Hosts & Challenges

Challenge: Are you a student eager to explore a career in business, accounting or auditing? Canada Life has an exciting challenge opportunity within our Canadian Controller group that might be perfect for you!

Join our Canadian team and take on a project that will contribute to the evolution of our financial reporting controls (ICOFR) framework. You'll collaborate with various business units to update process documentation and map controls. Beyond this special project, you'll have the chance to engage in additional ad hoc assignments.

This role offers a unique chance to step into the corporate world and gain a deep understanding of financial reporting controls.

Recommended Skills:

• Education in business and/or accounting.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Project management abilities.
• Effective time management skills.
• Comfort with independent work.
• Medium proficiency with MS Office programs.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 255 Dufferin Ave, London, ON N6A 4K1

Challenge: Are you a student eager to explore a career in competitive intelligence and data analysis? Canada Life has an exciting challenge opportunity within our Business Intelligence group that might be perfect for you!

Join our Canadian team and help innovate and evolve the Market Insights practice within the Business Intelligence team. You'll collaborate with various business units to support updating regular deliverables and ad hoc projects. This role offers a unique chance to step into the corporate world and gain a deep understanding of business intelligence and strategy.

Recommended Skills:

• Education in business and/or data analytics.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Project management abilities.
• Effective time management skills.
• Comfort with independent work.
• Medium proficiency with MS Office programs including Power BI.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 255 Dufferin Ave, London, ON N6A 4K1  

Challenge:  We invite you to join us in an exciting project that focuses on enhancing our digital presence and community engagement. As part of this initiative, you will work on developing a comprehensive social media strategy that includes content creation, targeted campaigns, and analytics to increase our reach and impact. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to design and implement an innovative digital resource hub for our members, featuring educational materials, event information, and business support tools. This project not only allows you to apply your skills in digital marketing and web development but also provides a chance to contribute meaningfully to the growth and success of Black businesses across Canada. Your work will be instrumental in shaping our digital footprint and fostering a more connected and empowered community.

Recommended Skills:

• Digital Marketing: Proficiency in creating and managing social media campaigns, content strategy, and understanding of SEO and SEM.
• Content Creation: Strong skills in writing, graphic design, and video editing to produce engaging and high-quality content.
• Web Development: Basic knowledge of web design and development, including experience with CMS platforms like WordPress or similar.
• Analytics: Ability to analyze data from social media platforms and web analytics tools to measure the effectiveness of campaigns and strategies.
• Project Management: Strong organizational and time management skills to plan, execute, and monitor project progress.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to collaborate with team members and stakeholders effectively.
• Creativity and Innovation: A creative mindset to develop unique and impactful digital content and strategies.
• Understanding of Community Engagement: Knowledge of strategies to engage and support diverse communities, particularly within the context of Black businesses and entrepreneurs.
• These skills will enable the student to contribute effectively to our digital presence and community engagement efforts, ultimately helping to support and empower Black businesses across Canada.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4pm

Challenge:  For three decades, musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions (e.g., low back pain) have persisted as the leading cause of years lived with disability. New approaches are required to address the critical need for effective rehabilitation for MSK conditions. Cross-sector partnerships (clinical, industry, policy) are a promising solution as they unite diverse experiences and skills for research that is socially accountable, relevant and impactful, and education that prepares students to meet the needs of and drive change within real-world clinical practice. However, challenges to authentic and sustainable partnerships exist, such as tokenistic practices. This project is critical early-stage research to support the development of a framework to enable authentic, diverse, and sustainable cross-sector partner engagement in MSK health research and education. The student will work with partners to co-design this research, conduct a scoping review of the literature to identify themes from published research, and participate in a focus group with cross-sector partners to explore themes from the literature to aid deeper understanding. The use of AI will be explored to support the scoping review. The resulting framework will guide how to engage authentically and sustainably with diverse cross-sector partners, ensuring research and education meet the need for effective rehabilitation.

Recommended Skills:

• Effective written and verbal communication skills for engaging with partners, writing the research protocol, participating in the focus group, and presenting findings.
• Strong interpersonal skills for working within a research team and with community partners.
• Organizational skills to manage timelines, tasks, and deliverables.
• Critical thinking and problem solving to conduct research and address challenges as they arise.

