Forum on International Cooperation UBC

History

FICUBC was created in the fall of 2005 as an interest group at UBC that would dicuss and take action on important international issues. Initially formed by Justine Greenwood, a former member of FIC Concordia in Montreal, our group organized numerous events over the course of the year and through the hard work of the membership achieved official AMS club status. We are currently an affiliate of the international organization Global Forum on International Cooperation (GFIC), which claims members from around the world.

Our Role

Forum on International Cooperation UBC (FICUBC), is a formally constituted club of the University of British Columbia Alma Mater Society (AMS) consisting of students who demonstrate an interest in international affairs and who aim to promote global social justice. The Forum’s guiding principle is the promotion of the idea of individual responsibility within the global context. This responsibility includes working with governments, non-governmental institutions and individuals in a cooperative manner so as to encourage the process of universal development. It aims to maximize the quality of life of those citizens in the current global system that can benefit the most from political, economic, and social forms of empowerment. FICUBC promotes the dual concepts of Global Responsibility and Global Citizenship through the active engagement of youth in international affairs.

Our Programs

Throughout the course of the year our group runs a number of programs, at UBC campus and abroad, that offer opportunities for youth to engage in pressing international issues.

On campus we offer programs for UBC students that promote global leadership skills and help to increase awareness of international affairs among the student population. These programs include advocacy campaigns, fundraising campaigns, and events to encourage global responsibility among our members such as public lectures, roundtable discussions, and conferences. One aspect of FICUBC’s work that sets it apart from other student organizations on campus is its dual programming focus.

Besides the programs we offer at UBC, we also coordinate a number of community development programs abroad to allow our members to more deeply engage in the issues we promote at home. These summer volunteer placements, which run any time from May to August, provide an invaluable opportunity for students to apply their academic knowledge to real-world problems and to demonstrate their commitment to the concepts of Global Citizenship and Global Responsibility.

In addition to the programs that FICUBC organizes, our members also benefit from the programs of our affiliate organization, the Global Forum on International Cooperation (GFIC). GFIC helps to facilitate our international community development programs as well as form contact networks with governments and civil society organizations. In addition, GFIC organizes an annual international conference for its members around the world to discuss youth involvement in international affairs.

For more information on our group please visit the official FICUBC website.

For more information on Global Forum on International Cooperation please visit the official GFIC website.