Annual CEU Bursary Program

The CEU is proud to offer an annual bursary program in support of our members and their close relatives.


Who is Eligible?

The CEU Bursary Program is open to close relatives of any CEU member in good standing. For the purposes of this competition, a close relative is defined as a mother, father, spouse, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandparent, great-grandparent, step-relatives or other person who has acted in loco parentis or any other relative living under the same roof.

Program applicants must meet the entrance requirements for their first year of studies at a post-secondary institution. Only students entering their first year of post-secondary education are eligible. (First year post-secondary education does not include programs that provide equivalency to high school diplomas and pre-apprenticeship programs; however, students who have formally registered in an apprenticeship program are eligible.)


How much funding is available?

The total amount available in the annual CEU bursary fund is $10,000.00. Individual bursary award amounts will vary, depending on the marks given each essay by members of the Bursary Committee.

What are the submission requirements?

YOUR COMPLETE SUBMISSION MUST INCLUDE BOTH ESSAYS – PARTS 1 AND 2

The CEU Bursary Committee will judge applicants on the quality of their respective two-part essay submission (both parts will have to be submitted to be eligible for consideration of Bursary) and the inclusion of supporting documents, described below:

Part 1: Submit an Activist Profile Essay

Interview an individual currently involved with a union or a labour organization. The subject can be:

    • A shop steward, an elected officer of a union, labour council or labour federation
    • An employee of a union or labour organization (e.g., a business agent, representative, organizer, communications officer, etc.)

Analyze, summarize, and discuss the information gathered in the interview describing:

    • Why they became a union activist; how long they have served as an activist; what activities that person engages (or engaged) in as a union activist; what you learned about unions and union activists because of conducting the interview.

Submission Requirements for the Activist Profile Essay

  • The subject of the essay cannot be someone involved with the CEU
  • Verbatim transcripts of the interview will not be accepted
  • The subject must be involved in a member union of the BC Federation Labour or a labour council
  • The submission must include:
      • A 500-to-750-word essay
      • A title page with the name of the person you interviewed and their contact information (name, phone, email, address)
      • A list of references or people consulted in preparing your essay
      • Information on whether the subject of your essay gives permission to post your essay or excerpts from your essay on the CEU website (ceu.ca). If the activist gives permission for the essay to be posted on the CEU website, you must submit a written approval signed by the activist. If the activist does not provide permission, please state this on the title page.

 Part 2: Submit a Current Affairs Essay

In any year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will experience a mental health problem or illness. By age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness. Mental illnesses are caused by a complex interplay of many things including environmental factors we encounter in our daily lives.

The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard) – the first of its kind in the world, is a set of voluntary guidelines, tools and resources intended to guide organizations in promoting mental health and preventing psychological harm at work. This standard includes 13 factors of psychological health and safety.

In British Columbia there is also a Mental Health in Schools Strategy which states the promotion of student mental health is our a collective responsibility.

Write a 1000-to-1200-word essay that considers:

  • What has your school, community or workplace taught or shown you about mental health that has stuck with you?
  • Has your school, community or workplace done anything to support mental wellbeing?
  • Has your school, community or workplace taken action to support those struggling with mental illness?
  • Have you personally taken any steps to be more supportive of those with mental illnesses? If not, what steps can you take going forward?

Submission requirements for the Current Affairs Essay 

  • Your 1000-to-1200-word essay
  • A title page
  • A list of any media read, listened to, or viewed in researching your essay
  • A list of other references you consulted, or people you spoke to, in preparing your essay

In addition to submitting the two essays, you must include:

  • completed application form (attached to this email)
  • transcript of your most recent education

YOUR COMPLETE SUBMISSION MUST INCLUDE BOTH ESSAYS – PARTS 1 AND 2

Applications are expected to be original work created by the applicants. Submissions suspected of plagiarism or written by artificial intelligence will be disqualified from consideration.

Where to Submit Your Work

Send completed submissions by email to ac.cb.uecobfsctd@snoitacinummoc . Please include “Bursary Application” in the subject line. Submit documents as Microsoft Word files.

Deadline

Submissions must be received by the CEU no later than 12:00 noon, Monday, April 8, 2024.

For more information

Please contact Kerry-Ann Herron, CEU Executive and Bursary Committee chair, at moc.cbefaskrowobfsctd@norreh.nna-yrrek

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