Student Stories
From War to Human Security: Students Re-Imagine Canada’s Future with DREAM Lab
Imagine if Canada addressed societal inequalities with the same urgency applied to military threats. That's the central inquiry driving students at 91泡芙's hosted by SFU鈥檚 School for International Studies. The DREAM Lab, or Defence Resources Exploring Alternatives to Militarism Lab, is an intensive week-long workshop that trains students to critically re-evaluate Canada's military and defense spending, exploring alternative approaches to bolster the everyday security of Canadians.
SFU's second DREAM Lab was led by Megan MacKenzie, Professor and Simons Chair in International Law and Human Security in the School for International Studies. Over the course of the week, participants conducted policy analyses, delved into key security concepts, and collaborated on research concerning alternative spending options. The program also featured guest lectures on nuclear disarmament and military spending by M.V. Ramana, Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the University of British Columbia, and Imogen Fraser of McGill University.
鈥淭his lab is a great chance for students to hone what I consider to be a vital skill for both students and faculty: dreaming of a better future and creating strategies for fostering that better future,鈥� says MacKenzie. At the end of the week, students shared what they had been working hard on all week in written and oral reports. 鈥淚'm so proud of these students and I think special labs and professional development opportunities not only build their skills but also build community across the SFU student cohort.鈥�
The DREAM Lab adds to regular courses addressing human security offered by the School for International Studies, including IS 200 - Security and Global Governance: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, which offers insights into security and governance challenges in contemporary contexts, and IS 310 - Gender and Security, which explores security issues and events, presenting ways to rethink security and peace through the lens of women and marginalized groups.
We caught up with BAIS student Phone Min Thant, research assistant to MacKenzie and the DREAM Lab, to get an insider鈥檚 account about the week-long experiential learning opportunity.
How did the workshop challenge your previous notions of the term 鈥渟ecurity鈥�?
I had the pleasure of observing how the participating students and co-organizers collaboratively brainstormed different and inevitably individual understandings of security, safety, and perceptions of neglected threats. This lively discussion gave rise to many conceptions of security, including: unequal access to education and healthcare, identity-based violence, climate change, housing, financial stability and even AI. Having previously been exposed to the concept of security as a state-centric concept, it was eye-opening for me.
Near the end of the first day, the participating students split into teams to build a roadmap on social, health, and environmental issues in Canada that require utmost attention from government policy makers and then brainstormed ways to reallocate defence budgets to such issues. The end goal? To construct one individual policy brief on a chosen area and collaborate on a DREAM Lab report.
Tell us about the kind of skills students developed in the lab.
On our second day, we focused on different ways to visualize data, using a variety of resources and software including Microsoft Excel, Canva, Adobe Illustrator, and more. After an exciting talk by Ray Acheson, the Director of Reaching Critical Will, participants embarked on a series of discussions and brainstorming sessions to decide their chosen issue areas (both as a team and individually) to focus their policy briefs in the coming days. It was captivating to see a huge variety of topics being researched, ranging from wildfires to opioid crises, with many creative thoughts on how to make data on such complex issues more accessible, digestible, and clear. I am proud to have contributed to these discussions by offering some insights into data visualizations from my past work exploring sustainable aviation and veterans鈥� suicide prevention policies in Canada.
What did the workshop show you about demilitarization and disarmament advocacy in education?
The DREAM Lab took us outside of the realm of classroom-based research to that of nature-based learning. Led by educators from Soaring Eagle Nature School, participants explored an alternative educational philosophy centred on land protection and stewardship. It was, to say the least, a transformative experience for me and the other participants from the lab as we came to understand our connections to the lands we live on and start to see the importance of pursuing our own values.
We also heard talks from various guest speakers, including Alexandra Richards, a doctoral candidate from SFU's Department of Political Science, who gave an intriguing presentation on her research on generational differences in thinking on Canadian Defence. As someone who dabbles in the area of disarmament education, Alexandra鈥檚 talk sparked many interconnected topics of interest in my head, particularly on how different ways of providing education across time periods resulted in potentially different mindsets on defence and the military in Canada.
What are your key takeaways from this busy week-long experience?
From visions of creating a better, more equitable society came numerous issue areas where Canadian militarized spending could be reallocated 鈥� water resources for Indigenous communities, wildfire mitigation, mental health support, and much more. It was extremely gratifying to see students passionately discuss these ideas with their teammates, backing up their visions with statistics, facts, and visualizations.
Having attended events where academics, authors, activists, and experts of different sorts discuss demilitarization and disarmament, it was inspiring to see a new generation of university students take up the same challenges. I believe that many people have a firm trust in the realm of expertise, relying on those with a large wealth of knowledge and experience to resolve the world鈥檚 most pressing issues. While that is certainly necessary, the DREAM Lab has shown me what students are capable of doing, provided the opportunity.
As I reflect on the progress made throughout the week and the numerous conversations I had with participants, I now realize that the realms of activism and advocacy can and should start early during a student鈥檚 university years. It was an eye-opening but also encouraging moment for me as an undergraduate student.
