Students at University of Saskatchewan and University of Alberta named the 2019 Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge Regional Champions
(Calgary) March 4, 2019: Students at the University of Saskatchewan and University of Alberta have been named the 2019 Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge Regional Champions. The winning teams were selected by Canada’s largest experiential learning platform, Enactus Canada, and program supporter Scotiabank. As part of this recognition, both teams will now move on to the national competition taking place May 8, 2019 at the Enactus Canada National Exposition in Vancouver.
Students at the University of Saskatchewan developed the Indigenous Youth Idea Challenge to enable young, indigenous entrepreneurs to develop their own businesses and get access to over $10,000 in start-up capital. At the University of Alberta, the NextStep Conference was created to provide high school students with employability skills and a unique leadership experience.
“Being a young Canadian isn’t easy; they are experiencing high unemployment rates and increasing debt levels,” says Nicole Almond, President of Enactus Canada. “Through this challenge, we encourage young Canadians to disrupt this cycle by empowering fellow youth to take charge of their personal and professional futures.”
In its 13th year of operation, the Indigenous Youth Idea Challenge helped 6 youth start businesses and exposed dozens of youth to entrepreneurship as a viable career option. In its first year, the NextStep Conference saw engagement from over 150 high school students from across Edmonton.
“At Scotiabank, we are committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential and supporting organizations that share this goal is one way we deliver on this commitment,” says Rod Wendt, District Vice-President, Calgary Central District, Scotiabank. “Congratulations to the Regional Champions, University of Saskatchewan and University of Alberta, who have displayed a tremendous amount of passion and creativity through their work in the 2019 Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge.”
On March 1, student teams demonstrated their youth empowerment projects to panels of business executives as part of the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition – Western Canada, held in Calgary.
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 3,498 post-secondary students led 275 community empowerment projects and business ventures last year in communities coast to coast, positively impacting over 28,000 lives.
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.
ABOUT SCOTIABANK: At Scotiabank, we aim to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential. Young people are our future leaders and Scotiabank’s goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources they need to support their success. Together with our employees, the Bank supports causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2018, Scotiabank contributed more than $80 million to help our communities around the world.
Scotiabank is Canada’s international bank and a leading financial services provider in the Americas. We are dedicated to helping our more than 25 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 97,000 employees and assets of $998 billion (as at October 31, 2018), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.