Preferred hours: In general, on-site activities occur Monday to Friday during regular business hours (e.g., 9am to 5pm). At times, partner engagement activities and the focus group may be held in the evenings to enable community partners to attend after work.

Address: Elborn College, 1201 Western Rd, London Ontario

Challenge:  We are looking for an Event Management Student Leader, where the candidate will gain experience with the planning and execution of the hirewesternu Career Fair. This is a large-scale event that welcomes over 120 employers to campus and more than 2000 students.

The Event Management Student Leader will gain project coordination skills, event management experience and have the opportunity to assist with executing the marketing strategy.  This individual will be involved in the entire process of the hirewesternu Winter Career Fair from its beginning to execution. They will play an instrumental role in the creation and implementation of the on-campus promotional strategy for students, and will assist with the execution of the hirewesternu Career Fair held on February 11th - February 12th 2025. Overall, the individual will get the opportunity to strengthen their leadership skills, network across campus and gain tangible experience in a professional setting.

Recommended Skills: The individual should have an understanding of effective communication and presentation skills. In addition, experience or interest in event planning and project coordination would be an asset.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, L6A 3K7

Challenge:  Many people prefer learning through experiences, but experiential learning opportunities like internships and co-op placements can be hard to find. The EMOWPDB is bringing a new Open Doors platform to the region to help address this need. Now, there is a need to find and catalogue the opportunities that exists across the region. This position will require the identification of potential opportunities and making connections with businesses and employers to catalogue existing placements and encouraging new placements to be created.

Recommended Skills: This position will be focused on building connections with local employers and services to fill the database with experiential learning opportunities. 

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Technological Proficiency
• Knowledge of excel and maintaining spreadsheets
• Creativity 

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 647 Wilton Grove Rd #3 London, ON N6N 1N7

Challenge:  We have a few we could work with someone on.

A strategic email marketing campaign focused on attraction of new customers, using an extremely large database built over 20 years.

Improvements to account management strategy to ensure long-term retention of clients built upon better understanding of our customers business and how we can adapt our service to meet their needs.

We have been in the workforce management business for over 40 years and are working to stay in front of employment trends and workplace challenges that are rapidly changing due to AI, Automation, and a changing demographic in the overall workforce.

Recommended Skills:

• Data Management
• Understanding of Data
• Marketing,
• Sales Account Management,
• Customer Service,
• Out of the box thinking.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 300 Dundas Street, Suite 200

Challenge:  The student taking on this role will be responsible for developing and producing some core video content for the FIMS TikTok account. We are looking for short videos (1-3 minutes) that showcase some of FIMS' key contributions in academics, research, and community partnerships. It will require the student to quickly become familiar with FIMS highlights and then to lead the planning and production of the videos (with assistance from the Digital Content Coordinator). Skills needed will be storyboarding, videography and video editing. Prior experience with video and social media would be an asset, but we can upgrade the student's skills via training if they are able to bring at least basic experience and natural ability to shooting video for social media. We appreciate creators who can bring a bit of fun and out-of-the-box thinking into their work.

Recommended Skills:

•  Familiarity with FIMS
• Wide exposure to social media platforms, in particular TikTok
• Brainstorming and storyboarding for video
• Ability to shoot video
• Experience with Adobe Premiere or mobile video-editing apps
• Collaborative and open to feedback
• Flexible thinker

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 1151 Richmond Street

Challenge:  Using multiple datasets including tax return data,  demographic databases, and survey responses, Our lab has identified factors that drive financial wellness in Canadians.   It isn't just how much Canadians earn!   

Using machine learning methodologies we have been able to classify Canadians into three groups of financial comfortable, financially coping, and financially stressed.  Originally about 1/3 of employed Canadians were in each cluster, but in recent years about 40% of Canadians classify as financially stressed.

However, there are considerable regional variations in these patterns. In particular Canadians from Quebec appear to be, on average, in better shape relative to financial wellness than other Canadians.  

We want to understand what is driving these differences and how to understand them.   Is it economics? culture? real estate?  All of the above?  None of the above? Some of the above? 

Recommended Skills:

•  Ideally we'd like a student in social science or business who is comfortable with quantitative data without necessarily being a computer whiz.  
• Ability to read French, while not, required,   would be a definite asset. 

