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Engaging Local, National, Indigenous and Global Communities 23-24

Building a Sporting Community through Recreation Camps and Clinics

Athletics & Recreation camps and clinics provide excellent community outreach. 3,851 youth participated in camps and clinics in the 2023–2024 year, with 61 campers receiving scholarships to attend camps at McMaster. Busing was provided for 350 campers from Hamilton, Ancaster, Burlington, Oakville, Stoney Creek, Waterdown and Winona. Additionally, more than 180 student staff worked to support camp initiatives, providing valuable work experiences for our students. These programs earned approximately $288,300 in revenue for the department. 

Collaborative, Community-Wide Initiatives Foster Belonging

In partnership with the McMaster Students Union and other campus partners, Student Affairs: Marketing, Communications and Community Engagement fostered belonging through community-wide events and initiatives such as Welcome Week, Holiday Market and Light Up the Night. 

Hosting the Illume 2023 National Arts & Sports Festival

McMaster University hosted the Illume 2023 National Arts & Sports Festival in August 2023, bringing together 2,600+ youth and adult members of the Ismaili Muslim community in a qualifying event for the 2024 International Global Encounters Festival in Dubai. Housing & Conference Services and Athletics & Recreation worked with Illume officials to host 8 of its 18 sporting events on campus; McMaster also partnered with Tourism Hamilton for offsite and local venues. Approximately 1,500 guests were accommodated across three residences, with over 22,000 meals (both on and offsite) prepared throughout the weekend.

Intramurals Grow McMaster’s Recreational Community

This year, intramural sports offered by Athletics & Recreation expanded to offer more avenues for participants to play and develop the McMaster recreational sporting community, with approximately 6,000 unique participants (20% growth) since the last comparable operational year in 2019–2020 (pre-pandemic).

Mme Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Visits the McMaster Community

This year, the Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) hosted Mme Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, internationally revered human rights advocate, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of Liberia. During the visit, Sirleaf met with members of the African-Caribbean Faculty Association of McMaster (ACFAM) and students at the BSSC. She spoke about the global impact of the McMaster community: “The graduates will leave here, go back home, and carry the spirit that has been developed by being part of the McMaster community. You have the opportunity to carry that spirit to other nations.” 

New ionkhihahonnién:ni Bursary for Indigenous Students

An innovative new bursary for Indigenous students from Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Nations launched this academic year. The new bursary, ionkhihahonnién:ni, which means “they’re making a path for us” in the Mohawk language, addresses individual funding gaps in both tuition and cost of living expenses such as housing, childcare and transportation. The bursary was created in response to recent announcements of tuition waivers at Ontario universities and in consultation with McMaster’s Indigenous Education Council, Joint Indigenous-Administrative Consultation Group and external funding partners such as the Grand River Post-Secondary Education Office.

Offering Culturally Specific Support and Counselling

Psychotherapist-spiritual counsellors with Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim identities were contracted to help address the specific needs of Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim students. This initiative was developed in partnership between the Student Wellness Centre (SWC) and Spiritual Care and Learning Centre (SCLC) and in consultation with the campus community.

Programming Brings Together the International and Exchange Student Community

The International and Exchange Student Experience (IESE) team within the Student Success Centre (SSC) provides opportunities for students to celebrate and learn about global perspectives through intercultural learning programming. Program highlights included: the Multicultural Showcase, the largest cultural event on campus featuring diverse student performances; the international talent showcase; the Intercultural Learning Certificate, featuring 50+ events; and Global Waves, where students educated their peers about their culture. These opportunities were open to all domestic, international and exchange students (undergraduate and graduate).