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DC students finish in Top 25 and move on to national finals of SSHRC Storytellers competition

Calling on their creativity and narrative skill, a team of four Durham College (DC) students have made it to the Top 25 in the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) 2020 Storytellers competition for their video There Is Hope, which they wrote and produced together.

The short film showcases the impactful research being done by Lorraine Closs, a professor in the Social Service Worker program within the School of Health & Community Services, as she works collaboratively with community organizations to re-design a housing hub support network for youth living on their own in Durham Region. The project, which is funded by the College and Community Social Innovation Fund, is in its second and final year and is being completed with support from DC’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

As one of 19 post-secondary institutions across Canada to make it to the Top 25, DC is proud of its student team, which includes research assistants Meagan Secord, Daniel Forsythe, and Brandon Ramphal, as well as Video Production student Ryan Beaton, who volunteered his time to lead the production of the short film.

As finalists, the team has been awarded a $3,000 prize and the opportunity to compete in the Storytellers Showcase at the 2021 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences from May 29 to June 4, 2021 at the University of Alberta. The final five winners chosen at that event will be featured at SSHRC’s Impact Awards ceremony in fall 2021.

Held annually, SSHRC’s Storytellers competition challenges post-secondary students from across the country to tell a research story—in up to three minutes or 300 words—of how SSHRC-funded research is making a difference in the lives of Canadians.

Congratulations to Meagan, Daniel, Brandon, and Ryan and good luck!

DC salutes frontline workers on First Responders Day

On this First Responders Day in Ontario, Durham College (DC) recognizes the ways in which this year’s observance carries unique significance in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DC community salutes and thanks those who are dedicated to serving and protecting others in an emergency and well beyond every day. This includes the employees and students who returned to the frontline during this pandemic, present and past faculty and employees, and thousands of alumni.

While our gratitude to first responders remains unwavering year-round, First Responders Day offers us a special moment to reflect on and honour the contributions of police officers, firefighters, military personnel, dispatchers, paramedics, nurses, doctors, emergency medical technicians, emergency managers and medical evacuation pilots.

DC also recognizes the vital need to acknowledge and extend appreciation to the many other professionals who suddenly find themselves taking personal risk and making sacrifices similar to those that have long been the domain of first responders.

Thank you to the workers who are providing skills, support and expertise in the areas of mental health and addictions, developmental service, personal support and social services; skilled trades; security and corrections; and healthcare office administration, to name but a few.

There is perhaps no greater test of one’s learning and training than the challenge of working in the midst of a large-scale emergency such as a pandemic.

In addition to our deep appreciation, DC employees take great pride in continuing to help prepare and support our first responders and frontline workers at all stages of their careers.

DC Virtual Open House engages 2,300+ visitors in online experience

On April 25, more than 2,300 prospective students and their families explored Durham College (DC) – digitally. The college’s first-ever Virtual Open House was a huge success, providing guests an inside look at the DC student experience from the comfort of their homes.

DC welcomed guests from over 90 countries around the globe for virtual visits that included videos and live sessions about more than 140 career-focused programs, supportive student services, accessing financial aid, among many other topics. There were also virtual tours of campus spaces, including learning environments, residence and wellness facilities. Attendees also had the chance to enter to win a $1,000 tuition credit.

Within virtual rooms and information sessions, guests were able to live chat with faculty and staff, ensuring questions were answered in real time and providing the meaningful connections between visitors and DC community members that are a hallmark of the in-person event.

Developed in response to COVID-19’s impact on the annual Spring Open House, one of DC’s most popular events, the virtual edition came together quickly through the incredible efforts of employees from every corner of the college.

For anyone who missed the live event or who wants to revisit for more information, Virtual Open House resources are still available at www.durhamcollege.ca/openhouse.

DC Journalism students put learning to work, gain real-work experience creating COVID-cation podcast

Faced with COVID-19-related cancellations and postponements of their field placements, six Durham College Journalism – Mass Media students decided to create their own real-work experience.

The result is COVID-cation, a weekly podcast created by students for students. Each episode focuses on a specific theme – from education to emotional wellbeing to finances – while exploring the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on students of all ages. Working under the supervision of their professor, Danielle Harder, the team oversees all aspects of development, production and deployment of the podcast and supporting materials, allowing them to put their classroom learning to the ultimate test.

In addition to honing their story development and audio and video skills, the students are gaining valuable real-work experience and content for their portfolios in the areas of on-air hosting, social media management, website development, online publishing and much more by doing journalism work on multiple platforms.

Watch the Global News Durham story profiling the students behind COVID-cation.

Enactus DC cashes in again with Money Makes Cents project

The Enactus Durham College (Enactus DC) team took 2020 regional runner up in its National CWB Financial Education Challenge league with the Money Makes Cents project. The achievement marked the team’s highest result ever in the competition and was won against a competitive field of 40 colleges and universities from across Ontario and Quebec.

Money Makes Cents is a project conceived by Enactus DC in partnership with the Region of Durham Social Services Department that offers tax assistance and income tax return resources for low income families by bringing mobile tax clinics and financial education to disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

This year Money Makes Cents was instrumental in increasing tax returns by $7 million for those who need the money most in Durham Region. The project also launched Durham Tax Help, an online hub that enables the recruitment of volunteers, financial coaching and scaling to more than 20 partners across the region.

