The recent Taste of Our Valley event has the wet the tastebuds of several marketing students.
As a school project a group of seven marketing students from the University of British Columbia in Kelowna is working to map the overall social health for residents in Keremeos. The group is focussing on how to integrate the different age, cultural, and ethic demographics.
One of the group’s ideas it to hold an event that would bring together all demographics, ethnicities and ages of residents in Keremeos.
“We’ve heard that what Keremeos is really in need of is a way to bring together everyone, that the different cultures are really separated and keep to their own. What we’re thinking is very similar to this event but would include all ages and all cultures,” Arden Sauve, a third year marketing student at UBC said.
Sauve said the event could include interactive components and different activities to learn about cultures.
“What we’re doing is coming up with a plan that could be executed if someone wanted to. We do everything but actually hold the event,” Brogan Whatley, another student working on the event said.
The students are currently holding a survey to collect more information about the community. The survey is available on the village’s website.
Keremeos was chosen as a project community by faculty at UBC. Another group is working on a plan to address youth needs in the community.
The students have met with Village council and stakeholders in the community to hear what they think is important. They also work with Village councillor Arlene Arlow.
Many of the students had never been to Keremeos before the project.
“I live in Hope, so I’d actually been here but to get fruit or when we were driving through. I’ve never really stopped here or spent anytime here. It’s great,” Sauve said.
The other two group members from Kelowna and Jasper, Alberta had never been to Keremeos.
Mayor Manfred Bauer saw the project as a great opportunity for Keremeos.
“This is really complementing our work on becoming a more age-friendly community,” he said.
The group must prepare a 25-page report and a presentation about their findings before the end of term.