In this episode of our sketch comedy series, “Bottom of the Bag”, a woman hires an exterminator but, when she returns home she finds things haven’t exactly gone to plan.

Are you ready to face your fear? This week’s host prepares to face his fear at the Core Climbing Gym in Cambridge, ON. Will he be able to do it, or will he be a Fraidy Cat; let’s find out on Fraidy Cat Frights.

On this week’s episode of Pretty Sweet our host Liam Gawne takes us to Cake Lovers Unite. Liam talks with Marcie Dornhoefer lead baker and owner and get to know more about her and her business

Join our host Nicole Beer as she travels to Cambridge to interview the folks at Fisher Mills Animal Hospital. Watch as Nicole makes a new friend and see how a proper animal exam happens. Find out about all this and how you could help on today’s episode of Rescue Tails.

The team at LIVE, Camera, Action takes in a variety show presented by Ben Gorodetsky. From live music to aerial artistry you never know what you might see. Join host James Chapeskie and discover some talented local artists.

The Kitchener Natural Areas Program will host an online nature meditation on Monday, Oct. 18, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Zoom event will be free and is open to anyone who wants to join. You can register at any time before the event.  

Meditation helps ease stress and can leave you feeling refreshed. The high amount of stress among students can actually decrease their cognitive function.

Meditation can help with stress-induced cognitive decline, according to a study from the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine called, Effect of Meditation on Stress-Induced Changes in Cognitive Functions: “Practice of meditation produced a relaxation response even in the young adult subjects who had never practiced meditation before. The practice of meditation reduced the physiologic stress responses without taking away the beneficial effect of stress, namely, improved memory scores,” the study concluded. 

Leia Carroll graduated with a certificate from the Human Services Foundations course at Fanshawe College. Carroll is now a yoga student at Karma Yoga in London. She is currently starting a medicinal candle business that contains herbs and other essential oils.

“I believe that meditation is a great solution to stress especially because in our western culture we are always on the move and people have very busy schedules,” Carroll said.

“Especially in Colleges with a lot of classes, people are very stressed out often and people forget to relax. It’s not very good for the body and the mind. Meditation is a great way to sit with your thoughts and really relax, think about the situation and really evaluate on a rational level instead of being in a constant fight or flight mode,” she said.

Carroll explained how emotions can be dealt with through meditation.

“I believe meditation is a great way to handle emotion because a lot of the time people bottle up emotions especially in public places. We can’t fully show how we feel and if we do it’s not necessarily okay and accepted. When we meditate we let in all that we are,” Carroll said. 

A former Fanshawe Hotel Management student Josh Juha, showed interest in the online guided meditation.

“I would definitely go to this. I am out of school now but students could definitely benefit from this. Growing up, my Grandma always introduced me to meditation with the idea that it will relax you and take things off your chest and just be clear with yourself,” Juha said.

“Growing up things started to get more stressful and everyone has their own way of coping with things. I never liked talking to people about my problems so finding a way to understand myself and deal with my problems helped me so much. I am 23 years old now and still do yoga and meditation,” he said.

The guided nature meditation Zoom meeting, hosted by the Kitchener Natural Areas Program is still open for registration to anyone needing to ease their stress or refresh their mind. 

For students needing an outlet in the realm of freelance employment, there is a new service that they can use closer to home and their potential clientele. 

The new Conestoga Gigs website, spearheaded by the Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective, is meant to be the first official support tool for those in the Conestoga community attempting to find ‘gigs’ and other types of for-hire employment in Waterloo Region. 

Companies or individuals who wish to find a potential freelancer simply search the database by the skill they are looking for, such as graphic design, branding or consulting and are met with a list of student-based collectives or individuals, with a corresponding list of their skills. 

Andrew Heubner, a professor who teaches a course in Media Freelancing & Entrepreneurship at Conestoga, gave his impressions on the website in an email correspondence.

“It’s very efficient and would be a time-saver for businesses … freelancing is a huge part of the way work will be done in the future…so it’s perfect timing for Conestoga to create a centralized location where businesses and freelancers can meet.”

