Learning & Lectures

Computer Technician Training

​SERVICE DESCRIPTION
The Computer Technician Training has a large course portion that prepares individuals to take and pass the CompTIA A+ technician certification exams.
The course lasts for 6 months
Participants have 1 year to take the exams
Participants can choose not to take the exams and will receive a certificate of completion and transcript from the program
Support is also provided to help find potential job placements
DATE&TIME
January 16th, 2023
Registration is now open. This course is part of a community partnership funded by the Consumer Initiative Fund. For more information, please contact computer instructor/tutor Ian Gardner at ian.gardner@vch.ca or 604-209-0365.

Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series: Marjorie Beaucage

Leading Indigenous artists are invited to participate in the online conversation series Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series, which is moderated by Janine Windolph, the acting director of Indigenous Arts at the Banff Centre.
The Conversation Series employs an Indigenous lens in a variety of artistic mediums, including literature, film, digital media, visual arts, and performing arts like opera, singer/songwriter, classical music, dance, and theatre. Learn more about and expand your awareness of how Indigenous artists are using their chosen artistic medium to decolonize the creative process.
DATE&TIME
Dates: Wednesday, December 21 - Thursday, December 22, 2022
Presentation of Work
Date Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Time 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (MT)

Q&A Session and Conversation
Date Thursday, December 22, 2022
Time 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (MT)
LOCATION
ONLINE
COST
FREE

​UBC Learning Exchange - Drop-In Activities

Anyone is welcome to stop by the Learning Exchange to utilise the computers, engage in arts, culture, and current events, or simply unwind. Please come to any of the below-listed events with us. You won't be alone because Learning Exchange personnel, UBC students, or local residents will lead the activities. 
PROVIDER PROFILE
Hours of operation :
Tuesday to Friday from 1-4:45 p.m.
Email :
learning.exchange@ubc.ca
Phone Number :
604-827-2777
LOCATION
612 Main St

Coping with Uncertainty Workshop Series

WHERE. Online
WHEN. 4 Fridays starting Nov. 18, 2022 @ 1-3pm
COST. FREE

Feeling stressed by the news of the day? Join others to explore strategies to help cope with uncertainty and manage stress.

Developed during the pandemic, this virtual 4-session series will look at stress, worry and anxiety, and common thinking traps that can affect our mental well-being. This course also includes a workbook with many additional tools.  

​Communication & Group Facilitation, Skill Building & Training Workshop
Vancouver Coastal Health will be facilitating a Communication & Group Facilitation Workshop Series on 
Ongoing throughout the year email Bernice for the latest dates

This workshop series will take place in-person at
​1669 E Broadway, Vancouver.
  
This course requires pre-registration. If you are interested, please contact, Bernice Lee at Bernice.Lee1@vch.ca.

​C: (604) 862-0317
P: (604) 675-3980 ext. 20351
110 – 1669 E Broadway

 Mental Health & Substance Use Workshops with Reach Fall 2022
Reach Community Health Centre is providing free ​Mental Health Workshops this summer. Registration is now open. Workshops will be hosted online and in-person.
Workshops included:
  1. Mindfulness and Expressive Art ( Online)
  2. Physical Activity Group ( Light Stretch and Movement) (In-person)
  3. Life/ Role Transition ( In-person)
  4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy ( DBT) (Online)
​For more information please visit https://www.reachcentre.bc.ca/programs-resource​ 
Spots are limited, register today via email 
mentalhealth.programs@reachcentre.bc.ca or call 604-216-3135

Free Health Webinars

Choices Markets holds free online video webinars, of interest to anyone looking to build healthier lifestyles.  You can sign up for a live event, or view a recording of each webinar on their YouTube channel.

Sample webinars include 'Fueling An Active Lifestyle on a Plant-Based Lifestyle', 'Problem-Solving Your Gut: The Mental, Emotional and Physical' and 'Breath is Your Superpower!'

Free Indigenous Awareness Courses

University of Alberta
​Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson online course from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. Topics for the 12 lessons include the fur trade and other exchange relationships, land claims and environmental impacts, legal systems and rights, political conflicts and alliances, Indigenous political activism, and contemporary Indigenous life, art and its expressions.
 