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Address: Office of the Dean of Science, Western University Canada, 1151 Richmond St North, London Ontario Canada N6A 5B7

Challenge:  The Global Meteor Network (GMN), hosting over 1000 cameras across 42 countries, is seeking a dedicated student developer to contribute to a pivotal project aimed at mitigating climate change impacts. This position involves helping to manually classify images of aircraft in flight to develop an image recognition algorithm to accurately track and analyze aircraft contrails in imagery captured by our meteor cameras. Depending on the student's technical abilities, it may include some programming tasks, writing sections of scientific papers, and developing new analytical methods.

Recommended Skills: The project is flexible in terms of required skills. Ideally, the student would have some programming and data analysis experience, but it is not a requirement and it can be learned on the job. Some basic knowledge of atmospheric physics and/or astronomy would also be beneficial.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Address: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7

Challenge:  Since 2002, London History Coordinating Committee (LBHCC) has been at the fore front of creating awareness of the diversity and histories of Black communities in the London area, and ensuring that the heritage of London’s Black communities is valued, celebrated, and preserved.

We currently have opportunities for parttime leadership experience for Black students in the following areas:

• Current efforts to incorporate the organization and create an appropriate administrative structure.
• Developing a strategic plans and fund development strategy.
• Developing and strengthening internal processes and tools.
• Research and documentation.
• Partnership development.

Recommended Skills:

• Analytical skills
• Communication skills
• Leadership skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Research skills
• Marketing and community engagement skills
• Business development
• Strategic mindset
• A commitment to EDIDI.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: Fanshawe Pioneer Village, 1424 Clarke Road, London, ON N5X 4A1

Challenge:  At the Chaplaincy sites, we are working hard to raise the level of commitment to post secondary education. We believe in the potential of our children and youth! The children and youth that we work with struggle seeing themselves attending college or university. For many families, the parents do not have trade, college or university training, and some do not have a high school diploma. As an agency we want to inspire the children and youth to work hard to achieve their professional dreams. Our Western BLUE student will continue to build on our “Future Dreams” program which was initiated last year by a Western Blue student. The project will include: Creating inspirational digital content, promotion of the Canada Learning Bond and RESP savings, offering special onsite mentoring seminars for at risk youth,  developing a new "high school study hub" initiative, offering onsite academic support for high school students, organizing college and university tours for grades 9-10 students, creating community celebrations focused on student achievement. As time allows, the student may help the Executive Director create promotional material and develop the Personal best Scholarship program initiative.

Recommended Skills:Initiative, resourcefulness, relationship building, psychology, child and youth development, social determinants of health, trauma-informed care. awareness of poverty needs in London

Preferred hours: Preferably, 2-7 pm time frame to maximize time with children/youth. One day per week could be with adults, 9:30-2 pm time frame

Address: 1481 Limberlost Rd

Challenge:  Please note: For this challenge, we are exclusively interested in B.L.U.E. applicants within a nursing program (undergraduate or graduate).

Pressure injury prevention is a routine part of nursing care, and experts agree that pressure injuries (PIs) are largely preventable; however, these injuries are persisting at concerning levels across most health care systems, including in Ontario and at LHSC, with significant implications for patients and health care organizations. PI prevention is complex and multi-faceted; it requires a commitment to consistent best practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and, importantly, strong leadership to raise awareness among diverse stakeholders and promote organizational change. Preventing PIs is a high priority for the Nursing Practice Excellence and Innovation (NPEI) Division at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), and we are currently pursuing a range of PI prevention initiatives that a B.L.U.E. student could support to develop their leadership skills while also advancing their knowledge of PI prevention within an acute care context. NPEI strongly believes in the importance of co-creating opportunities, and we would work closely with the B.L.U.E. student to collaboratively define their project within our existing PI prevention work to ensure that it that is tailored to their specific interests while enabling them the opportunity to challenge themselves and develop their leadership skills. Current work that they could support includes: (1) developing a policy/protocol to support image capture of wounds in hospital contexts (e.g., completing background research on best practices in wound capture to support PI prevention, engaging LHSC’s policy office and various stakeholders across clinical areas, consulting with experts on the Skin Wound Ostomy Team, etc.), (2) supporting the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a quality improvement project focused on product replacement related to incontinence management pads on patient beds and modification of associated nursing activities (i.e., patient repositioning), and (3) supporting preparations for LHSC’s annual International Pressure Injury Prevalence Survey, which is a large-scale effort to measure a range of PI data points across all inpatients in the hospital. Notably, NPEI applies an equity, diversity, and inclusion lens across all our work, and recognizes that PI prevention cannot succeed without this lens given evidence that PIs often reach a more advanced stage among people with dark skin tones before being detected compared to people with light skin tones; to that end, there are opportunities within this placement to emphasize an equity-focused challenge should this be of interest to the B.L.U.E student.  

