Last semester the Cultural Anthropology class had the opportunity to survey Lower Mainland residents about their perceptions of the upcoming 2010 Olympics. The project involved conducting face-to-face interviews with over 300 Lower Mainland residents and compiling and presenting the findings in a published document.

This endeavor was meaningful for both the students conducting the research and the people who benefited directly from the research. Students from last semester’s ANTH 101, along with their professor Dr. Claudia Launhardt, met with officials from the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) to present the survey.

Third year student Chai Miller was among the student presenters. “Just going to the building I felt excited,” she said of the experience. “[City of Vancouver officials] were asking us questions out of genuine curiosity and taking a lot of notes on the things that we said. I think that they were happy with what we told them about the survey.”

The survey itself presents a unique overview of the Lower Mainland because of its inclusion of people from social demographics that are often overlooked in generic online or telephone equivalents.

“It was really awesome to give a voice to the people of the Downtown Eastside,” said second year student Lenise Lewis.

For Meredith Overmyer, a first year student, “The most exciting part was being able to present the final results and see them go to the top officials with VANOC—it really made our work seem worthwhile, more than just a grade.”

The anthropology class may have ended, but the project itself has continued to impact both the students and the public. “It feels like it has been the project with no end—but in a good way,” said Lewis, who was interviewed along with Launhardt and some classmates about the survey by a BCIT television news crew last month.

With increasing excitement mounting around the fast-approaching Olympics, last semester’s ANTH 101 students know that they are active in the process. The project has reached the people it was intended for and may also prove useful for future Olympic host cities. As Lewis said: “It’s exciting and important that other cities can use this survey to their benefit if they choose.”