(TORONTO) March 22, 2021 – The Enactus team at St. Francis Xavier University have created an entrepreneurship program for young girls through their social initiative, Girls Mean Business.
A group of students from the Enactus team at Saint Mary’s University have managed to reduce food waste by redistributing surplus produce to those who need it most through Square Roots.
The Enactus team at Lambton College have created greenhouses and aquaponics facilities for First Nations through Project Growing Together.
The Enactus team at Wilfrid Laurier University – Waterloo have created dissolvable shampoo/conditioner/body wash tablets that reduce plastic bottle waste through EarthSuds and upcycled plastic waste into sustainable pavement through Last20.
POLY is a social enterprise created by the Enactus team at the University of Ottawa that manufactures small-scale plastic recycling systems that allow anyone to create their own business making products out of recycled plastic.
The Enactus team at University of Saskatchewan offers Indigenous youth aged 16-35 the tools necessary to explore their entrepreneurial interests and to help turn their business ideas into a reality through the Indigenous Youth Idea Challenge.
The Enactus team at Okanagan College has created Fruit Snaps – a healthy and delicious snack made with unwanted fruit from orchards.
Thanks to these initiatives, Enactus St. Francis Xavier University, Enactus Saint Mary’s University, Enactus Lambton College, Enactus Wilfrid Laurier University – Waterloo, Enactus University of Ottawa, Enactus University of Saskatchewan and Enactus Okanagan College have been named 2021 TD Entrepreneurship Challenge Regional Champions. The teams were chosen by Canada’s largest experiential learning platform, Enactus Canada, and program supporter TD Bank Group.
“Now more than ever, Canadian entrepreneurs and small businesses need our support,” said Nicole Almond, President of Enactus Canada. “This is why we are so incredibly proud to see the positive change Enactus students are creating in communities through entrepreneurship.”
Through Girls Mean Business, 20 existing entrepreneurs were helped. To date, 5 jobs were created through Square Roots. Project Growing Together has helped create 9 businesses. Through EarthSuds and Last20, 520 people were exposed to entrepreneurship. Thanks to POLY’s initiatives, 5 jobs have been created. With Indigenous Youth Idea Challenge, 3 businesses have been created. Through Fruit Snaps, 6 existing entrepreneurs were helped.
In addition to the above-mentioned Regional Champions, Enactus Okanagan College received the Best Project Idea Award for their local business subscription box idea after competing in a national live project idea pitch competition Friday morning.
“Congratulations to this year’s regional champions of the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge and Best Project Idea,” says Naki Osutei, Associate Vice President, Social Impact Canada, TD Bank Group. “We’re so proud to continue supporting Enactus Canada through the TD Ready Commitment, the Bank’s global corporate citizenship platform. Together, we believe that entrepreneurial action from some of the country’s brightest minds can truly help shape the economic, social and environmental recovery of our country for years to come.”
These Enactus teams will now move on to the national level of competition taking place virtually in May 2021.
The TD Entrepreneurship Challenge is a national competition empowering post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that teach entrepreneurial skills to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Since 2007, 19,978 students have delivered over 2,400 entrepreneurship projects whilst directly impacting 21,814 entrepreneurs. The TD Entrepreneurship Best Project Idea Award launched last year in an effort to encourage the generation of new project ideas.
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ABOUT ENACTUS CANADA: Enactus Canada, a national charity and 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 3,000 post-secondary students led 275 community empowerment projects and business ventures last year in communities coast to coast, directly impacting over 39,000 lives.
As a global network of 35 countries, Enactus uses the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. For more information, visit enactus.ca.
ABOUT THE TD READY COMMITMENT
TD has a long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its customers, colleagues and communities. As part of its corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN $1 billion (U.S. $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow – Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through the TD Ready Commitment, TD aspires to link its business, philanthropy and human capital to help people feel more confident – not just about their finances, but also in their ability to achieve their personal goals in a changing world. For further information, visit td.com/tdreadycommitment.
À propos de La promesse TD Prêts à agir
La TD s’est engagée depuis longtemps à enrichir la vie de ses clients, de ses collègues et des collectivités. Dans le cadre de sa plateforme d’entreprise citoyenne, La promesse TD Prêts à agir, la TD vise un don aux collectivités d’un milliard de dollars canadiens (775 millions de dollars américains) au total d’ici 2030 dans quatre domaines essentiels pour ouvrir les portes à un avenir plus inclusif et plus durable : Sécurité financière, Planète dynamique, Collectivités inclusives et Meilleure santé. Par La promesse TD Prêts à agir, la TD aspire à relier ses activités, ses initiatives philanthropiques et son capital humain pour aider les gens à se sentir plus en confiance, pas seulement par rapport à leurs finances, mais aussi par rapport à leur capacité d’atteindre leurs objectifs personnels dans un monde en évolution. Pour plus d’information, visitez le www.td.com/promessepretsaagir.
Media Inquiries:
Gaston Calzato
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Enactus Canada
gaston@enactus.ca | 647.867.6357
TD Media Contact:
Heather Reinsborough
Manager, Corporate Communications
heather.reinsborough@td.com | 647 405 2660