鉂� RAISE works to partner with the University of 禁漫天堂 to acknowledge and address the impacts of racism and xenophobia, using anti-oppression approach to dismantle systemic barriers that limit the success and affect the experiences of students of campus. 鉂�

Logo featuring a stylized clenched fist in red on the left and the words "WUSA RAISE" in bold, dark blue text to the right. The design incorporates a modern, powerful theme with a sense of solidarity and empowerment.

About RAISE

RAISE is a student-led WUSA service launched in the Winter 2019 term. RAISE serves to address racism and xenophobia on the University of 禁漫天堂 campus with initiatives reflective of RAISE’s three pillars:

  • EDUCATION & ADVOCACY

    • Showcase of artwork from POC artists
    • Support a library collection filled with works that discuss marginalization/racism/intersectionality/xenophobia
    • Seek partnerships with others on campus to provide learning opportunities

  • PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT

    • Provide accessible and considerate peer support to U禁漫天堂 students

  • COMMUNITY BUILDING

    • Organize social events to cultivate both an uplifting and united community.
    • Maintain an online presence that serves to unite the community

Peer Support

RAISE听辫谤辞惫颈诲别蝉听confidential听peer support for the racialized undergraduate student community. Peer support is provided by听trained RAISE volunteers, executives, and coordinators. Our peer support is student-centered and听affirms听迟丑别听lived experiences听of racialized students through an听颈苍迟别谤蝉别肠迟颈辞苍补濒听补苍诲听anti-oppressive听濒别苍蝉.

The RAISE BIPOC Advocacy Mentorship Program (RBAMP) is an initiative that seeks to provide first and second-year racialized students with an introduction to advocacy work and campus life with support and guidance from an upper-year student.

Our Mentor Applications are currently closed.

Advocacy Director 鈥�advocacy.raise@wusa.ca

The Advocacy Director is responsible for organizing events, services, and campaigns related to advocacy that strive for equity and racialized students’ interests within and for the community of students at U禁漫天堂 .

External Director 鈥� external.raise@wusa.ca

The external director is responsible for developing a rapport and a positive relationship with community and campus organizations. As an advocate and ambassador of the service, the external director builds support through engagement on the campus while ensuring that RAISE鈥檚 initiatives are aligned with its mission and goals.

Special Project Director 鈥� specialprojects.raise@wusa.ca

The Special Project Director is responsible for organizing and planning large-scale projects for the year like the XChanges annual conference and organizing the Mentorship program.

Education Director 鈥� education.raise@wusa.ca

The Education Director is responsible for building educational material used by RAISE for training, land acknowledgements, statements, and social media content.

Internal Director 鈥� internal.raise@wusa.ca

The internal director will be responsible for organizing internal activities and training within the service.

Marketing and Media Director 鈥� marketing.raise@wusa.ca; media.raise@wusa.ca

The marketing and media director is responsible for creating and managing the service’s social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as promoting the service on campus through increasing engagement online, and on campus. They are responsible for creating and promoting the service on campus through increasing engagement online. The marketing and media director will be assisting with the creative direction of the XChanges Conference alongside the WUSA marketing team & Coordinators.

Social Director 鈥� social.raise@wusa.ca

The Social Director is responsible for organizing and implementing small and large-scale social events that enable racialized students and allies to network.

Literacy Director – literacy.raise@wusa.ca

The Literacy Director is responsible for the in-office library, book collection and video/streaming resources for the service. This role is also responsible for the allocation of resources for students that can be found on our social media pages and website.

We carry a sizeable collection of titles of varying genres from Academic Articles all the way to Fictional Novels and even Digital Documentaries. Feel free to visit and check out our library in our office space. You are able to borrow items from the Library by leaving your contact information with the volunteer on duty.

What is XChanges?

Community building is one of RAISE’s three pillars, which is about engaging with the 禁漫天堂 community through events. We achieve this by hosting different events, both big and small. Our annual event, called XChanges, is a conference that is usually an opportunity for us to invite external folks to talk about their experiences or share their insight based on a given theme.

Keep an eye on the RAISE page for announcements and details on how you can get involved and the upcoming XChanges Conference.

Connect

Facebook: Instagram: Twitter: Email: raise@wusa.ca
Secondary Email: raise2@wusa.ca
Discord:

Student Life Centre, 200 University Ave W, 禁漫天堂, ON N2L 3G1
RM 3207

Office Hours:

Mon鈥揊ri: 12:00 鈥� 4:00 PM

Counsellor in Office:

Wednesdays: 4:00 鈥� 5:00 PM

Drop-in Peer Support:

Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 4:00 鈥� 5:00 PM

Forms

WUSA Peer Support Form
To book an appointment, please fill the WUSA Peer Support Form.

Collaborator/ Consult Form
Interested in collaborating/ consulting RAISE? This form allows us to gain an understanding of the nature of the event, collaboration or consultation you or your group are looking for.

WUSA Incident Reporting Form
Share your experiences of feeling unsafe, unwelcome, or marginalized.听Fill in this听WUSA Incident Reporting Form

Events

Our Policies

We encourage our volunteers, members and anyone interacting with us to abide by the following policies to ensure that we maintain a welcoming physical and virtual environment.

