Prayer, Worship + Ceremony Space Support Grant
The Office of the Dean of Students (DoS), in partnership with the Office of the Vice-Provost Access, Community and Belonging is continuing to pilot a funding initiative to support students in accessing the University of Alberta’s bookable spaces to engage in prayer, worship or ceremony to facilitate an equitable student experience. Students and student groups have free access to many spaces on our campuses, including the HUB Multi-Faith Prayer and Meditation Space and the SUB Interfaith Prayer Space. However, these spaces have size limitations that do not allow for larger prayer, worship, or ceremony gatherings. This is an issue experienced at other Canadian Post Secondary institutions, as is the call from students for institutions to recognize students’ religious identities and support their religious practices. Recognizing these calls and responding to feedback from the Student Experience Action Plan (SEAP) regarding accessible and safe spaces, this initiative aims to enhance cultural safety on campus by supporting students’ ability to engage in prayer, worship, and ceremony as a community.
In preparing to launch this initiation, the DoS consulted with and benefitted from feedback from numerous partners including various colleagues on North Campus, Campus Saint-Jean, and Augustana Campus as well as the Students’ Union and Graduate Students’ Association.
The grant is available to fund Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 activities and will be evaluated in Spring/Summer 2025.
Deadlines are as follows:
- Fall 2024: Oct. 4, 2024
- Winter 2025: Feb. 14, 2025
Grant Application Prayer, Worship and Ceremony Space Support (Fall 2024 Term)