Commitment: 12 weeks of study, 2—3 hours/week
 
This course consists of twelve modules, each with a series of:

  • video lectures,
  • a set of course notes and course glossary,
  • and required and recommended readings
BCIT [British Columbia Institute of Technology]
 BCIT Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships offers a free Indigenous Awareness course. The course contains the following three modules:
 
Module 1: Indigenous Peoples
 
Module 2: Colonization
 
Module 3: Decolonization
 
Those who are not part of the BCIT community may get access to the Indigenous Awareness course for free by registering at the page linked at the button below.

Truth and Reconciliation

Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action
Calls to Action
File Size: 305 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Hope Matters Podcast

Join multiple award-winner Lee Maracle and her daughters Columpa Bobb and Tania Carter as they read from their book Hope Matters, which takes us on the journey of Indigenous people from colonial beginnings to reconciliation. Traditional welcome and song shared by Xwechtaal Dennis Joseph.
 
Maracle states that the book “is also about the journey of myself and my two daughters.” During their youth, Bobb and Carter wrote poetry with their mother, and eventually they all decided that one day they would write a book together. This book is the result of that dream.
 
Written collaboratively by all three women, the poems in Hope Matters blend their voices together into a shared song of hope and reconciliation.

Louvre: New Virtual Collections

The Collections database consists of entries for more than 480,000 works in the Musée du Louvre and Musée National Eugène-Delacroix. Updated on a daily basis, it is the result of the continuous research and documentation efforts carried out by teams of experts from both museums.

Podcast: The Power of Disability

​Highlighting what history has overlooked: the incredible contributions of people with disabilities. Host Al Etmanski brings us enlightening conversations, featuring guests with disabilities who have been influential in arts, activism, science, and more. This series is a continuation of the work Al has shared in the book, The Power of Disability: 10 Lessons for Surviving, Thriving, and Changing the World, which reveals that people with disabilities are the invisible force that has shaped history.

In the first episode, Al interviews Victoria Maxwell, the Bipolar Princess.

Podcast: Below the Radar

Amplifying ideas that fly below the radar.Below the Radar is a weekly podcast that explores environmental and social justice, arts, culture, community-building and urban issues with featured guests.

This podcast is produced by SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement as a part of the Knowledge Democracy Project @ 312 Main — encouraging the meaningful exchange of ideas and information across communities. ​

Vancouver Wildlife Live Cameras

The Pacific Great Blue Herons have returned to the colony at the Park Board office at 2099 Beach Avenue.

Our high-definition Heron Cam takes you inside the nests of one of North America’s largest urban great blue heron colonies from March until the end of the summer breeding season.
​
Take control of the camera for one minute at a time and zoom into specific nests. 
The Vancouver Aquarium is closed during Covid, but the wildlife inside the aquarium is live and lively.

Check out live cams and see the otters, penguins and jellyfish in action.

LinkedIn Learning - Access for Free

Lynda.com became LinkedIn Learning…and LinkedIn Learning offers over 16,000+ online courses taught by real-world professionals. It helps to build the most relevant skills with business, creative, and tech courses.

You have to pay quite a bit for LinkedIn Learning, but here’s a tip…if you have a Vancouver Public Library card, you can access these many courses for free.

More Online Learning for Free

Love learning or have a specific skill or knowledge area you would like to develop? There are several websites that offer free online courses.
 
FutureLearn

Courses vary in length. Most are six to ten weeks long but they also have some shorter two and three week courses. Most are delivered by universities.  Free course membership gets you access to the course for its duration + 14 days, regardless of when you join.

Sample courses:

Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/food-and-mood

Thrive at Home: Better understand work-life balance, mental health and motivation so that you can thrive at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Using FutureLearn
 

Coursera

Free courses from universities and companies. Learn at your own pace, 100% online. Duration of courses vary enormously, from a couple of weeks to 6 months or more.

Sample courses/ specializations:

Memoir and Personal Essay: Write About Yourself Specialization

The Science of Well-Being

Check out Coursera; view the topics drop-down menu under ‘Explore’


 
Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a nonprofit with the mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.  Learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and more. 
 
Sample courses:
 Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling
 
Other learning:
Interviews with Entrepreneurs
Personal Finance

Check out Khan Academy - view the drop-down menu under 'Courses'.
Some activities below may be on hold or may be changing how they're being run during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Be sure to check with each organization for most recent news. 

