Our license plates read ‘Friendly Manitoba’ suggesting a certain openness, and welcoming nature to our community.  In the Faculty of Arts, we want to stimulate that Manitoba spirit of friendship and openness by promoting cultural exchange and international understanding among our students.  The idea is to match volunteer Manitoban host students with international students in small groups at the beginning of each semester.  The locals will be encouraged to arrange meetings with their international buddies, where they can talk, share experiences, learn a little about each other, participate in sports, intermural activities, cultural events, movie outings, whatever seems right.  One of our recent distinguished alumni, an international student himself, shared how important it was to him to have been welcomed by a local student upon his arrival from his home country. The two still keep in touch and appreciate the different information they were able to share with each other.
 
We invite you to register below as either an international student or as a Friendly Manitoban. We invite our local students to volunteer to serve as a friendly face, a sounding board, a connection to life in Winnipeg, in Manitoba, and in Canada.  We will leave it up to you as a local leader to decide how much time you can commit to your buddy group.  If you can provide evidence of a minimum of 4 hours of time, you will receive a letter from the Associate Dean to support a notation on your resume/CV.

For interntional students seeking a buddy, or for domestic students looking to become a buddy, complete the form below.

Registrations for the International Buddy Program have closed for this term. Please check back later if you are interested in registering for another term.