Voice of the Community, featuring photos by Carlos Reyes-Manzo, is the result of a three-year research project exploring the strengths and challenges facing rural PEI communities. The book is a collaboration between Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Reyes-Manzo, and a research team led by Dr. Vianne Timmons (former Vice-President, Academic Development and Adjunct Professor of Education) and consisting of Drs. Sandy McAuley and Fiona Walton (Education), Barb Campbell and Kim Critchley (Nursing), and Jennifer Taylor (Family and Nutritional Science). (Andes Press Agency)

Students in UPEI's School of Nursing work to promote public health through their clinical placements in health centres, public health offices, hospitals, and manors across Prince Edward Island. In the fall 2009 semester alone, UPEI placed 240 students all across these clinical sites. Fourth-year nursing students also provided much-needed assistance with H1N1 vaccination clinics in November. They worked in public health offices in Charlottetown, Summerside, and Souris, and in various schools across the province.

Since 2000, UPEI’s staff, faculty and students have donated over 1,500 units of blood to the Canadian Blood Service through on-campus clinics and visits to the CBS Charlottetown Centre.

A joint project across Atlantic Canada, this project work to build capacity and infrastructure development in school health. Dr. Donna Murnaghan (Nursing) leads the PEI schools network. Work includes proposal development, data training, publication writing, and partnership development and maintenance. The reach of this project is more geared to academics, but also targets key stakeholders (NGOs, health alliances, provincial departments, youth groups, the Teachers’ Federations, and Home & School Associations). The other three networks include workplace health, community health, and data analysis.

The Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative (CRTCRI) was conducted at one Prince Edward Island intermediate school by the Comprehensive School Health Research Team (CSHRT). The team surveyed adolescent-aged students’ beliefs and perceptions surrounding the physical and social environmental factors at school which influence students’ decisions to remain smoke-free.

More recently, the School Health Action Planning & Evaluation System / Youth Smoking Survey – Prince Edward Island (SHAPES/YSS-PEI) was implemented in the 2008-09 school year across PEI (grades 5-12 - census sample). The School Health Action Planning and Evaluation System collected data on physical activity, healthy eating, tobacco use, and mental fitness. In the upcoming school year (09/10), we are proposing to meet with schools to discuss their feedback reports, identify areas for improvement, and...

Farmers Helping Farmers is a PEI-based non-governmental organization that partners with East African farm groups to improve agricultural production for sustainable development within communities. UPEI maintains a strong connection to this organization and has partnered in international development projects since 2004.

Located on the 5th Floor of Dalton Hall, The Mawi'omi Aboriginal Student Centre exists to support Aboriginal students at UPEI, through mentoring and support services such as tutoring, counselling, helping with course selection, and finding volunteer or work opportunities.

This project extends beyond the UPEI campus, as its student mentors visit junior and senior high schools on PEI, offer "Lunch and Learn" community presentations and research on how to expand outreach, and encourage more Aboriginal students to pursue post-secondary education.

For more information: www.upei.ca/nursing/mawiomi/