Cultural Center · University of British Columbia

Building community.
Celebrating Central Asian culture.

From Nowruz on campus to Kazakh language workshops and dostarkhan dinners — CASU is home for Central Asian students at UBC, and for everyone curious about the region between the Caspian and the Tian Shan.

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Become a member See what we do

CASU emblem — an endless knot inside a shanyrak-style wheel

Who we are

A crossroads, the way the Silk Road was

CASU brings together students from across Central Asia — and friends of the region — through culture, language, food and community. No heritage required: if you're curious, you belong.

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Community

A home away from home. Socials, game nights, bowling, study sessions and a network of students who get where you're from — or want to learn.

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Culture

Nowruz celebrations, Dostarkhan dinners, traditional music and dance — we bring the steppe, the mountains and the Silk Road cities to UBC.

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Language & learning

Free Kazakh language workshops, guest speakers and projects like Steppe to Screen that keep Central Asian languages and stories alive in Vancouver.

Explore the region

Five countries, one crossroads

Hover over (or tap) a country to light it up and meet it — capital, people, languages and one thing worth knowing.

✦ Hover or tap a country to explore it

This season

What's coming up

Kazakh Language Workshops

Free, in-person, Kazakh & English · interactive format · certificate of completion. New sessions every few weeks.

Nowruz '26

The biggest night of the year — spring new year with food, music and dance from across the region.

Dostarkhan & Socials

Shared-table dinners, bowling nights, guest speakers and more — follow @ubc.casunion for dates.

Pull up a seat at the dostarkhan

Membership is open to all UBC students. Join the community, get event invites first, and help shape what CASU does next.

Join CASU

What we do

Culture you can taste, hear,
and dance to.

Every term we run a mix of big cultural celebrations, hands-on workshops and casual socials. Here's what that looks like — photo spots below are ready for shots from each event.

Nowruz Celebration

Flagship · Spring

Our biggest event of the year. Nowruz marks the spring new year across Central Asia — we celebrate with traditional food, live music, dance performances and games, bringing hundreds of students together on campus.

Socials — Bowling, Games & More

Casual

Low-key hangouts between the big events: bowling nights, game nights, Women's Day celebrations and end-of-term get-togethers. The easiest first event to show up to.

Dostarkhan Dinners

Community · Monthly

The dostarkhan is the shared table at the heart of Central Asian hospitality. We recreate it in Vancouver: plov, beshbarmak, manty, lagman — the fastest way to make the region make sense.

Guest Speakers & Panels

Learning

Talks and panels with academics, professionals and community leaders on Central Asian history, geopolitics, business and diaspora life — connecting students with people shaping the region's story.