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VIU student joins sustainable development committee

DCN-JOC News Services February 2, 2021

VICTORIA, B.C. — A Vancouver Island University (VIU) student has been chosen to join the ImpAct Student and Alumni Advisory Committee (ISAAC), a group that was launched to advance social, economic and environmental well-being.

Felicia Fischer, a second-year master of community planning student, will get a chance to advise on collaborative sustainable development initiatives taking place at institutions across Canada and develop strategies to get students involved in them.

The initiative, which was launched by Colleges and Institutes Canada, borrows the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) system as a framework. It zeroes in on three collaborative projects that aim to reduce barriers to inclusive access, promote social entrepreneurship, and improve campus sustainability. ISAAC, which meets once a month, provides strategic input and guidance into initiatives arising from these three working groups.

“We provide student perspectives and a diversity of experiences to the work,” said Fischer in a press release.

Officials explained the SDGs offer crucial guidelines to help tackle some of the worlds most urgent challenges.

Fischer, who is half-German and half-Trinidadian, said she believes her background and experiences contributed to her successful application. Her father’s career as a pilot meant she lived in many different countries. In 2015, Fischer moved to Canada from the U.K., where she completed an international baccalaureate diploma, to start her undergraduate degree in digital media sudies at VIU.

At VIU, Fischer has been a peer helper and took on an internship position with the faculty of international education.

Fischer explained her ultimate goal is to work in a role where she can bridge the gap between members of the public who want to be involved and those making urban design decisions.

“We are shaped by the buildings that surround us as much as they are shaped by us,” said Fischer. “Good planning and urban design can create an environment that brings out the best in us.”