Enactus teams at Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia and British Columbia Institute of Technology teach money management skills to improve economic opportunities for their communities.
CALGARY, ALBERTA (March 16, 2015) – Three Enactus teams have been named 2015 Capital One Financial Education Challenge Regional Champions by this country’s largest student leadership development organization, Enactus Canada, and proud program supporter, Capital One Canada.
Teams at Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia and British Columbia Institute of Technology are driving positive change through the following community empowerment projects:
Simon Fraser University took home a regional championship title for Hunger Actions, a project that empowers low income families to lead healthy lifestyles on a tight budget. Teaching participants how to develop strong financial habits through goal setting and budgeting, the Enactus team ran 28 workshops that empowered 71 low income parents with essential financial skills.
University of British Columbia was named a regional champion for their project, $pend It Right, which provides financial knowledge and skills to high school students and helps them design and produce a prototype item or service. This year, the Enactus UBC team brought financial education to 150 high school students through 48 interactive workshops.
British Columbia Institute of Technology won a regional championship for their Lions’ Lair Project, which offers workshops in financial literacy to aspiring entrepreneurs. Through this initiative, Enactus BCIT was able to provide ten entrepreneurs with new financial literacy skills and $14,000 in seed capital to help them start their own businesses.
“Through this challenge, the Enactus students are having real impacts on the people they touch by empowering them to make informed financial choices,” said Duncan de Chastelain, Associate General Counsel, Capital One Canada. “At Capital One, we seek to support programs that are driving tangible change in the community and this challenge has proven itself to be a great fit.”
The Capital One Financial Education Challenge is a national competition empowering post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that teach relevant financial skills. In the last three years, this challenge has engaged 2,955 students across the country, resulting in the delivery of 367 financial education outreach projects and directly impacting 40,784 community participants.
Student teams demonstrated the impact of their financial education projects to panels of business executives on March 13 in Calgary as part of the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition – Western Canada. The winning Enactus teams stood out to the judges because of their dedication to empowering people in need within their community.
“Through these projects, our student teams are transforming lives and building a more sustainable country,” said Nicole Almond, Enactus Canada president. “We are incredibly proud of our student leaders and their work to empower people across Canada through financial literacy education.”
These teams will now move on to the national level of competition taking place May 11-13 at the 2015 Enactus Canada National Exposition in Toronto, Ontario.
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ABOUT ENACTUS CANADA: Enactus Canada, this country’s largest student leadership development organization, is shaping generations of entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of Canada. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, more than 2,400 entrepreneurial postsecondary students led 250 community empowerment projects and business ventures this past 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.
ABOUT CAPITAL ONE: With offices in Toronto and Montreal, Capital One Canada has been offering Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard credit cards since 1996. We challenge ourselves to see the world through the eyes of our customers, so we can deliver the market leading credit products and exceptional service they’re looking for. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF). Capital One is committed to investing in youth in our communities through program investment and the skills and dedication of our talented associates.
Media Inquiries:
Jody Lundrigan
Director of Communications
Enactus Canada
E: jody@enactus.ca
P:416.304.1566 ext.222
M: 416.346.0131