On April 25 (Friday) and 26 (Saturday), the Japan ICU Foundation (JICUF) and Wilfrid Laurier University will co-host two events at International Christian University (ICU) focused on providing higher education opportunities for students with refugee backgrounds.

Wilfrid Laurier University, located in Ontario, launched a groundbreaking initiative called International Students Overcoming War (ISOW) in 2014. This student-led and student-funded program supports students from conflict zones across the world to study safely in Canada. Each undergraduate and graduate student at Wilfrid Laurier pays $8 each semester to fund ISOW. Since its inception, ISOW has welcomed 43 students from nine countries, andmore than 150 Wilfrid Laurier students have served on the ISOW team.

JICUF and ISOW Faculty Advisor Professor Gavin Brockett have crossed paths multiple times in recent years because of our shared commitment to support students with refugee backgrounds. In 2024, he proposed to JICUF to co-host a workshop on student action for humanitarian causes, which led to the planning of these events. He will be joined by a team of 10 student leaders at ICU. Moreover, Professor Jeonghyeon Kim of Chungnam National University of the Republic of Korea will bring a group of four students to both events.

On Friday, April 25, the ISOW team will give a presentation about their work. All students, faculty and staff are invited to join the session from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the International Conference Room of the Dialogue House. A reception will follow immediately after the presentation in the cafeteria, where participants can mingle with the international guests. To participate, please register here by April 14.

On Saturday, April 26, a full-day workshop will be held for students (both undergraduate and graduate students welcome). This event was organized by a student planning committee composed of two ISOW students, two ICU students, and one student from Sophia University, Waseda University and Chungnam National University, respectively. The morning will start off with a panel discussion with Prof. Brockett, Prof. Kim, Norimasa Orii of the NPO Pathways Japan, and Aki Takada of JICUF. The keynote speaker is Enrique Piñeyro, philanthropist, activist, pilot, film director and actor. Mr. Piñeyro founded the NGO Solidaire, where he uses his aviation skills to deliver humanitarian aid, transport refugees, and rescue people.

In the afternoon, students will explore how to build compelling cases for university support of refugee-related programs and develop actionable plans. Students who wish to participate should register here.

Schedule for Friday, April 25
16:00-17:30 Presentation by ISOW & Discussion
17:30-19:30 Reception

Schedule for Saturday, April 26 
8:30-9:30 Registration
9:30-10:00 Opening Remarks
10:00-11:00 Panel Discussion “Understanding the Need for University Engagement”
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-12:15 Keynote Speech by Enrique Piñeyro
12:30-13:30 Lunch
13:30-14:50 Active Listening: What are we going to do?
14:50-16:15 Making the Case for Universities and Humanitarian Action
16:00-16:15 Break
16:15-17:00 Action Planning
17:00-17:30 Closing Remarks

We are delighted to bring these two exciting events to ICU, and hope that many will take this opportunity to interact with students and faculty from both Canada and Korea.