Recommended Skills:

• strong communication skills (oral and written)
• strong interpersonal skills
• computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite
• comfort engaging and collaborating with a wide range of individuals and teams from various disciplines at and various levels of leadership across a large, complex organization
• basic understanding of quality improvement principles
• basic skills accessing/interpreting scholarly articles and best practice guidelines
• basic awareness of aspects of nursing care relevant to pressure injuries would be an asset (e.g., the integumentary system, head-to-toe assessment)
• Interest in policy development in the context of nursing

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 800 Commissioners Rd E, London ON

Challenge:  The Black Health team was established in May 2023 as an integral part of the Office of Inclusion and Social Accountability and as the first hospital in Ontario to create a health stream dedicated to Black health, the Office of Black Health team is actively engaged in advancing the important work of addressing inequities in the healthcare system and improving experiences and health outcomes for Black peoples. Part of this work includes building capacity across London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).

The B.L.U.E. student will have a unique opportunity to contribute to the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan for LHSC’s Black History Month 2025 education and celebration activities and/or a collaborative community Black health fair in early 2025.

Key Accountabilities:

Collaborate with the Office of Black Health team to develop a comprehensive plan(s)

Engage with community leaders, healthcare professionals, and key individuals to ensure diverse and culturally relevant initiatives

Conduct research on Black health issues and cultures to inform event content and presentations

Support the promotion and marketing efforts

Provide administrative support, including scheduling meetings, coordinating logistics, and preparing materials

Recommended Skills:

• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with diverse teams and community partners
• Commitment to equity and promoting Black health and cultures

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 800 Commissioners Road East

Challenge:  Students will be tasked with co-designing a black cultural safety strategy and supporting the Middlesex London Ontario Heath Team (ML OHT) with understanding the current needs/priorities of the black community in Middlesex London. Students will lead and guide the ML OHT through this important work and have full creative ability with planning and facilitating co-design events. The cultural safety strategy will help identify area of focus, areas to improve, and actionable next steps for the ML OHT. Students will help develop black health pathways within the OHT and support bringing black voices to the table.

Opportunities for gatherings, lived experience honorarium, and input across all ML OHT’s project is provided. Availability to participate in team trainings, workshops, and more. Flexibility with working hybrid. The OHT partners with 20+ organizations across multiple sectors and will support the students on building their network.

Students will also support the ML OHT Indigenous Health Lead with co-design events, Strategy development, and other initiatives that arise.

Recommended Skills:

• Group Facilitation
• Research Skills
• Strong Writing Skills
• Indigenous Cultural Safety training
• Understanding of the OHTS
• Understanding of the Middlesex London area

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Address: 1385 N Routledge Park, London, ON N6H 5N5

Challenge:  Optimize new hire onboarding to have the best employee experience while covering all mandatory training requirements.  This will involve working with subject matter experts to update training material, and incorporating different training methodolgies and learning styles.  It will cover all aspects of onboarding.  The incumbant will also research training best practices and advanced technologies

Recommended Skills: Knowledge of adult learning principles, Microsoft office tools, communication skills, evaluation and feedback skills, strong organizational skills

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm most days however needs to be somewhat flexible to meet needs.  For example, may require some work on off shifts to meet with subject matter experts, 

Address: 980 Wilton Grove Road

Challenge: Manufacturing Excellence. Labour optimization - Currently our facility is experiencing turnover and have a need to reallocate current position into more value added activities,
Continuous Improvement - As our industry is experiencing unprecedented cost due to commodity prices, the company has to increase its cost savings initiatives through continuous improvement initiatives including bottle neck studies, waste control and operational efficiencies. 

