MPH student Simrat Mahil awarded 2024 Chapman & Innovation Grant

We’re delighted to announce that Master of Public Health (MPH) student Simrat Mahil has been awarded 2024 Chapman & Innovation Grant from the UBC Centre for Community Engaged Learning. This $10,000 grant will support Simrat’s innovative project in partnership with Sher Vancouver, a registered charity for South Asian LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies.

The project involves developing an Interactive Resource Library, which caters to the unique needs of Queer South Asian people. This digital platform seeks to provide a safe, accessible space for education and community connection, offering a wealth of resources. This marks Simrat’s second project grant with Sher Vancouver.

Simrat is self-identified as a Punjabi woman and uses she/her pronouns. She was born, raised, and currently resides on the ancestral and unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) First Nations. Her interest focuses on outreach, engagement, and inclusivity, particularly within Surrey’s South Asian community. This includes creating strength-based initiatives for LGBTQ+ South Asians, friends, and allies to develop deeper community connections, enhance visibility, and positively impact health and overall well-being.

The Chapman and Innovation Grants (C&I) offer UBC students the opportunity to create and carry out a meaningful project in partnership with a BC-based community partner. The C&I grants are designed to help students work with a community organization to test a new idea and to take initiative in tackling a social and/or environmental issue in their community.

Congratulations to Simrat on this significant achievement and for her continued dedication to supporting well-being and visibility within the Queer South Asian community.