By Andrew Neary, first-year Journalism and Mass Media student

The Rotary Club of Whitby’s 2022 Food Truck Frenzy gathered thousands of Durham Region residents to support local charities while providing student entrepreneurs with a platform to sell products and share their brands. Often missing markets due to the expenses of purchasing table space without guaranteed sales, six Durham College (DC) student entrepreneurs were recently given the opportunity to attend, as a result of FastStartDC’s purchase of vendor spaces – and I’m grateful to have been one of them.

With more than thirty food trucks and over 20,000 visitors in attendance, I spent the preceding weeks preparing enough cold brew coffee to serve hundreds of customers. At 7 a.m., on a brisk Saturday morning, I arrived at Iroquois Park to help the Rotarian volunteers and organizers set up (and to claim the most premium location for the student market tents). In addition to paying for the students’ tent space, DC also provided the tables and tents themselves, which are additional financial barriers that can prevent students from accessing markets.

The market preparations were ready to go at 9 a.m., when FastStart students started to arrive. Vidhi, of Art Blizz, travelled from London, Ontario with luggage cases packed with resin masterpieces from as small as a bookmark up to frame-ready canvas works. Melissa, of Nature’s Beauty By Queen, shared a luxury body care products table with Esther of Made in Shade. Next to them, Nicole and Stella offered handmade dog bandanas, collars and service dog patches under Sewing with Stella. Neighbouring Vidhi, Shantel’s L’Amour Jae displayed an exquisite range of candles in unique shapes and scents. Finally, while sharing information about the FastStart experience with prospective Durham College students and the community, I sold cold brew coffee that I roasted as Kettleboy.

During the two days, we bonded over discussions about operations and business needs while supporting each other through the unexpected. If a payment terminal froze, someone was quick to share their own. If anyone grew low on change, I acted as the bank and broke bills for customers. We pushed each other to engage with customers and share our stories as curious neighbours drifted by our stations, picking up exciting foods along the way. We learned from each other’s experiences and grew as owners, just as our businesses grew in exposure and sales.

At closing time on Sunday, everyone chipped in to help pack up the generously lent Durham College gear, shared links and resources. For the community, Food Truck Frenzy was an incredible success. It raised more than $75,000 for charity and marked the return of a landmark event that, like many of its kind, was forced on hold as a result the pandemic. For us, the Frenzy reinforced our belief that DC cares about the success of its students, inspiring hope for the future and gratitude for the present.

If you are interested in starting or growing your own business, please sign up for FastStart’s free services. The FastStart team genuinely wants to support you on your journey towards building a future as an entrepreneur with the skills you are learning as a student.

By Andrew Neary, Journalism – Mass Media student

Enactus Durham College (DC) is the proud winner of this year’s RBC Future Launch Accelerator and ranked in the top 20 of all social initiatives at the Enactus Canada National Exposition. Over the past year, the DC team maintained and grew three primary initiatives, which they presented at the online Canada-wide competition.

The lead project of the year, ConnectUs 4 Community (CU4C), saw DC students and faculty volunteers create an online platform that taught young people in grades 9 to 12 how to launch social initiatives in their communities while addressing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Through CU4C, EnactusDC inspired more than 800 students across 15 high schools to launch 100 social projects. As a result, RBC Bank recognized CU4C’s success with its $4,000 Future Launch Accelerator prize, ranking it as the best project in Canada for supporting youth.

Alongside CU4C, EnactusDC fostered innovation through Rcycle, an app aimed at educating people about recycling properly and rewarding them with points to spend at social businesses. The app is expected to be piloted at the college later this year. The Enactus DC team also promoted tools to manage mental health with the True Grit 21 Day Wellness challenge, which offers emailed motivational messages and activities every day for 21 days.

Under Heather Brown’s leadership, Enactus DC prepared a comprehensive competition submission which included a 12-minute video presentation and a detailed annual impact report to highlight this year’s projects. After receiving positive feedback, the team faced two rounds of panel questions, judged by a table of Canadian industry leaders and executives. Their work at the National Exposition paid off when EnactusDC tied their “best-ever” result from last year’s competition.

DC congratulates the Enactus team for their success and would like to thank the faculty for providing ongoing guidance to help lead students’ entrepreneurial efforts to national success.

Facing off against 300 student competitors from all regions of Canada, five Durham College (DC) students were awarded medals during the prestigious 2022 Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC), in Vancouver, British Columbia on May 26 and 27. In addition to the student competitors, more than 3,000 visitors, industry leaders and government officials were in attendance.

Bringing home silver from SCNC was Holly White in the Aesthetics category, Abigayle Hamilton and Emma Pace for Landscape Gardening and Jared Toomey for IT Networking. Christopher Santoli also received bronze in the Photography category. Prior to claiming their silver and bronze medal victories, all students competed at the 2022 Skills Ontario Competition and won gold or silver in their respective categories, allowing them to advance to the national competition.

