Durham College (DC) once again connected its students with the world through its Working Across Borders (WAB) course during the fall 2021 semester. Open to students studying in DC’s business programs, WAB allows learners to virtually engage and collaborate with other institutions globally, as teams collaborate to develop sustainable business solutions for real clients.

In its fifth year being offered at DC, 163 students from the college’s International Business Management and Project Management graduate certificate programs worked as part of multi-national teams with fellow participants from 14 other post-secondary institutions in countries such as Indonesia, Slovenia, Finland, Ghana and Belgium.

Following an opening ceremony in the early fall, each multinational group acted as consultants for Dutch fashion brand Garcia, where they were tasked with developing a sustainable value proposition, as well as a plan for how to effectively communicate with target audiences in one of the countries the company serves.

Because WAB encourages students to explore business opportunities to achieve the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals as part of their work, a special focus of the project was to enhance consumer perceptions of True Pricing, which reflects a product’s market price plus the social and environmental costs associated with that item.

Each team presented their final work via video pitch at the beginning of December 2021 and was assessed based on self-and-peer evaluation, as well as feedback provided by their team coach. Overall, the experience provided students with hands-on experiential learning, while developing their intercultural awareness and communication skills.

Congratulations to these DC students on their incredible success!

Durham College (DC) is proud to share that Dave Palachik, a part-time professor in the Electronics Engineering Technology program, was awarded with a gold medal in the Software Invention category at the 6th Annual International Invention Innovation Competition for his Quantum Resilient Encryption cybersecurity solution.

Organized by the Toronto International Society of Innovation & Advanced Skills, the competition saw 652 inventions submitted by competitors from more than 70 countries worldwide within a diverse selection of categories, from bicycle improvements and EEG brain wave detection, to diagnostic medical bandages and more. Gold medal winners were judged by a Board of Advisors and judges from organizations across the globe.

Palachik’s Quantum Resilient Encryption will have real-world application to help prevent super-machines and new Quantum computers from decoding transmitted data.

Congratulations to Palachik on this exemplary award!

For more information on the Electronics Engineering Technology program, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/ELTY.

Over the course of the pandemic, FastStartDC has continued to support Durham College’s (DC) student entrepreneurs to find novel ways to bring their business ideas to life. Despite the challenges, our students have demonstrated innovative thinking, discovering inspiration within themselves, their personal experiences and from each other.

DC alumna Erin Malcolm is a graduate of the DC’s Entrepreneurship and Small Business program and a shining example of how our students have turned innovative ideas into viable businesses during uncertain times. Erin started her academic program knowing that she wanted to enhance her skillset while building a business that would allow her to leverage her creative energy for good in order to help others. What wasn’t quite as clear for Erin was what form her new enterprise would take.

“Entrepreneurship has always been a part of who I am and how I relate to the world,” says Erin. “I have always craved independence and I know that I am really creative and possess a wildly vivid imagination.”

What Erin didn’t know at the time was how the things she learned in her program at DC, combined with the free entrepreneurship supports available through FastStartDC and the inspiring faculty and staff she met along the way, would allow her to graduate with an incorporated business, She Wolf Inc., and launch two sub-businesses by the end of 2021 and a third slated for 2022.

The FastStartDC team provided Erin with the support to build a viable business model and long-term strategic plan and helped guide her through the launch process to tell her unique story through her branding and marketing.

“The mentorship I received was irreplaceable, and the connections I was able to make will be invaluable as I continue to grow my business. My only regret is that I didn’t start working with FastStart sooner.”

As a DC student, Erin was able to take advantage of the many services offered through FastStart. At no cost to her business, she received logo and branding support, website development, photography, videography, postcard and workbook design and social media strategies and templates.

“FastStart was instrumental in the development of the She Wolf Inc. brand and all that comes along with it.” says Erin. “FastStart helped bring my vision to life by listening to who I wanted to serve, and how I wanted to serve them, and then helping to express that through the many layers of my brand.”

In addition to She Wolf Inc., Erin’s experiences starting and running a small business helped her identify opportunities and address gaps in the market.

Erin’s Methodically Yours is a consulting business that provides small enterprises with a variety of services so owners can focus on growth. These services include bookkeeping, digital marketing (social media, email marketing, blog posts), graphic design, copy writing, customer relationship management and employee onboarding supports.

As a way to give back, Erin also launched Whole Hearted Coaching. As the creator and chief coach behind The Whole Hearted Coaching program, Erin is building on her first-hand experience with emotional healing and seeks to share this insight with women all over the world who are in need. The Whole Hearted Coaching program is designed for women who are feeling burned out, uninspired, anxious, depressed, or directionless. The program includes mindfulness, emotion regulation, finding your “spark”, connecting to your future self, cleaning house from the inside out, and learning how to set clear goals and a path for moving forward. To ensure every young woman in Canada that desires to participate in the program has access to it, Erin started the Whole Hearted Coaching Program Scholarship Fund that aims to help women facing financial barriers participate in the coaching program.

Without a doubt, Erin is a DC alumna to watch. Her passion to give back and support women in need is admirable. The team at FastStart wishes Erin well and is excited to watch her businesses flourish as she makes a meaningful impact in the world.

Students enrolled in Durham College’s (DC) Global Issues: Extremism and Trafficking course had an opportunity to address a real-life issue when they were asked to create an appeal poster to attract the attention of a human trafficking victim and provide vital contact information for immediate assistance.

The campaign was designed to encourage students to apply their newly developed skills in graphics software while considering the issue of human trafficking in their community. Led by Murray Rose, professor, School of Justice & Emergency Services (JES), and former investigator with the Durham Regional Police Services Human Trafficking Unit, the project’s final component asked students to present their posters to an expert panel of members of the college community and external partners, including:

• Joanne Spicer, associate dean, JES
• Yvonne Armstrong, program co-ordinator, Advanced Law Graduate Certificate program, JES
• Jeff Tucker, constable, Durham Regional Police Services and former investigator in the Human Trafficking Unit
• Laura Burch, manager, Bethesda House
• Darlene Rosa, chief operating officer, Timea’s Cause Inc.
• Jenna Peace, student chair person, Durham College Student Association and graduate, School of Media, Art & Design

“As a panelist, it was incredibly rewarding to witness the level of student engagement on this project,” said Joanne Spicer, associate dean, JES. “By fostering their creative voices, the students proved how innovation and analytical thinking can effectively be used in their future careers to make a positive impact in their community.”

After a difficult deliberation, the panel was able to narrow it down to two finalists, Robyn Leger and Julie Potapinski, both post-graduate certificate students in the Advanced Law Enforcement and Investigations program. As the finalists, Robyn and Julie collaborated to create a combined final poster.

“By working together with experts in the field of anti-trafficking, we can improve the experiential learning of Durham College students entering the field of law enforcement,” said Murray. “Collaborations like these continue to help bring awareness to this important cause, and strengthen the unique student experience offered at Durham College.”

After four years of teaching the course, Murray hopes to continue partnering with local organizations, such as Bethesda House, a shelter that facilitates care for domestic violence and human trafficking victims, and Timea’s Cause Inc., an organization dedicated to assisting survivors of human trafficking, to build on the momentum of the poster campaign and further enhance the course’s innovative training opportunities.