SIFE teams find success through community impact
Two Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) teams collected second place finishes for both the Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy categories at the Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) Regional Exposition held on March 9-10 in Halifax.
ACE is a national, charitable organization dedicated to teaching and igniting young Canadians to create a brighter future for themselves and their communities. Students involved make a meaningful contribution to their communities and discover their true potential to achieve an even greater impact as an entrepreneurial leader of tomorrow. The Regional Exposition creates a 'best-practice' sharing environment, fosters innovation, encourages results, and rewards excellence in entrepreneurial and community leadership.
Alan Duncan, Dean of UPEI's School or Business explained that SIFE students have worked incredibly hard to achieve these results. 'They've re-energized the club, they've engaged with the community, and they should be considered role models to other students, as they take their academic knowledge outside of the classroom and use it to make a difference in the lives of others.'
The Entrepreneurship team showcased their achievements with the Charlottetown Food Bank to the panel, where their initiatives have purchased a new freezer. The team has plans to create a healthy- eating cookbook, which would use common food bank items as ingredients for the recipes.
The Financial Literacy team highlighted two programs that have been running for the past year. The first, in conjunction with the Charlottetown police, provides information to seniors to assist them in becoming more aware of fraud, and the steps to take to avoid becoming victims of this growing crime. The second program involved presenting to Grade 12 rural students about the realities of budgeting. Challenging the pre-conceived ideas with the reality of their own experiences, the team was able to educate the high school students on financial obligations they would soon face.
UPEI SIFE President Brady McCloskey was proud to see the UPEI teams succeed. 'Watching what a group of young people can accomplish when working together has been the greatest experience for me this year,' he said. 'Our team has made incredible improvements in 2012, and having our accomplishments recognized at a highly competitive event has been a great end to our projects. We are very proud of the work we have done in our community this year, and we will continue it in the coming months.'
More than 25 teams competed at the Atlantic competition. As runners-up in the two categories UPEI was entered in, the teams were awarded with plaques and prize money which will add significantly to their club's funds, and will be used to finance future projects.
UPEI's Hannah Bell also competed in ACE's Student Entrepreneur Program competition and was awarded one of two regional spots to compete at the 2012 ACE National Exposition on May 9 in Calgary.
