Coast Capital Savings and the University of the Fraser Valley are continuing their collaborative partnership by creating the Coast Capital Savings Peer Resource and Leadership Centre.
Coast Capital has contributed $50,000 for the centre, which is located in the Student Union Building on the Abbotsford campus.
The centre will provide a safe and supportive environment where students can give other students guidance, resources, and information they require to be successful.
This funding is part of an ongoing partnership between UFV and Coast Capital Savings that has helped foster the development of leaders at the university since 2008 and has had a significant positive impact on students’ lives.
Since 2008, Coast Capital Savings has contributed $300,000 to student leadership initiatives.
Student leaders will receive formalized training in UFV and community service resources and will refer students to the appropriate services as required.
The centre will also provide critical and multi-faceted peer-to-peer leadership in a variety of areas, including counselling and crisis intervention.
Volunteers will be trained in peer-to-peer counselling with guidelines on how and when to refer students to professional services.
Student volunteers will also represent a highly skilled leadership group acting as an idea incubator, providing support and guidance to students who are seeking to launch student initiatives.
The centre was born out of a practicum project completed by Jasper Moedt, at that time a fourth-year UFV criminal justice student.
Moedt has a passion for helping others, and now as a graduate of UFV, is seeing his hard work come to life with the opening of the centre.