Undergraduate Access to Justice (A2J), a registered UCalgary student-led club that connects community members with legal guidance, is hosting its inaugural Justice Run on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Starting at 10 a.m., the event will feature a five-kilometre run and a one-kilometre walk at Varsity Village Park and the Bow River pathways in the city’s northeast, before joining at Central Commons Park at 2:30 p.m. for a community celebration. 

Both the run and the walk are ticketed events, and participants can fundraise individually or as a team, with the chance to win prizes like a PlayStation 5 gaming console, a $5,000 scholarship, and gift cards. The celebration portion is free and open to everyone. 

Zahraa Virk, 20, president of A2J, said accessibility was top of mind when planning the event, which is why people of all fitness levels and backgrounds are welcome. Whether people come for the run aspect or just the gathering, she said she hopes the public feels welcome.

“It’s a fun way to get the community together and get them hyped,” said Virk. 

“That’s why it’s at University District, so that people can come and experience this organization and experience what we’re trying to put out there.”

The money raised from the event will be divided between A2J and its partner organization, UCalgary’s Student Legal Assistance (SLA), a non-profit pro bono clinic, and the groups that they work alongside, such as Calgary Legal Guidance. 

Virk founded A2J in May and said their share of the funds will allow them to host future events, while the majority will help local groups offer services to the community. She said that giving back to the people is exactly why she started the initiative. 

Connecting the community with available services

As a current student enrolled in UCalgary’s law and society program, Virk said that both her life experience and time spent volunteering at firms brought her to realize that although legal help is available, very few people know about it. 

“I saw a gap in legal literacy consciousness in the community in Alberta,” she said.

“I kind of thought of a way — how do I create opportunities for undergraduate students, because they’re eager to participate in a meaningful way in areas of law?”

That’s when she contacted the director of the SLA, Virk said, who affirmed that a significant disconnect exists between people and their access to justice, particularly for those outside the academic circle, despite these groups being available.

“It was kind of a solution to an issue,” she said. 

“The community essentially doesn’t know where to go, what to do, and there’s so much information out there.”

Virk said the club strives to do just that — connect residents facing legal challenges with services that have long been offered. Aneese Rakka, 25, a law student at UCalgary and events coordinator for SLA, said that partnering with the new club was a welcome decision. 

“We have a strong connection with them,” he said. 

“It was, I would say, a little more easier for us to get them involved and get them on board and to spread their knowledge to the community.”

Rakka said the people they often help tend to be low-income individuals and immigrants. Coming from an immigrant family himself, he said he understands what it’s like to need support but not know where to get it, and that the funds from the event will be for a good cause. 

“When you think, like, a student-led organization providing legal services in court and everything like that — it’s difficult to do,” said Rakka. 

“It fills the gap in the system that may need to be filled, so allowing us to continue our operations, basically, [is] what that would be.”

Participants can register for the run online by purchasing tickets, with prices ranging from $35 for students, $30 for youth, and $50 for adults.