Recommended Skills: Ideally someone who has industry experience, a continuous improvement mindset and growing passion for digital tools ( power aps and chatbot prompts )

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday 8:00-4:30 but may need to work off shifts based on the project assigned

Address: 980 Wilton Grove Road

Challenge:  To contribute in our continuous improvement journey we need someone who can help with achieving reliability goals. This is inclusive but not limited to:  Root cause analysis, breakdown deployment, Re-launch of TPM tools, development of training material for non technical personnel. You will also learn about the finances involved in resolving technical issues and justification of investments.

Recommended Skills: Technically oriented. Knowledge of machines, mechanical principles, PBI is an asset

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 980 Wilton Grove Road

Challenge:  It's all about continual improvement! The successful candidate will learn about the Quality and Food Safety related challenges in the food industry. They will learn about problem solving tools and effective communication with different departments within the factory and Corporate QA, etc.      

Recommended Skills: Internal & external collaboration, problem solving, effective communication, consumer preference, and more.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm

Address: 980 Wilton Grove Road

Challenge:  The London factory, which is a part of Nestle Canada, is a vital manufacturing facility situated in the city of London. It plays a crucial role as a key production site for our company, contributing to the manufacturing and assembly of our products. Equipped with cutting-edge machinery, the factory employs a skilled workforce to ensure efficient and high-quality production. We have multiple production lines and utilize various tools to collect data on line performance. Your role will involve consolidating and analyzing this data, questioning its validity, and providing valuable insights. Specifically, we aim to determine the optimal number of lines to run at the minimum cost, and you will closely collaborate with the Finance team to conduct this analysis.

Recommended Skills:

• Data Analysis: Proficiency in data analysis techniques and tools is essential to effectively analyze the collected data and derive meaningful insights. This includes skills in data manipulation, statistical analysis, and data visualization.
• Basic Financial Analysis
• Problem-Solving: The ability to identify and define complex problems, analyze information, and develop innovative solutions is crucial for this role.
• Communication
• Attention to Detail
• Collaboration: The ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams

Address: 980 Wilton Grove Road

Challenge:  Supporting the Office of EDI but assisting to coordinate events, workshops and guest speakers for programs such as EDID Awareness Week, Black History Month, Pride, etc.  Completing environmental scans of the U15 Universities to support the creation of Guides and resources to serve our campus partners.  Other responsibilities to liaise and support our Equity Deserving student groups and clubs.

Recommended Skills:

• Good research skills
• Great interpersonal, relationship building and communication skills
• Good time management and organizational skills
• Awareness of social justice and advocacy issues

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm and whenever possible, we do hold some evening events but not often.

Address: 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON

Challenge:  We hope to mentor a student interested in educational development, community engagement, and digital media design focused on equity, inclusion, anti-racism, decolonization, and social accountability. The Office of EDI-D at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry has a broad faculty-wide mandate with unique needs and challenges. We work in collaboration with all departments, faculty, learners, and staff to support embedding equity and inclusion principles within all aspects of the school. This opportunity will involve working with the team in the Office of EDI-D (and other collaborators within Schulich) to develop and adapt educational materials using digital media programs. We also collaborate on community engagement activities related to EDI-D, which is another opportunity for participation on projects in this role.

Recommended Skills:

• A strong foundational understanding of equity, inclusion, anti-racism, social accountability, and decolonization
• Experience working with digital media and design software (an asset but not required, having an interest to learn is most important)
• Strong self-directed learning skills and an eagerness to take initiative on projects.
• Open to collaboration, dialogue, and flexibility as this work is always iterative

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: Schulich, Western University

Challenge:  This project is nested in the larger goal focused on supporting Western scholars in meaningfully integrating of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) principles within their research efforts.

The goal of this project is to revise and update content and resource collections on our website to reflect current best practices and guidelines in EDID.

This will involve conducting environmental scans to understand existing trends and gaps, developing new resources, and organizing them effectively with our guidance.

The goal is to create a more comprehensive, accessible, and practical tailored resources as well as collection of resources for researchers that supports the integration of equitable and inclusive research practices.

Applicants will contribute to content revision, resource development, and organizational tasks, ensuring that the materials align with our broader team goals, as well as provide the student with the ability to dive into areas they find most interesting.

