X-Project: Celebrating 60 years of changing lives, investing in generations of young people

Campus to Community: Sharing stories from our ongoing connections  St. Francis Xavier University doesn't stop at the edge of campus. Campus to Community is an ongoing series highlighting the deep ties between StFX and the communities it serves. We’re shining a light on these relationships--from research labs and global outreach, to service and shared purpose--and how they help shape and strengthen both. To see the full series, please see HERE .    X-Project: Celebrating 60 years of changing lives, investing in generations of young people  Growing up in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S. in the 1980s and ’90s, Sherry Desmond remembers waiting for the little blue bus to arrive. The bus, for years a distinctive symbol of X-Project—the StFX student society marking its 60th anniversary this year—meant adventure and learning. StFX students spilled from it and into African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaq communities in northeastern Nova Scotia, ready to spend the evening tutoring, mentoring, playing games and creating opportunities for young people to learn, lead, and have fun. There were community outings too, skating parties, Christmas celebrations and summer camps. “Looking back, I realize that X-Project was about so much more than activities. It gave us a sense of belonging, exposed us to new opportunities, and reminded us that there were people who genuinely cared about our growth and future,” says Ms. Desmond, now the coordinator of the Travellers Hostel Toronto Shelter. The founding tenet of X-Project was to ask what the community-identified needs are and then help.   This care and community have been at the heart of X-Project for 60 years.