A historical overview of social organizations on campus
Since starting my job at the Mt. A archives, I have seen all kinds of documents that span the history of Mt. A from the 1800s to our current decade. Throughout Mt. A’s history, there have been and continues to be various types of social movements I want to share to inspire others; they can also make change.
Some of the first documents I started going through included records from an organisation called the Sackville Refugee Rehabilitation Coalition (SRRC) which was started by people like John Perkin on campus with members of the Tantramar region and beyond. The SRRC started open meetings aiming to educate the public on the violence happening in the Middle East and the process of sponsoring refugees. From this meeting, the group formed committees and mobilized volunteers to take steps needed to sponsor refugees. With funding from some local churches, outreach, and connections to people with different expertise, and the time-consuming work put into the SRRC by volunteers, they were successfully able to sponsor refugees. The volunteers fundraised, submitted government applications, educated the public and each other, reaching out and communicating with refugee families, and getting together housing, work, etc. for the families. By making note of a problem and forming a community which wanted to work towards a solution, the SRRC took steps to actively aid the refugee crisis.
While going through convocation programs across Mt.A history, I came across programs dating back to 1938 and 1939, promoting two physical education demonstrations. The first, in 1938, entitled Physical Education and the Community, was organised by the former Mount Allison School for Girls, the University, Sackville Town Classes, and Sackville Schools. This program included sections for different age levels along with descriptions of needs to be considered and incorporated into physical education at those ages to have healthier minds and bodies. To demonstrate, each section of the program had performances which showed what a good physical education may look like across ages. The 1939 program was similar but titled Physical Education for Democracy and organised by the Mount Allison School for Girls, the University, Mount Allison Academy, and Sackville Public Schools. The physical education program was one performance demonstrating a mass drill, along with how physical education for democracy would look, such as a variety of different performances, like cultural folk dances.
This is another example of groups having something in common and working together to share a message. By incorporating performance and culture, these groups were able to create a moving demonstration to educate others.
These social movements are only a few examples of the social changes that have taken place at Mt. A and in Tantramar. A lot of the problems that were identified by these groups and individuals are still going on today and these actions could be taken as ideas on how to continue working towards solving them. By identifying a problem, educating others, forming community, and taking actions to get to solutions, anyone can create social change. I have learned a lot at the archives, and I hope that this article has empowered someone to learn more and make changes to better their lives and the lives of others.