Enactus SFU breaks barriers at National Exposition

The 2015 Enactus SFU National Exposition team.

Enactus SFU was named Opening Round Runner-up at this year’s Enactus Canada National Exposition.

The result builds on the team’s success at the regional competition, where they were named Financial Education Challenge Western Canada regional champion.

The 2015 National Exposition brought together 59 schools and over 900 students from across the country. The event, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from May 11 to 13, demonstrated how the Enactus Canada chapters are part of a bigger organization that strives to create change in the lives of others.

Participating teams had the opportunity to present their projects in a 17-minute presentation, followed by a five minute Q&A.

The Enactus SFU team consisted of Beedie undergraduates Ginny Hsiang and Hangue Kim, political science students Dorothy Ng and Mark Thompson, and Wendy Huang from SFU’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology. Beedie students Lara Ahmad and Winona Bhatti coached the team.

“The positive energy in the building was incomparable,” said Lara Ahmad, President of Enactus SFU and Nationals team coach. “It was great to meet other teams and learn about the impact everyone is making in Canada and around the world.”

The team showcased how Enactus SFU is “breaking barriers” through their Hunger Actions initiative. The program helps educate low-income families on financial literacy and nutrition, with a goal of breaking barriers of money, support, and time.

They also discussed the Soap for Hope program, which helps impoverished individuals find transitional employment opportunities by up-cycling bar soap into liquid soap. The team’s presentation explained how these programs address the triple bottom line – an accounting framework focusing on social, environmental, and financial impacts – to create a strong foundation of sustainability in businesses.

“It’s important to break barriers because we live in a society that has distinct class differences, which affect our accessibility to goods and services, thus affecting our livelihoods,” said Dorothy Ng, Director of Marketing and Nationals Team Presenter for Enactus SFU. “For impoverished individuals, they may feel like they are stuck in a cycle of poverty and hardship. Enactus SFU bridges this gap by creating programs to address these needs.”

Enactus is a global organization that uses entrepreneurial initiatives to address social, environmental and economic needs. Enactus SFU is a chapter of Enactus Canada that helps students develop new skills and empower them to become future leaders while making a positive impact in the community.

For more information on Enactus SFU, visit http://enactussfu.com/