Odette School of Business students placed among the top finishers in Canada during the Enactus National Exhibition, which took place recently in Toronto.
The exhibition -- intended to promote conscious capitalism on behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau -- was opened by Peter Schiefke, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Youth), and consisted of three days of competition among thousands of business students.
The Windsor teams placed second in the Capital One Financial Education Challenge and third in the Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge.
Enactus Windsor uses entrepreneurial and commercial strategies to improve Windsor’s social and environmental well-being. For example, The Liberty Project provides one-on-one financial consulting and a living wage to survivors of human trafficking, addiction and trauma, paying them to manufacture reusable sanitary pads that are distributed to women in developing countries.
Another project, Youthrive, is a 10-week primary and secondary school entrepreneurship mentoring and financial literacy education program for students in 25 high school and 19 grade school classrooms in the Windsor/Essex area. The project also operates a summer camp for at-risk youth, creating student-run businesses.
“Windsor is the inspiration behind our team and their projects”, says Enactus co-president Ian Virtue.
“It’s a community that looks after each other and gives to the less fortunate whenever possible. Our social enterprise projects embody the best of our home city.”
Enactus Canada’s mission is to shape generations of entrepreneurial leaders, helping them become passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of Canada and developing countries around the world.
Enactus Windsor, supported and funded by the Odette School of Business and private sponsors including WFCU and Libro Credit Unions, has been one of the most successful teams in Canada, winning several regional and national competitions.
Teams are advised by Odette School of Business professor Trevor McFadyen, and coached by Meahgan Quinn of the School of Dramatic Art.
“We’re very proud of Enactus Windsor, not only because of their success at the national competition, but because they’ve used what they have learned at the Odette School of Business to make their community and the world a better place,” said Dr. Mitchell Fields, Dean of the Odette School of Business.
“Enactus is one of the flagship experiential learning opportunities at Odette. Members gain experiences that propel them into dynamic careers here in Windsor and beyond.”
For more information on exhibition results visit: http://enactus.ca/events/national-exposition/