{"id":82783,"date":"2026-07-15T00:05:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.saigonbiz.com\/vn\/ufvs-peace-and-reconciliation-centre-earns-international-award-for-community-partnership\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T00:05:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:05:33","slug":"ufvs-peace-and-reconciliation-centre-earns-international-award-for-community-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.saigonbiz.com\/vn\/ufvs-peace-and-reconciliation-centre-earns-international-award-for-community-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"UFV’s Peace and Reconciliation Centre earns international award for community partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PARC receives Silver CASE Circle of Excellence Award and is recognized as the highest-ranked initiative from Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest in its category.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chilliwack, B.C., July 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The University of the Fraser Valley\u2019s\u00a0Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC)<\/a>\u00a0has been recognized\u00a0internationally\u00a0for its\u00a0ongoing\u00a0success creating partnerships with Indigenous communities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) presents annual Circle of Excellence Awards\u00a0\u2014\u00a0recognizing exceptional achievement in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing. CASE\u00a0recognizes\u00a0creative, inspiring projects that\u00a0impact\u00a0institutions and their communities \u2014 and transform lives around the globe.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

UFV\u2019s PARC received a Silver Award in Targeted Constituency Engagement, recognizing initiatives that engage a targeted constituency in activities or events that advance an institution\u2019s mission or goals. PARC\u2019s submission was one of only six recognized in the category and the highest-ranked initiative from Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work to be responsive to communities,\u201d says\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Keith\u00a0Carlson,\u00a0PARC\u00a0director and\u00a0a\u00a0Canada\u00a0Research Chair\u00a0in Indigenous and Community-Engaged History. \u201cOur best initiatives emerge from invitations that communities make for us to partner with them; to create something for and with them.\u00a0\u00a0In this way our research, teaching, and programs are directly relevant and meaningful. They help facilitate change that is anchored in solid scholarship that addresses community-identified priorities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to UFV\u2019s award submission,\u00a0when UFV\u00a0established\u00a0PARC\u00a0in 2020<\/a>, it succeeded in moving\u00a0institutional reconciliation beyond statements and into public practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPARC was created as a shared community-university space where Indigenous leaders, students, faculty, elders, nonprofits, and local governments work together,\u201d the\u00a0submission\u00a0noted.\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0centre hosts community dialogues, cultural and experiential learning, and public education to connect academic study with community priorities. Students\u00a0participate\u00a0directly through coursework, placements, and events, bridging theory and practice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among the many notable projects carried out by PARC:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Beyond Blankets: A\u202fSt\u00f3:l\u014d\u202fLands Exercise<\/a>\u00a0is an immersive, community-developed learning experience that invites participants to journey through the history of\u00a0St\u00f3:l\u014d\u00a0T\u00e9m\u00e9xw. Through experiential learning, participants explore the impacts of settler colonialism while gaining a deeper understanding of\u00a0St\u00f3:l\u014d\u00a0history, relationships to the land, and the enduring resilience and continuity of\u00a0St\u00f3:l\u014d\u00a0people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Xwel\u00edtem Siy\u00e1ya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building<\/a>\u00a0has welcomed hundreds of participants into a relational learning experience that explores Indigenous\u2013settler histories, relationships, responsibilities, and pathways toward reconciliation. Through dialogue, reflection, and learning alongside Indigenous educators, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers, participants deepen their understanding of authentic allyship and the ongoing work of reconciliation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0The\u00a0BMO Collaboratorium<\/a>\u00a0partners with community organizations to support affordable, community-engaged research while creating meaningful opportunities for undergraduate students to apply their skills to projects that advance peace, reconciliation, and positive community impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the CASE judges,\u00a0PARC\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0how institutional advancement can function as public trust-building.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe centre prioritizes community partnership over traditional communications tactics. By investing in physical space, student involvement, and programming that centers on Indigenous voices, the initiative demonstrates an authentic approach to trust-building and reconciliation. Its societal impact and its shift from a donor-centric to a community-centric model offer a powerful example for institutions seeking to deepen their role as civic partners.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Leanne Jarrett, PARC\u2019s coordinator, the recognition is\u00a0ultimately a\u00a0reflection of the relationships behind the work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the heart of these initiatives are relationships, dialogue, and shared experiences that invite people to learn from and with one another,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s encouraging to see that approach recognized, and the recognition belongs just as much to the students, community partners, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers who have shaped this work as it does to those of us who help coordinate and support it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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For media inquiries:<\/b>\u202f\u202f
Stacy Kirpichova, MA\u00a0
Acting Director, UFV Communications\u202f\u202f\u00a0
stacy.kirpichova@ufv.ca<\/a><\/p>\n

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About UFV<\/b>\u202f<\/p>\n

Located in the beautiful Fraser Valley just east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV)\u202fis a\u202ffully accredited<\/a>, public university that enrolls approximately 15,000 students per year. UFV has\u202fcampuses and locations<\/a>\u202fin Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Hope.<\/p>\n

We offer\u202fmore than 100 programs<\/a>, including three master\u2019s degrees, 21 bachelor\u2019s degrees with majors, minors, and extended minors in more than 35 subject areas, four graduate certificates, and more than a dozen\u202ftrades and technology programs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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