With memories of the pandemic being left behind, many executives of the BCIT Student Association (BCITSA) have been working to organize events that help reintroduce excitement into the campus environment, getting students more interested in BCIT life, beyond academics.
On November 29, 2022, the BCITSA and the City of Burnaby brought us the Burnaby Community Winter Fest, its main purpose to build engagement between students and the local community. Offering fun activities like painting and a prize draw, the Winter Fest welcomed vendors with various products and talented artists. As an attendee myself, I found it very relaxing and joyful to join the Winter Fest just before my exam crunch.
And the event wouldn’t have been possible without Tanya Fuchs, VP Student Experience of the BCITSA.
Around a month before the event, the Publications and Events teams asked her if she could organize it with them, and she was thrilled to help. Deciding on when to hold the event was difficult because they knew that students were likely busy around that time, already having to balance numerous courses and social life. Tanya and the team reviewed exam schedules together to find times when most students could attend.
In addition, Tanya worked with the Marketing and Communications team, researching and contacting vendors perfect for the event, especially those that sold gifts and food since Christmas was around the corner. She helped to assign vendors their tables (reservable by deposit). She was also in charge of creating a playlist, which played when the attending musicians (BCIT students) weren’t playing live, and giving feedback on the many marketing materials.
The event was a hit with the total attendee count well over 1000 (based on attendance counts and submissions to the prize draws). Tanya discovered that the participants included not just BCIT students: many participants outside of campus had joined! This was made possible by a substantial grant from the City of Burnaby, who sponsored the event for the Burnaby Community.
Now the BCITSA is planning the next big festival, happening in October of 2023—follow @bcitsa on Instagram to learn more about that!
And if you’re interested in organizing events at BCIT or contributing to the school culture, Tanya encourages you to join the BCITSA or one (or more) of the 40+ clubs available here at BCIT!
