(Ottawa) April 6, 2017: Student entrepreneurs from Memorial University of Newfoundland were welcomed at Parliament Hill April 4-5, where they got the distinct pleasure of meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Youth, Peter Schiefke, Parliamentary Secretary of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, Yvonne Jones, Minister Chagger and Newfoundland MPs.
Given the federal government’s focus on youth and entrepreneurship, the meeting objective was to increase awareness of the work Enactus students are doing in communities across Canada and globally. From increasing people’s access to fresh and affordable food from leading financial literacy workshops in indigenous communities, Enactus’ 2,700+ student network positively impacted over 33,000 lives last year alone.
The Enactus Team from Memorial University of Newfoundland was named Enactus World Cup Champion in 2016 for their award-winning social enterprise, Project Sucseed. It is a sustainable solution created in response to an issue that Northern Canadians have faced for generations: food insecurity. Working with engineers and expert botanists, Enactus Memorial created a low-cost hydroponic unit, enabling people to grow fresh produce in the comfort of their homes. The team also partnered with a local charity to provide vulnerable youth with jobs building the unit.
Enactus Memorial sells their hydroponic unites to the general public to help finance their core objective, feeding the North. They have sold systems to individuals coast to coast and their units are in soup kitchens and 60 schools with serious expansion plans already in motion. Enactus Memorial has launched 13 cooperatives in Northern communities, employing 63 individuals as hydroponic farmers. Project Sucseed is just one of the projects the team operates.
ABOUT ENACTUS CANADA: Enactus Canada, the country’s largest post-secondary experiential learning platform, is shaping entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of Canada. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, more than 2,734 entrepreneurial post-secondary students led 280 community empowerment projects and business ventures last year in communities coast to coast.
Through regional and national events, students demonstrate how their community empowerment projects and business ventures are shaping the economic, social and environmental landscape of Canada in two types of competitions: National Challenges and the Student Entrepreneur National Competition. National champions form the core of a select group of 3,500 student, business and academic leaders from around the globe who meet every year at the Enactus World Cup to experience excellence in competition, collaboration and celebration.
As a global network of 36 countries, Enactus uses the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. For more information, visit enactus.ca.
Media Inquiries:
Jennifer Falzon
Director of Marketing and Strategic Growth, Enactus Canada
jen@enactus.ca | 416-315-2099