3 new clubs to check out at KPU
Meet the passionate club leaders ready to connect with the KPU community
Club leaders pictured left to right at the Surrey campus courtyard: Leo Thomas, Simran Devgun, Navpreet Toor, and Lotanna Uzomah. (Hope Lompe/Claudia Culley)
Three new and exciting clubs have been added to Kwantlen Polytechnic University this spring. The Kwantlen Student Association approved the revitalized Kwantlen Sikh Student Association (KSSA), African and Caribbean Students Association, and the Kwantlen Malayali Club (KMC) at the March 22 executive meeting.
The three clubs represent the passion each of the leaders share in bringing together their community at KPU by fostering places for connection, friendship, mentorship, and learning. These leaders share what they’ve been working on with the KPU community.
“[It’s] connecting back to a lot of students Sikh roots, … that’s part of their personalities, part of who they are as a person. When they come here, I feel like they have to lose a lot of that because they don’t have the opportunities to reconnect with that,” says Navpreet Toor, vice president of the KSSA and entrepreneurial leadership student.
“So [we are] holding events that foster a community where there’s education on Sikhism, where it’s promoted, and creating a very positive environment for them to celebrate who they are.”
Once up and running, the KSSA is planning to host a weekly Vichar, a time of learning, discussion, and reflection, an important part of Sikh culture. The Vichar will be hosted by moderators and guest lecturers who will discuss topics relevant to Sikhism and Sikh students.
“I think it fosters a very positive environment, especially when you have different people coming together, sharing their views on how they relate to something that you relate to as well in a different way,” says Simran Devgun, advisor to the KSSA and former club president from 2011 to 2012.
The club also hopes to host occasional langar (community kitchen) events open to the public, a time of community to share free food and connect, regardless of background. They are planning to announce a mental health awareness event, which will be held in the KPU Surrey campus Spruce building atrium in May to address the mental health stigma that still exists in the Sikh community, Toor says.
President of the African and Caribbean Students Association and KPU psychology student Lotanna Uzomah also sees the need to address issues of cultural identity and mental health in his club. His goal is to bring students from these cultures together and foster community in an impactful way.
“We actually have a big population and it grows each semester. I just noticed there was no union for us. We had no name here, and we needed to empower ourselves,” Uzomah says.
“The goal is to empower, celebrate, and educate students in KPU and the world about African and Caribbean students. Although it was very tough to make this club, we are trying our best constantly to make ourselves known out there.”
The club is planning to host a launch day open to the public featuring booths set up with African and Carribean food where students can come to meet the members and learn more about the club.
Once up and running, they will meet twice a month on the upper floor of the Birch building and host more structured talks and discussion throughout the semester on topics impacting their community.
“I think spreading awareness of [things] like mental health and also drugs is a very big element. … Not only issues about mental health, also people’s individual experiences,” Uzomah says.
The Kwantlen Malayali Club has already sparked student interest with 29 members signed up. Soon to be up and running, the club is planning to kick-off with a networking event, begin regular meetups soon after, and host campus events during Malayali holidays.
“Our purpose for our club is to create an environment where other Malayali students at KPU can network with each other and celebrate our cultural events [and] traditions,” says Leo Thomas, president of the Kwantlen Malayali Club and KPU business student.
Thomas recognized the need for other students of Malayali heritage to connect and feel more at home in Canada.
“India being a country with a lot of cultures and languages, you don’t really get along with a lot of people. Each state has their own language, their own cultures, their own festivities. So, I’ve always pushed back or felt left out,” Thomas says.
“It’s so comforting to know that you have someone from your own place around the [university]. There’s a lot of stuff you can talk about back home, and you don’t find a lot of people you can talk to. So it’s so much easier when you have someone [from] your own place.”
To learn more, check out the clubs’ Instagram accounts for updates, announcements, and event details @ssakwantlen, @kpusoca, and @kwantlen.malayali.club.