“We are incredibly proud of these talented students – whose practical knowledge and dedication have just been rewarded at one of the most prestigious skills competitions in Canada – and their faculty mentors who supported them throughout the competition,” said Dr. Elaine Popp, executive vice president, Academic. “These victories and the recognition at both the national and provincial level are further proof that Durham College programs prepare our students for career success as they become the industry leaders of tomorrow.”

Skills Canada was founded in 1989 as a national not‐for‐profit organization that works with employers, educators, labour groups and governments to promote skilled trade and technology careers among Canadian youth. SCNC is the only multi-trade and technology competition for students and apprentices in the country. By providing a forum where young Canadians can compete at the national level, SCNC provides hands-on work experience related to skilled trade and technology careers.

Following the success of Durham College’s (DC) Personal Support Worker (PSW) Accelerated program in 2021, the college will launch a new intake beginning Monday, June 27 to continue to educate future healthcare workers. Similar to the 2021 intakes, tuition and ancillary fees for accepted students in the June 2022 intake will be covered by the Ontario government, with students having the ability to graduate within six months with full PSW credentials.

The accelerated program is delivered in a hybrid model that combines remote learning with in-person laboratory classes and hands-on activities in care settings, providing important experiential learning opportunities to students. After three months, students will also participate in a paid work placement.

“Now more than ever, our health-care system is relying on Durham College to quickly and efficiently deliver on the exceptional education DC is known for to prepare well-trained and compassionate graduates for work in the PSW field,” said Dr. Elaine Popp, executive vice president, Academic, DC. “By offering additional intakes of this highly successful program, our students have the opportunity to explore a dynamic and in-demand field while making a difference and leading the way in their community.”

PSWs are front-line care providers whose responsibilities focus on the personal care and support that include activities of daily living with client populations across institutional, community care and service settings. They provide client-centred care to enhance and maintain the quality of everyday life. Through dedicated faculty, enhanced curriculum, skills and certifications obtained in the course of study, and implementation of several interprofessional education and simulation opportunities, and access to valuable community partners, students will graduate well-prepared and career-ready.

Students who are currently enrolled in the winter 2022 intake of the traditional PSW program, as well as those planning to enroll for fall 2022 are eligible to receive a $2,000 bursary to support their studies.

More information about the PSW Accelerated program, including admission requirements, answers to FAQs, and details to apply can be found online.

Durham College (DC) students and alumni from the Journalism – Mass Media program triumphed at this year’s Ontario Community Newspaper Association’s (OCNA) Better Newspapers Competition.

Every year, the member newspapers of OCNA compete for a chance to have their journalism work recognized as exemplary.

For the third consecutive year, DC’s student-produced newspaper, The Chronicle, has taken home first place in the General Excellence – College/University category. In recent years, the Chronicle has been praised for its fine photography and layout, as well as its ongoing professionalism, gripping storytelling skills and superb editorial work. The Chronicle also scored honourable mentions in the Best College/University Newspaper Website category.

DC students also enjoyed individual success at this year’s competition. Allaya Sue and Shaun McLeod, graduates of the Journalism – Mass Media program, took home first and third respectively in the Student Feature Writing category. The awards also recognized DC alumnus Chad Ingram, who placed second in the Premier Awards – Best Editorial, circulation under 9,999 category, writing for the Minden Times.

Congratulations to DC’s Journalism – Mass Media students, alumni and faculty for this well-earned celebration of their dedication and hard work.

Ryan Honey and William Marques, students of Durham College’s (DC) Game-Art program, were recently announced as finalists of Ubisoft Toronto NEXT, an annual competition designed to showcase the talents and help kickstart the careers of Ontario video game development students.

On May 12, Ryan and William took first place in 3D Art and second place in Technical Art, respectively. As the winner of the 3D Art category, Ryan has secured an internship with Ubisoft’s team in Toronto, where he’ll further develop his professional skill set at one of the most recognizable names in the gaming industry.

“We are so proud of Ryan and William for the work they’ve done and all they accomplished in the Ubisoft Toronto Next competition,” says Greg Murphy, dean, School of Media, Art & Design. “When we see DC students enjoying this level of success, it only goes to show that our program and our faculty are providing students the knowledge they need to thrive and lead the way in the world of game art and design.”

During a virtual ceremony to announce the winners, Ubisoft lauded Ryan’s piece, which demonstrated his eye for composition and strong attention to detail. Judges also complimented William’s work, praising the variety of techniques he applied and referring to his work as a good show of innovation.

“It was months of hard work for Ryan and William to put these pieces together, and it shows,” says Ryan Miller, project manager, Mixed Reality Capture (MRC) Studio. “Students can adapt school projects to accommodate the competition requirements, but they still have to manage the workload in their other classes. Luckily, they have a lot of support from DC’s professors, who provide feedback and critiques before the submission goes to Ubisoft.”

Now recently graduated, Ryan and William were able to further hone their skills through the work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences offered through MRC Studio. During their time as students, they gained valuable hands-on learning from working with clients like game studios, animation companies and technology partners, as they produced 3D art, technical art, and prototypes at a professional level.

DC congratulates Ryan and William on their achievements at Ubisoft Toronto NEXT and thanks the DC faculty who offered additional guidance to help them along the way.