Recommended Skills: To tackle this project effectively, students would benefit from having an interest and understanding of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) principles, especially within the research context. Strong research skills and the ability to conduct thorough environmental scans are essential for identifying gaps and developing relevant resources. Excellent writing and organizational skills will help in revising and structuring content clearly and coherently. Additionally, a background in web content management or experience with resource development would be advantageous.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday between 9:00am and 4:00pm is ideal for in office hours - for remote hours, 9:00am and 4:00pm is preferred but not necessary.

Address: Support Services Building, 1393 Western Road London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 3K7

Challenge: Students will be connected to the Residence Curriculum Committee to support in the review and update of the Residence Curriculum. The Residence Curriculum consists of our learning goals and outcomes that guide the work we do in Residence Life. Through the curriculum we are working to ensure students will have the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge needed to excel personally and academically, fostering a sense of belonging and empowering them to positively impact their communities and the world. We would be looking for the student to conduct student focus groups to learn more about student perceptions of the curriculum, review assessment, and lead the review process to update the 2025-26 curriculum.

Recommended Skills:

• initiative
• basic computer skills
• interest in student affairs and curriculum development
• communication

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 230 Sarnia Road, London

Challenge: Shyft Physiotherapy has been serving the London community for over 20 years, with a reputation for delivering high-quality physiotherapy care. During this time, the business of physiotherapy has changed, including the many ways we have to communicate with current clients and attract new ones. This project will involve assessing the various tools we can utilize to communicate better with the public including chat bots, social media, content creation and e-blasts. The successful applicant will gain exposure to the operations of a small healthcare business and have the opportunity to collaborate with administrators, healthcare professionals and contract associates.

Recommended Skills: Applicants should possess strong communication skills, teamwork skills, and be motivated to learn about our business and the needs of our clients. Skills and technical knowledge of content creation and social media production would be helpful.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 310 Wellington Road Unit E, London, Ontario, N6C 4P4

Challenge: The South West has been identified as one of the next future sites for the Ontario Lung Cancer Screening Program (OLSP). This program offers eligible participants (based on age, personal health, and smoking history) the opportunity to receive an annual Low Dose CT scan to monitor for lung cancer, with shared principles with our other organized screening programs in breast, cervical, and colorectal. This project is in the early initiation stages. We are looking for a student who can utilize project principles and best practices to help define and implement EDI principles and strategies for recruitment and stewardship (i.e. to ensure retention in the program) of eligible patients to the OLSP. Cancer screening is crucial in the early detection and therefore improved outcomes of cancer care, and so we are looking for someone that is looking to make a difference in the lives of patients across the South West. 

Recommended Skills:

• Project management
• Stakeholder management (customer service)
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Can work independently
• Takes initiative
• Solution-oriented

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 8 hour days (flexible working hours, start times vary between 7AM and 9AM and end between 3PM and 5PM, depending on student preference)

Address: Victoria Hospital (800 Commissioners Road East, London)

Challenge:  The goal of the project will be to gather and present stories from Ivey Academy Alumni showcasing the impact of our leadership programs. It would involve identifying important topics from the impact data we have already collected and gathering alumni testimonials and stories that exemplify impact in their career, their teams, and organizations. The expectation is that these stories will be presented in an appropriate format to share externally, which could either be a report, a presentation, a series of articles, a website, or other format that the student is comfortable developing.

Recommended Skills: Communication and conversation skills, note-taking from interviews (using AI note-taker is acceptable), writing, organization and time management.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 551 Windermere Rd, London, ON N5X 2T1

Challenge: Type Diabeat It is looking for a motivated student to develop and implement a comprehensive community engagement strategy to enhance our visibility and impact in the London area. The project involves conducting community research, developing outreach plans, creating engaging content, and assisting in planning and executing events. A key focus will be on increasing sector participation among Black Londoners and promoting our mobile application to Black diabetics. This role offers the opportunity to build strong relationships with local organizations, develop strategic communication skills, and gain hands-on experience in event coordination and digital promotion.

