UofT is known for always being at the forefront of advocacy and creating student leaders who seek to do good for the world. It all starts with organizations such as University of Toronto Global Brigades, a not-for-profit group that seeks to empower communities that are less fortunate than us. From their multi-faceted divisions within the organization to the amazing opportunities to actually go to these underdeveloped communities and get hands-on experience at advocacy, UTGB is most definitely one of the organizations which makes UofT so amazing. Read on about this organization, and how you can get involved!
Name of organization: University of Toronto Global Brigades – UTGB
Year established: 2013
Campus affiliation: UTSG, UTSC
Links to social media:
Instagram: @uoftglobalbrigades
Facebook: University of Toronto Global Brigades – UTGB
Answers provided by:
Danielle de Silva – Director of Outreach, Fourth Year, Arts and Sciences, Victoria College Global Health major, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major
Orianna Mak – Campus Chairperson, Fourth Year, Arts and Sciences, New College Global Health Specialist
Tell me a bit about UTGB in a few sentences or less
Danielle: UTGB is a chapter of Global Brigades, a student-led non-profit focused on sustainable development in Central America and Ghana! By building authentic partnerships with local community leaders, we help to empower community-led development with the ultimate goal of self-sustainability. Through GB’s holistic model, UTGB seeks to empower under-resourced communities to resolve health and economic inequities.
What made you interested in being a part of this club?
Danielle: As a Global Health student, I was always on the look-out for international opportunities. When I discovered UTGB, however, I realized that there is so much more to international development than I thought. As I learnt more about the Global Brigades organization as a whole, I became more and more passionate! I began to understand and value the necessity for holistic and sustainable development, so that communities and individuals feel a lasting change. I love Global Brigades’ model that we as students volunteers are able to empower communities. Since I first became involved with UTGB, I have never looked back because I believe this is an incredible organization!
Do you feel that advocacy and volunteer-work play an important role in university life? What are some small ways students can be involved with advocacy?
Danielle: Most definitely! It might be cliché to say, but we as students truly are the future! It’s important for us to first understand the world around us, and the different situations that individuals and communities face. This will help us in any career path we find ourselves on! Advocacy is extremely crucial, we need to understand that we can make our voices heard, and we have the power to change things that we are unhappy with! Joining relevant campus groups is one small way to get involved with advocacy. And personally, I find that having conversations is one amazing way of advocating! This way we can both educate others on certain topics we are passionate about, while also learning different perspectives. It’s amazing how interpersonal connections like these can bring about great change!
Orianna: Going off of what Danielle said, I truly believe that we are incredibly privileged to be on a university campus like UofT, and we should take full advantage of our place in society to advocate for those without a voice.
Tell me about the brigade types within your organization. How do they work and can any student be a part of them?
Orianna: GB has 8 brigade programs – medical, dental, engineering, water, public health, business, environmental, human rights. For each program, there are brigades, but remember that they are much more than that. For example, the medical program has three main pillars, the brigades themselves, the Community Health Worker program, and the patient referral program. The design of the programs ensure year-long sustainability that is directed by the communities themselves and facilitated by in-country GB staff. In terms of the brigades, any student from any program can join! They typically run in the summer season, and recruitment begins as soon as the school year starts. Each brigade type is different. The best way to get more information is to attend one of our info sessions that we’ll be hosting later on in the semester. Alternatively, you can contact us via social media or email!
Which countries is UTGB focusing on this year? What are some of the goals of these countries?
Danielle: The Central American country of Honduras is quite close to our hearts here at UTGB, and we typically send our volunteers here.
Orianna: We will most likely be returning to Honduras, however, if we manage to recruit enough students for a Human Rights brigade, that will be going to Panama. As Danielle said, Honduras is near and dear to our hearts here at UTGB. After going there for so many years, we have developed lasting relationships with the staff there and we look forward to seeing them every summer. Additionally, with Honduras being one of the poorest countries in Latin America, there is definitely a great need for GB. Something else that I admire about GB Honduras is that they try to work as closely as possible with the Honduran government. For example, their Community Health Workers become certified by the Ministry of Health once they have completed the training administered by GB. I believe government commitment is a critical factor in creating lasting change.
What are you excited about with UTGB this year?
Danielle: The school year hasn’t even started yet and there are already so many exciting events and opportunities we are working on! On September 28th, UTGB is collaborating with various other organizations are groups at UofT to host a UN Youth Training Sustainable Development Goal Conference! This event is geared towards youths (though anyone can attend!) and seeks to encourage attendees to learn more about how they can contribute to international development! And of course we have all of our brigades to look forward to!
Orianna: We are also planning to host our first big gala fundraiser sometime later this year, so keep an eye out for that!
Are you working with any other organizations for events/volunteer-work at UofT?
Danielle: Yes, we are! For our UN Youth Training Sustainable Development Goal Conference, we are partnering with the Foundation for Environmental Stewardship (FES) organization, as well as some UofT clubs! These include UofT’s chapters for Engineers Without Borders and Students for Partners in Health, Amnesty International UofT, as well as the Global Student Network and BRASA! We are always excited to collaborate with other organizations and groups at UofT for events and opportunities!
How can one get involved with UTGB?
Danielle: There are lots of different ways to get involved with UTGB! First off, we have our General Members. These individuals are integral to our group as they help us staff events and spread the word about UTGB! General members also have the opportunities to join our subcommittees (i.e. fundraising, donations) which allows them to be more involved with the preparation processes of our different events and brigades. We accept General Member and subcommittee applications throughout the year. Interested individuals can also email universityoftoronto@globalbrigades.org in order to be added to our mailing list. We also accept applications for brigade volunteers (brigaders)! Application forms are finalized once we have decided which brigade types we will be operating during the year and when, and we typically begin accepting applications a few months prior to the brigade. We send out the application to all General Members on our mailing list, as well as promote it on social media in order to reach out to more students. In addition to attending the brigade itself, brigaders are also highly encouraged to get involved with us throughout the year. This helps students to understand the organization better and help with many aspects necessary to prepare for brigades!
Photos provided by University of Toronto Global Brigades