Campus Living resident advisors Jazmin Hysert (left) and Sarah Donald, submitted.
A group of University of Winnipeg students is hosting an interactive event this week to raise awareness about some of downtown Winnipeg’s smallest — and busiest — residents.
Students are invited to take part in the Urban Been Program on Wednesday, March 22 at 6:30 pm in McFeetors Hall: Great-West Life Student Residence. The event is organized by several Campus Living resident advisors, with the goal of teaching attendees about the plight of urban bees in Winnipeg.
Resident advisors are responsible for developing programming for students living on campus throughout the year. The topics are wide ranging and Sarah Donald, a resident advisor and self-titled freelance nature advocate, was inspired to create a program about urban bees after watching a documentary on the subject.
“I’ve always had an interest in our bee population after I found out they were struggling, so I took the opportunity with programming to raise awareness for students,” Donald said. “I felt that there wasn’t a lot of knowledge, so I felt that it was important to educate people and, obviously, we live in the urban community alongside the urban bee population.”
The event will include presentations on the local bee population, the benefits of bee gardens, and bee sustainability on campus. Attendees will also be invited to plant seedlings and paint rocks for the bee garden Donald is hoping to create outside of McFeetors Hall this summer.
Donald believes the subject of urban bees is relevant for student residents because a portion of the food they eat is produced by the urban beehives run by UWinnipeg’s Diversity Foods.
“Residents of McFeetors Hall have a mandatory meal plan through Diversity Foods and Diversity has hives, so it applies to what we eat as students,” she said, adding that the hives provide the campus food service with approximately six-months worth of honey.
Urban Bee Program
When: Wednesday, March 22 6:30 pm.
Where: McFeetors Hall: Great-West Life Student Residence, 370 Langside Street.