Recommended Skills:

• Research Skills: Ability to conduct thorough community research and analysis to identify key stakeholders and areas needing outreach.
• Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills to create engaging content for social media, newsletters, and the website.
• Event Planning: Experience or interest in planning and coordinating community events to ensure successful execution.
• Networking: Ability to build and maintain relationships with local organizations, schools, and community groups.
• Digital Marketing: Knowledge of digital marketing strategies to effectively promote the Type Diabeat It mobile application.
• Cultural Competence: Understanding of and sensitivity to the needs and challenges faced by the BPOC community, particularly Black diabetics.
• Project Management: Organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously, ensuring timely completion and successful outcomes.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to address challenges creatively and adapt strategies based on community feedback and evolving needs.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 201 King Street

Challenge: Supporting our Indigenous Postsecondary Education Council through increasing leadership engagement between local Indigenous Nations and orgs and Western administration. https://www.provost.uwo.ca/pdf/indigenous/IPEC-terms-reference-2019.pdf for more information on the council.

The student would be engaging with senior leadership at Western as well as FNMI communities to create an active  and fully represented council that can guide and speak to the needs and supports of Indigenous students, staff and faculty as well as building relationships between Western faculties/departments and units with local FNMI communities. The student would assist with creating a strategic plan for IPEC that would align with the Office of Indigenous Inititaives strategic plan as well as Western at 150 goal of building relationship with Indigenous communities. THis role would include relationship building between the student and identified members of leadership in the above mentioned communities, faculties and departments. It would require a willingness to learn about Indigenosu ways of being and knowing as well as the priorities of Indigenous people where education is considered.

Recommended Skills:

• working well with others
• open mindedness
• willing to learn about Indigenous culture or already have Indigenous knowledges
• excellent communication skills, written and oral
• Organized
• experience in administrative capacity
• think critically about stratigic plan creation

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Address: 1137 Western Road

Challenge:  The student will have the opportunity to contribute to the activities of the Decolonization, Anti-Racism, and Anti-Oppression (DARAO) Committee at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing. There are several ongoing projects where student support is needed, including a film series designed to help undergraduate students critically reflect on systemic racism in healthcare spaces. Additionally, the student may choose to be involved in supporting the development of a Black-student mentorship program within the School of Nursing, in collaboration with the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance. The student can also contribute to knowledge mobilization activities by promoting ongoing speaker series and faculty development events within the School of Nursing.

Recommended Skills: To successfully tackle the identified challenge or project, the student should have experience with administrative tasks, including meeting organization, event planning, and website support. Proficiency in creating promotional content using Canva will be valuable, especially for knowledge mobilization activities. Experience in health equity work is an asset, as it will provide important context for the projects. Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, along with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines without direct supervision, are essential. Additionally, strong formal writing skills and the ability to communicate professionally will be critical for effectively supporting these initiatives.

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Address: 1151 Richmond Street

Challenge:  Research project website curation: developing and completing webpages for project case studies to do with Black history in London, ON. The work will involve collaboration with project lead and collaboration with project consultants and community partners. There are roughly 12 web pages that need to be prepared for publication through 2024-2025.  

Recommended Skills: Basic experience working with websites and design; knowledge of Black history in Canada and elsewhere; an interest in media studies and how it intersects with public memory; an interest in cities and memorial culture on the civic landscape; ability to think/read analytically, relationally, and critically; visual literacy.  

Preferred hours: Monday to Friday, between 9am and 6pm are preferred hours for on-site work.

Address: FIMS & Nursing Building, Lambton Drive, London, ON

Challenge:  The student would work with the mentor in analyzing Statistics Canada information to look at representation in Canadian universities and postsecondary education. The student will work on literature reviews, learning about data availability, and will learn basic quantitative data analysis and skills. They will work on a project that will provide benchmark assessment of Canada's success in promoting diversity and inclusion in postsecondary education. The project will also provide data and analysis that will help address and challenge systemic inequities.

Recommended Skills: Social science background or major, basic statistical software experience or willingness to learn about it, openness to learning about Statistics Canada data holdings

Preferred hours: Noon to 16h week days for an hour meeting. Best days to meet are Tuesdays through Thursdays.

Address: Department of Sociology Social Science Centre, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5C2

Challenge:Development and health assessment of Nootropic foods. The student will work in the World first Nootropic foods lab dedicated to the development and validation of the brain health promotive properties of food as medicine. Furthermore, students will be trained to use food metabolomics and bioinformatics for assessing the safety, nutritional and health promotive properties of nootropics, grill, plant based and culture foods.

Recommended Skills: Statistics, computational math, food science, biology, chemistry background will be an asset

Preferred hours: 9 - 5pm on Weekdays

Address: 1151 Richmond Street