Last week, a team of student entrepreneurs from Loyalist College finished among Canada’s top 20 teams in the Enactus National Challenge in Montreal.
The live, multi-round, presentation-based competition took place at the Enactus Canada National Exposition, an annual event bringing together students, academic advisors and industry leaders to celebrate entrepreneurship with social impact.
Enactus Loyalist representatives Maya Phaneuf, Arvind Sharma and Madison Bernard competed alongside Fleming College, Concordia University and Simon Fraser University in the opening round of the National Challenge. With a successful first round, Loyalist’s team advanced to the semi-finals, where they went head-to-head with the University of British Columbia, Capilano University, Okanagan College and Toronto Metropolitan University.
“As Enactus Loyalist faculty advisors, Carol Coupland, Olivia Millard and I are extremely proud of the team’s efforts,” said Nick Foley, Program Coordinator, Public Relations and Event Management. “This year, the students have collectively spent many hours propagating social good for our community, locally and beyond. We are excited to see the team grow and the impact they will continue to have moving forward.”
This year, the Enactus Loyalist team presented the results of two community empowerment projects. Their first project, “Welcome Home,” eased international students’ transition to life in Canada by creating access to more than $240,000 in government supports. As part of the Welcome Home project, Loyalist students also worked with partners at Georgian College on “Say My Name,” a design for phonetically spelled nametags. The nametags are currently used in Loyalist College classrooms to support the correct pronunciation of names and facilitate a welcoming environment for students from around the world. At the Exposition’s closing ceremonies, Say My Name was awarded the Collaboration Award in recognition of the two colleges’ outstanding teamwork.
Students from Enactus Loyalist also presented on the “Unusually Good” project, an initiative developed by Okanagan College that upcycles the waste from cider-making into healthy snacks for youth in need. Responding to local food security challenges, Enactus Loyalist students partnered with Okanagan College to bring Unusually Good to the Bay of Quinte region. Working with Hastings Prince Edward County-based organization Food For Learning, Enactus Loyalist is providing local students with Unusually Good snacks to support their learning and focus. The team also visited a grade four class to speak about balanced nutrition.
“We’re thrilled to see the Enactus Loyalist movement building momentum on our Loyalist College campus as students are empowered to examine local challenges and mobilize innovative solutions to address them,” said Loyalist College President and CEO Mark Kirkpatrick. “From supporting sustainability to investing in cultural exchange and inclusivity, our students’ mission to create social impact through entrepreneurship fits perfectly with Loyalist’s commitment to supporting regional economic and social development in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