  • Respect personal boundaries
  • Speak up if you or anyone else is uncomfortable
  • Ask for consent before engaging in physical contact, activities, and conversations.
  • It is okay for people to have alone time
  • Avoid making assumptions and judgments
  • Respect privacy of volunteers and office visitors
  • Assume people are always coming from a place of positive intent.
  • Take responsibility for your own actions (effect vs. intent)
  • People sometimes make mistakes…this includes Coordinators and Executives
  • Use constructive criticism
  • Use 鈥淚鈥� statements when presenting opinions

  • Recognize any forms of negativity, discrimination, oppression, and stereotypes.
  • Respect all opinions;
    • However, ideas that violate the creation of a safe space will not be tolerated
    • 听Avoid:
      • Using oppressive terms,
      • Humor that is linked to systematic oppression (ex. violence, stereotypes),
      • Inside jokes
  • Educate yourself
  • Introduce yourself to everyone and be welcoming

What matters next is what happens next. This organization is dedicated to learning and unlearning. Please make an effort to change learned oppressive behaviour and language. Realize the impact of your words and actions.

  • No sharing confidential RAISE info/private documents
  • No pictures or video without explicit consent
  • Information is for volunteers only
  • Non-volunteers may not use the computer
  • During peer support hours, no visitors allowed
  • No disclosing other volunteers鈥� schedules
  • Obligation to break confidentiality for the following:
    • Immediate risk of harm to self or others
    • Incidents of child or elder abuse

  • Respect personal boundaries
  • Speak up if you or anyone else is uncomfortable
  • Avoid making assumptions and judgments
  • Respect privacy of volunteers and office visitors
  • Take responsibility for your own actions (intention vs effect)

Frequently Asked Questions

We provide support to all undergraduate students at UW, however, we prioritize those students with marginalized identities (e.g. racial, gender, physical/mental ability, religious, sexual) especially those with overlapping intersectional marginalization.

We are always hiring volunteers and executive members who are crucial to the success of our service each term. Check out the WUSA Jobs and Opportunities page for more information!

As a part of our efforts to prioritize our community, we accept donations such as literature, visual artwork, etc. from persons and organizations to share with students that interact with us! Connect with us via email or a DM on one of our social media channels if you would like to donate to us!

Resources

Clubs List

  • UW Black Association for Student Expression @uw_base
  • UW African Student Association (UWASA) @_uwasa
  • UW Association of Caribbean Students (UWACS) @uwaterlooacs
  • Young Upcoming Talented Empowered Students of the Caribbean (YUTES) @yuteswaterloo
  • International and Candian Student Network (ICSN) @uwicsn
  • International Peer Community (IPC)
  • Queer and Trans People of Colour Kitchener-禁漫天堂 (QTPOC KW) @qtpoc.kw
  • Chinese Student Association (CSA) @uwcsa
  • Filipino Student Association (FSA) @uwaterloofsa
  • Gujarati Student Association (GSA) @uw.gsa
  • UW Hong Kong Student Association (UWHKSA) @uwaterloohksa
  • UW Indian Culture Association (UWICA) @uwindianca
  • Indonesian Student Association (ISA) @uw_isa
  • Iranian Student Association of 禁漫天堂 (ISAW) @isaw.official
  • Muslim Student Association (MSA) @uwmsa
  • Sikh Student Association (SSA) @waterloolaurierssa
  • Somali Student Association (SSA) @uofwssa
  • UW Taiwanese Student Society (UWTSS) @uwtss
  • UW Vietnamese Student Association (UWVSA) @uwvsa
  • 禁漫天堂 Arab Student Association (WASA) @wasawaterloo
  • University of 禁漫天堂 National Society of Black Engineers (UWNSBE) @nsbe.waterloo
  • Fossil Free UW @fossilfreeuw
  • UW Students for Palestinian Rights @uwsfpr

Off-Campus Affiliates

  • CCAWR @ccawr1975
  • KW Palestine @kwpalestine
  • ACB Network @ofacb
  • O:se Kenhionhata:tie @ose.kenhionhatatie
  • Juiciyoga @juiciyoga
  • Community Fridge KW @communityfridgekw
  • Uplift Kitchen Toronto @upliftkitchento

Photo Gallery

2025 Valentine’s Day Cookie decorating

People sitting at tables with red tablecloths and balloons on the wall, in a room with wooden panels, create a vibrant atmosphere of solidarity.
Two people wearing red heart-shaped sunglasses make a heart gesture in front of a wall adorned with red balloons, celebrating inclusion and togetherness.
Three heart-shaped cookies with pink, red, and white icing rest on a paper plate, symbolizing the sweet harmony of inclusion. Placed on a vibrant red tablecloth, they invite everyone to celebrate love in all its diverse forms.
A group of people, united in solidarity, decorates cookies at a table adorned with red tablecloths and surrounded by balloons.

2025 Weekly Vibes Night – Paint Night听

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2025 LinkedIn Headshots

A student standing in front of a grey backdrop while having their photo taken.
A student standing in front of a grey backdrop, holding a camera and taking a photo.

2025 Lunar New Year Tote Bag Painting Event

Two women holding canvas bags: one with tulips, the other featuring Arabic text and a Palestinian flag design, embrace inclusion and equity as they stand together in racial advocacy.
Canvas tote bag featuring black Totoro characters painted on it, placed on a green surface, reflecting a touch of inclusion through its diverse artistic expression.
A diverse group of people is gathered in a room, sitting at tables, engaging in reading and studying with a strong focus on inclusion.
In a bright room, people from diverse backgrounds paint together at tables covered in art supplies, fostering inclusion and celebrating equity.

XChanges 2024

Students listening to speaker talking.
Picture of the speakers from XChanges 2024.
Students and the keynote speaker participating in an activity during the conference.
Students interacting during break and eating.

BIPOC Clubs Fair

RAISE representative standing at the booth.
Students speaking to a RAISE representative at the BIPOC Clubs Fair.
A cup with RAISE pens on a table with fidget spinners and lanyards at the BIPOC Clubs Fair.

XChanges 2023

Students at the RAISE XChanges Conference.
Student volunteers from RAISE pose for a picture in front of the RAISE centre.