To become a freelancer on Conestoga Gigs, there are some minimum requirements:

• You have to be in a full-time or part -ime program at Conestoga College
• A recent graduate
• Alumni of five years or less

There is an application form to be completed for entry into a cohort for Winter 2022 and Spring 2022. The applications are currently closed for the fall cohort, so prospective freelancers will have to keep a close eye on the upcoming application dates on the Gig Lab information portal.

“If I had to use this instead of, let’s just say, Fiverr, I probably would have taken it up a long time ago,” said Henry Davison, a student at the University of Toronto, “I’m surprised that we don’t have something like that here.”

Every freelancer receives a “Gig Coach” who provides “structure, support and guidance” for each of the 15 weeks that a cohort runs. The website, its services and the oversight provided come free of charge to the freelancer (unlike other services like FlexJobs, which collect a subscription for a person to offer their services.)

For any additional questions about the project, email the Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective.

With the challenges that come from a global pandemic, places like The Food Bank of Waterloo Region (FBWR) have been hit harder than ever before as the need for food resources in the region grows.

“Since March 2020, we have seen an increased need for emergency food assistance throughout the Community Food Assistance Network,” said an impact report provided by Jennifer Judges, Communication Specialist at the FBWR.

The Food Assistance Network is a system of more than 100 community programs and agency partners that help provide food across the region, including the Conestoga Student Inc. Food Bank, a food support resource for students at Conestoga College. 

“Students struggling financially or in a tough situation needing emergency food support are encouraged and invited to apply to use the CSI Food Bank,” said Sam Rubi, Campus Service Coordinator at Conestoga College. 

Students wishing to use the CSI Food Bank must complete a Food Relief form to determine if they are eligible for the service. 

“At the CSI Food Bank, we implement a Pick-Your-Own system where students have the liberty to choose 10 from the 12 food items we offer,” Rubi said. “This hamper provides approximately a three-day supply of a combination of non-perishable & perishable healthy food items. In addition, students will also receive a single $15 PC gift card that can be used at any Loblaw stores.”

The CSI Food Bank has also seen increased demand since the start of the pandemic, with the number of food hampers distributed rising to 1,477 last year from the 1,068 in the 2019-2020 school year, Rubi said. 

With the demand for food support during the pandemic growing, places like the FBWR are looking to the community for help. 

“There is a consistent need for emergency food assistance in Waterloo Region and there are many ways that people can help,” Judges said.

People who wish to support the food bank during the pandemic are encouraged to host their own Food & Fund Drive either online or in-person, following social distancing protocols. Registration for Food & Fund Drives can be found here. 

Financial donations to the FBWR fill gaps in inventory, purchase items in bulk, keep delivery vehicles on the road, and support the expansion and development of new programs throughout Waterloo Region.

Because of the pandemic, the CSI food bank is not accepting food donations to ensure the safety of food items. However, monetary donations are welcomed. To make a donation visit,  Food drive – CSI Food Bank – The Food Bank of Waterloo Region or contact Sam Rubi at srubi@conestogac.on.ca. 

“We are fortunate to live in a very generous community and are thankful to receive the support of the community throughout the entire year,” Judges said.

Join Amy Anstett and the rest of the Adventure Quencher team as they visit Andre’s Alpacas in Hanover and learn more about these fluffy creatures from the owners Henry and Karen Mengers.

In the first episode of History Heroes, host Sam McInerney checks out Canada’s most famous Naval Destroyers: HMCS Haida in Hamilton. Heritage Presenter Rachel Wyatt shares her knowledge of the ship’s iconic career.

In this week’s episode of Sports Rehashed, host Luke Reinhart travels down to Woodside Park in Kitchener to meet with soccer specialist Sierra Sauve to learn the science behind the cross.

Episode One of Combat Corner is all about getting started at Amtgard Live Action Role Play with the easiest weapon – the short sword. From crafts to combat, LARP just may become your new favourite local hobby! Our resident combat master shows us the ropes, our host Jai Vanderheyden gives it a shot, and our players hit the field for some high energy fun!