Thursday Lunch Time Art Tours
​

When:       First Thursday of every month
Time:         12:30-1pm
Where:      Contemporary Art Gallery
​                  555 Nelson Street, Vancouver
Cost:          Free

First Thursday of every month with Julia Lamare

Join CAG Assistant Curator Julia Lamare for a lunch time tour of the current exhibitions:   Jeneen Frei Njootli: my auntie bought all her skidoos with bead money  Channa Horwitz: Progressions and Rhythms in Eight   Andi Icaza-Largaespada: (untitled) a mountain bought but not yet named
​
No reservation required. Simply just turn up!

Earthquake Preparedness:  Apartment Living

Scientists say that Vancouver is at a high-risk of having an earthquake. Be prepared, and learn what you can do, and what we are doing to keep us safe during and after an earthquake. 

There are free, informative NEPP Earthquake Preparedness workshops all over the city.  They're popular, so it's strongly recommended that you register to attend one. 

They're also available in Mandarin, some are specific to apartment living, and some are even specific to what to do with your pets in an earthquake.

Find the full list of all city earthquake workshops here.  You need a City of Vancouver account first, and you sign up for that here.

Here is some more detailed information about how to protect yourself from an earthquake, here.

Creative Mornings Vancouver

Creative Mornings started in New York, and now runs in cities around the world.  The idea is for an ongoing, accessible event for creative communities... breakfast and a short talk one Friday morning a month. Every event is free of charge and open to anyone.

'We bring together people who are driven by passion and purpose, confident that they will inspire one another, and inspire change in neighborhoods and cities around the world.'

Location:  SFU Woodward's -
​                  Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
                  149 West Hastings Street
Dates:      Vary, but it's a monthly series
Time:        8:30am - 10am
                (be there by 8:45 or you forfeit your ticket)
Cost:         Free

Due to popularity in Vancouver causing tickets to immediately sell out, they use a waitlist as a registration system and they randomly award tickets using a lottery system.  Lucky ticket winners are informed by email.

Decentral

We are a Collaborative Community inspired by the ideas behind Bitcoin, Decentralization, and the Open Source movement.

This is a meetup where forward thinking people can hangout with like-minded individuals. We believe Cryptocurrency will fund the Open Source movement and create economically sustainable systems for communities globally and locally.

This is a shared meetup, if you are interested in hosting an event please make a request to info@decentral.network

Computer Lessons / Drop in Internet Access in Kitsilano
Computer Access
Public access computers are available at these two Kitilano locations.  Some other neighbourhood houses offer similar computer access and tutorials  - check the one near you!
  • Kitsilano Neighbourhood House
    2305 West 7th Avenue (at Vine)
    9 am – 7 pm Monday to Friday

  • Kits House Seniors Resource Centre
    2425 Vine Street (at West 8th Ave)
    10 am – 3 pm Tuesday to Friday
    ​*closed for lunch from 12 to 1 pm.

       NOTE: no printer availability at either site

One-on-One Computer Tutorials
Book an appointment to spend an hour with a volunteer computer tutor and learn the basics for operating your computer, laptop, or tablet!
Learn skills for using email, accessing the internet, social media, common software programs, and more!
FREE with a current KNH membership or by donation.
Tutorial appointment days & times vary depending on volunteer availability.
To book an appointment call Kits House Front Desk at 604-736-3588

EDX.org - Free On-line Classes

EdX offers free online courses and classes [free to audit... certificates do cost]. Find the latest MOOC from the world's best universities including MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, UT and others.

London Drugs In-store Workshops

Attend an in-store event, workshop, clinic, or demo today!
​Sometimes they have demos on how to use the camera and such.

One to One Computer Training

Every Monday, 2016 (2:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
Mount Pleasant Branch Library
​
Need help getting started with eBooks, free online courses, or finding what you need at the library? We can help! Join us for a 45 minute session available between 2 and 4 p.m.on Mondays.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Please call 604.665.3962 or drop by the branch to register.

Lecture Series from UBC Green College

Green College is a graduate residential college at the University of British Columbia where interdisciplinary conversations and ideas thrive. Every year, about 80 graduate students, 15 postdoctoral scholars and visiting scholars call the College home and create a unique, vibrant academic community.
​
Whether attending a free public lecture, becoming involved in resident life, or enjoying warm hospitality, College members develop a global network that reaches beyond the College's spectacular view of ocean and mountains.
No matter what happens at the College, one thing remains constant — the founding philosophy of "Ideas and Friendship."