’s chocolate academy in Montréal. Barry Callebaut’s chocolatiers will also visit RRC every second year to run demonstrations for aspiring chefs. 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 is proud to be named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2015. This prestigious recognition highlights employers that stand out through their efforts to create diverse, inclusive workplaces.

This is the first time the College has been recognized with this distinction. The full list of employers for 2015 was announced earlier today, with 65 organizations leading the nation in creating inclusive workplace cultures.

“At Red River College, we strive to ensure that equity and diversity are embedded in the College’s practices and that it is demonstrated in the classroom, and throughout the workplace,” said David Rew, Interim RRC President. “Equity and inclusion are an integral part of our values that allow the College to create a welcoming and inclusive environment. I know I speak for the entire organization when I say how honoured we are to have [been] recognized with this distinction.”

As part of the College’s submission, many areas were highlighted as initiatives that support an inclusive and open environment, including the College’s LGBTT* Initiative and Mental Health First Aid resources, along with a number of wellness and staff awards, and recognition programming to support staff success and well-being. Read More →

You know what they say about March: In like a lamb, out like a linebacker. (Out like a line dancer? Lion tamer? Something like that.)

Anyway, March is well underway, the snow is starting to melt, and as always, the Red River College Students’ Association has a full slate of activities on tap to help students and staff celebrate spring.

From pub nights and karaoke jams to cultural showcases from around the world, there’s no shortage of seasonal events in store. See below for details, or visit rrcsa.ca for more.

St. Patrick’s Day Pub Night

Tuesday, March 17
Kings Head Pub
Cover: $5

Sample from the Kings Head’s extensive selection of draft beer, while enjoying sets by local Celt-rockers Dust Rhinos and Celtic Way. Read More →

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.

The considerable talents of the College’s Graphic Design students will be on full display this weekend, during the program’s annual Art at the Forks fundraiser, in which students have just two days to create an original piece… in public.

On Fri. and Sat., Feb. 27 and 28, second-year design students will gather at The Forks Market to create (and complete!) new pieces using a variety of materials and media. The event concludes Saturday evening with a public viewing at 6 p.m., followed by a wine-and-cheese reception and an auction of the students’ works.

Tickets for the Saturday reception, which benefits both Winnipeg Harvest and the Graphic Design grad show fund, are available for $10 at The Forks on Feb. 27 and 28.

Click here for more info on the event, and here for more on RRC’s Graphic Design program.