(HALIFAX) 20 March 2017 – Rampage is a social enterprise that employs First Nations community members to manufacture portable accessibility ramps using recycled end-of-life tires. Autism Works Entrepreneurship is a program that provides individualized consulting expertise to help individuals with autism start and grow their business ventures.
These are just two of the student-run initiatives presented at the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition, which took place March 16-17 in Halifax.
“The event inspires and celebrates the entrepreneurial action of student teams across Atlantic Canada,” said Nicole Almond, President of Enactus Canada, the country’s largest post-secondary experiential learning platform. “Like in business, competition drives creativity and results. Year after year, our students continue to amaze us through their innovation, drive to succeed and desire to give back.”
Four team-based competitions focused on financial education, environmental sustainability, youth empowerment and entrepreneurship took place at the event. Post-secondary student teams demonstrated the impact of their projects to panels of business executives serving as judges. Regional Champions were named in each category and will now move on to compete nationally May 9-11 at the 2017 Enactus Canada National Exposition in Vancouver.
The Capital One Financial Education Challenge is a national competition empowering post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that teach relevant financial skills. Since 2012, this challenge has engaged 6,316 students across the country, resulting in 620 financial education outreach projects, and directly impacting the financial futures of 69,826 people.
2017 Capital One Financial Education Challenge Regional Champions for Atlantic Canada:
• Saint Mary’s University: Autism Works Entrepreneurship
The unemployment rate for Canadians with autism is a staggering 85 per cent. With Autism Nova Scotia and Ready Willing and Able, students from Enactus Saint Mary’s created Autism Works Entrepreneurship, a program that provides individualized consulting expertise to help individuals with autism start and grow their business ventures. In only 10 months, Autism Works Entrepreneurship has expanded its client base from seven to thirteen clients across five provinces, helping capable entrepreneurs increase revenues by $76,275.
• Memorial University of Newfoundland: Your Turn Boutique and Project Sucseed
Your Turn Boutique employs at-risk youth to sell second-hand clothing. It provides hands-on experience with money, pricing and finance, helping them understand cash flow and operating costs. Through Your Turn Boutique, eight youth have been employed and have earned $3,824 in new income. Project Sucseed employs at-risk youth to build innovative hydroponic gardening systems to drive food security in Northern Canada. To-date, 452 systems have been built by at-risk youth in a state-of-the-art facility with ergonomic work stations, generating $159,000+ in revenue.
The Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge empowers post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that teach viable solutions to relevant environmental issues. Since 2010, 6,518 students have helped conserve 24,405,251 litres of water, diverted 168,653,116 pounds of waste and introduced 3,322 organizations to green business practices.
2017 Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge Regional Champions for Atlantic Canada:
• Nova Scotia Community College – Waterfront Campus: Rampage
Rampage is a social enterprise that employs First Nations community members to manufacture portable accessibility ramps using recycled end-of-life tires. Currently in its start-up phase, Rampage, for every ramp built, will divert seven tires from landfills and save $160 per ramp using recycled rubber.
• Memorial University of Newfoundland: Project Sucseed
Upon identifying a need for fresh, affordable produce and food security in northern Canada, students from Memorial University of Newfoundland created Project Sucseed. Working with expert botanists and engineers, they designed a hydroponic system that enables people in northern communities a sustainable way to grow their own produce. In addition to providing systems to northern communities at a subsidized rate, the team has also established 13 food sharing cooperatives. Through Project Sucseed, Enactus Memorial has improved over 3,000 lives, diverted over 240,000 lbs of waste from Canadian landfills and conserved more than 2,000,000 litres of water.
The Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge encourages post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that address the needs and opportunities facing youth. Focused on education, learning skills and supporting the life-long success of youth aged 25 and under, this challenge has engaged 3,175 students since 2016, who have impacted more than 15,922 youth through 149 community empowerment projects.
2017 Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge Regional Champions for Atlantic Canada:
• Nova Scotia Community College – Pictou Campus: Raising the Roots Garden
Last year, students from Nova Scotia Community College – Pictou Campus constructed a raised garden bed at a youth homeless shelter, empowering residents to care for the crops. This year, they’ll convert it into a greenhouse and lead workshops to teach youth at Roots House the foundations of gardening, while also connecting them to local farmers markets where they can turn their additional yields into profits. To-date, the Raising the Roots Garden project has enabled the preparation of 30 healthy meals for 11 youth, saving the shelter approximately $300. This year, they’ll increase number of meals to 90 for 30-40 youth, saving the shelter at least $900 in grocery costs and providing an additional income of $200 through farmer market sales.
• Saint Mary’s University: OPtions Youth
Students from Saint Mary’s University are empowering youth to follow their entrepreneurial passions through a 20-week program that encourages them to join the workforce, return to school or launch their own business. Enactus Saint Mary’s’ OPtions Youth program has seen many successes. One participant launched a clothing line, Family Over Fame, while another launched a food bundle program in his home community of Uniacke Square called Square Roots. Thanks to the program, 18 youth have been directly impacted, and have been lifted out of poverty.
The TD Entrepreneurship Challenge is a national competition empowering post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that teach relevant entrepreneurship skills to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Since 2007, 13,018 students have exposed 67,875 people to entrepreneurship as a viable career path and have positively impacted 15,893 entrepreneurs.
2017 TD Entrepreneurship Challenge Regional Champions for Atlantic Canada:
• Memorial University of Newfoundland: Project Sucseed
Upon identifying a need for fresh, affordable produce and food security in northern Canada, students from Memorial University of Newfoundland created Project Sucseed. Working with expert botanists and engineers, they designed a hydroponic system that enables people in northern communities a sustainable way to grow their own produce. Through Enactus Memorial’s Project Sucseed, the team has established 13 food sharing cooperatives and has empowered 88 community members to participate in their entrepreneurial food-sharing model. Enactus Memorial has partnered with Woodward Group of Companies to expand Project Sucseed to every community in Nunavut and Labrador.
• Saint Mary’s University: Autism Works Entrepreneurship
The unemployment rate for Canadians with autism is a staggering 85 per cent. With Autism Nova Scotia and Ready Willing and Able, students from Enactus Saint Mary’s created Autism Works Entrepreneurship, a consultation program that connects individuals with autism to sustainable contract, subsidized programs and wage allowances. In only 10 months, Autism Works Entrepreneurship has expanded its client base from seven to thirteen clients across five provinces, helping capable entrepreneurs increase revenues by $76,275.
A summary of the 2017 Enactus Canada Regional Exposition results can be viewed at enactus.ca/events/regional-expositions/atlantic-canada.
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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. 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, Marketing & Strategic Growth, Enactus Canada
jen@enactus.ca | 416.304.1566 x222 | 416.315.2099