News and Releases
Keyword: communications
How a camper-turned-recording studio became a gratitude mission on wheels (CBC)
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 @ 10:15 AM
Inside a golden yellow circa 1978 camping trailer, strangers are sharing moments of gratitude.
And armed with a microphone and a few prompting words of encouragement, David Balzer is capturing their stories.
Chatterbox — a mobile recording studio — is Balzer's antidote to social isolation and bad vibes.
Balzer, an associate professor of communications and media at Canadian Mennonite University, parks the camper-recording studio at community events and block parties and invites people to share a story of gratitude about a neighbour.
Clicking this link will take you way from media.cmu.ca.
Continue ReadingAlumni in their own words - Marnie Klassen (CMU '21)
Monday, April 6, 2026 @ 10:42 AM
Where has your life taken you since you left CMU?
After graduating I very quickly got a job doing communications and admin support with A Rocha Manitoba, a Christian nature conservation organization. I was eager to explore volunteer and service opportunities elsewhere, and through some encouragement I applied and was accepted to the worker program at Romero House in Toronto. Taking this step felt so big for me, in a wonderful way. In the one-year term, I lived and worked with refugee claimants in Toronto's west end. I was the volunteer coordinator for the organization, which had me managing a team of over 140 volunteers, and was a settlement case worker for several claimant families. I learned a lot about the refugee claimant system in Canada, and a lot about interfaith and intercultural relationships. During my time in Toronto, I made connections at Eglinton Saint George United Church and ended up getting a job with that congregation as the Growth Initiatives Project Coordinator, which meant I was coordinating and running food justice-based events and programs through the church. All during this time I began freelance writing and preaching for organizations and churches, mostly exploring the themes of faith and climate. When the contract at the church came to an end, I decided to move back to Winnipeg and focus on developing a podcast called 'The Schism Between Us', which explores religious polarization in Canada, particularly within the Mennonite community. I've also recently taken on work as communications assistant for a worship resource hub called "Together in Worship."
Continue ReadingDavid Balzer reflects on teaching, creativity, and finding your voice
Monday, April 6, 2026 @ 9:25 AM
David Balzer, Associate Professor of Communications and Media, has worked at CMU since 2009. He and Karen Ridd, Teaching Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies and of Conflict Resolution Studies, are co-recipients of the 2022 Kay and Lorne Dick Teaching Excellence Award.
The award, established in 2022, is granted annually to two faculty members who best exemplify the commitment to excellent teaching at CMU.
Continue ReadingA journey shaped by connection, storytelling, and lifelong learning
Monday, September 29, 2025 @ 12:00 AM
Grace Bruinooge is all about "creative connecting."
Graduating with a major in Communications and Media in 2024, Bruinooge has worked in an array of specialized arenas—from graphic design, communications assistant, to now working with the National Screen Institute (NSI) as their operations administrator.
Continue ReadingThrough the lens: How CMU helped an Indigenous storyteller find her voice
Thursday, September 18, 2025 @ 12:00 AM
Gindalee Ouskun points to the great paradox in her life—she is shy and introverted, yet her work is public-facing and relational. "It's kind of ironic that I would choose a career where ... I'm always interacting with people and really putting myself out there," she laughs. "But being in the role brings out a sort of confidence that I don't necessarily always have."
Continue ReadingFrom student council to corporate communications: A CMU alum’s journey of curiosity, community, and connection
Monday, September 1, 2025 @ 12:00 AM
Zachary Peters came to CMU for adventure.
In 2005, Peters joined CMU's Outtatown Discipleship School, a program that enabled students to experience travel through a mission trip while still keeping up with their studies.
Continue ReadingSunday@CMU: August 2025
Sunday, August 3, 2025 @ 12:00 AM
Voices of the CMU Community
This month on Sunday@CMU, we highlight student voices from the CMU community. Listen to stories produced by Communications and Media students in CMU's radio team course and hear performances from this year's 20th annual Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition finals.
Listen NowHow a local professor spent 20 years exploring the meaning of 'Oh My God'
Thursday, February 13, 2025 @ 10:22 AM
Does the phrase "Oh my God" offend you? Have you ever wondered how it became something that people blurt out multiple times a day?
David Balzer, an associate professor of communications and media at Canadian Mennonite University and a storyteller at heart, is preparing to release an audio documentary that will answer all of these questions and more.
"I was doing the radio show [God Talk] and I had some friends at the University of Manitoba. They wanted to do something creative on campus and I got this idea to do a live show out of the university centre," said Balzer. "And so we're trying to pick a theme and during that week I was going to campus that week and I'm like, what could we do that would kind of bridge between our interest about who God is and culture and this phrase, 'oh my God' came up in my thinking."
Clicking this link will take you way from media.cmu.ca.
Continue ReadingSunday@CMU: September 2024
Sunday, September 1, 2024 @ 12:00 AM
A Theology of Communications
This month on Sunday@CMU, we are kicking off the academic year with a new series from David Balzer, Associate Professor of Communications and Media at CMU. In these meditations, he delves into some key points of a theology of communications, considering how we might develop a biblical response to our unique technological era.
Listen NowCMU alumna brings climate action into the provincial election
Monday, July 17, 2023 @ 10:14 AM
In 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report stating that a global average temperature increase of 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels would significantly increase the severity and occurrence of extreme weather events, forever altering Earth's ecosystems.
The World Meteorological Institute estimates we are on track to hit that sustained average temperature increase in roughly a decade. Worse yet, there is a 66 per cent chance of that occurring temporarily within the next five years. The time for climate action is now.
Continue Reading
Print This Article