The project team of DC students presented the project virtually at the annual Enactus Canada Regional Exposition event.

Enactus is an international non-profit organization dedicated to creating social change through entrepreneurship. DC launched its chapter in 2016 through FastStartDC, the college’s entrepreneurship centre, to create a club of student leaders looking to make a positive economic and social impact on society.

DC Advertising students create buzz with wins in national creative competition

Several students in the Durham College (DC) Advertising and Marketing Communications program walked away from a national creative competition with more than bragging rights; they also secured prestigious paid apprenticeships with award-winning agency, Grip Limited (Grip). 

Teams of DC students competed in Grip’s annual Orange Juicer competition, which challenges students from across North America to put their creative chops to the test solving a real creative brief from a real client. Teams must create an innovative advertising pitch, all in less than two weeks, before presenting their fully integrated plans to a panel of senior industry professionals.

Grip’s participating client for the 2020 competition was a cannabis company and the brief required teams to create awareness for new forms of cannabis while promoting responsible consumption in a highly regulated market.

DC’s students rose to the challenge, vying against 19 other teams. Two DC teams made the Top Seven, advancing to the Big Pitch, and eventually taking second and third place honours.

In their decision, the panel noted that this was “the closest race in the competition’s eight-year history.” The students praised the competition for being “an amazing opportunity to apply classroom learning in a professional setting,” and allowing them to experience the intense realities of agency life. 

Congratulations goes to all of DC’s competitors, including winners Christian Buraga, Brad Cea, Madelyn Clarke, Alecia Forgeard, Jackie Hartman, Eyuel Markos, Lauryn Mills, Abigail Reynolds, Cassidy Rochford-Seager, Pietro Sales and Claire Smith.

For anyone who thinks they’ve got what it takes to create award-winning ideas worthy of attention, DC’s Advertising and Marketing Communications program can certainly start them on the path to becoming an advertising professional!

For more information, contact Dawn Salter, professor and program coordinator, for more details or DC’s Recruitment team.

DC puts 3D printers into action making PPE for donation to workers on frontline of COVID-19

Working out of their garages and basements, Durham College (DC) students, employees, alumni and community members are using 3D printers to create the frames for face shields used by the healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative launched on March 26 and within 48 hours the first donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) built with the college’s 3D-printed parts were delivered to Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg, Ontario.

“Ontario PPE manufacturer InkSmith put out a call for support to the 3D printing community and Durham College immediately answered that call,” said Chris Daniel, a professor with the college’s School of Science & Engineering Technology. “Six of DC’s 3D printers are now relocated to my garage and a group of our Mechanical Engineering Technology students and alumni who have their own 3D printers are on board with this initiative and printing furiously too.”

There are currently 20 DC community members using 30 rapid prototyping machines across Durham Region to create the face shield frames. With community outreach being led by DC’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the college is currently working with two partners to see the parts put to use:

  • DC is shipping frames to InkSmith, where the parts are used to create the company’s community shield, a sanitized single-use shield which InkSmith is donating quantities of to underfunded hospitals and healthcare providers.
  • The college is also collaborating with a team from Ontario Tech University that is also creating one-time-use face shields for donation to local healthcare teams.

“I am always proud to count myself among DC’s more than 90,000 alumni but it’s in moments like this that I’m grateful to be part of a community that is so committed to supporting our greater community, especially the brave men and women who are working tirelessly on the healthcare frontline,” said alumnus Brent Lessard, who is currently using his 3D printer at home to contribute to the college’s face shield frame production. Lessard also sits on the DC Alumni Association board of directors.

On March 28, Chris Daniel launched a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $1,000 to purchase more polylactic acid, or PLA, the printing material used to 3D print the face shield frames. In less than a day, more than $8,000 was donated, 100-per-cent of which will be used to purchase more PLA for the DC project and to purchase more face shields from InkSmith that will also be donated to healthcare providers.

Chris Daniel is a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program at DC as well as a faculty advisor with the college’s FastStart entrepreneurship team. Two of the 3D printers he is currently using to create PPE parts are on loan from DC's 360insights Entrepreneurship Centre, located at the Oshawa campus. He is joined by the following team members who are also working from home to print the parts:

Students
Marlon Alleyne
Paul Burgess
Jonathan Cusack Striepe
Rumedh Cyril
Shane DeSilva
Andrew Kay
Kyle Laughton
Adeshpal Singh

Alumni
Donald and Sarah Bark
Ankit Bhat
Brent Lessard
Harshit Patel
Mitchell Russell
Blake Smith

Employees
Chris Daniel 

Community members
Jane and Todd Ferguson
James and Debbie Fraser
Nora and Jeff Stevens
Jaydev Chauhan

DC journalism student Tara Sottile earns double work-integrated learning awards

Tara Sottile, a second-year student in the Durham College (DC) Journalism – Mass Media program, has been named a Work-integrated Learning (WIL) Student of the Year at both the provincial and national level.

On March 11, Education at Work Ontario (EWO) announced Sottile as their 2019 WIL Student of the Year. EWO awards the honour to students “who have showcased exceptional job accomplishment, extra-curricular involvement, academic achievement and a strong contribution to work-integrated learning.”

On March 16, Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada) announced Sottile as the WIL Student of the Year in the category of Other Forms of WIL – College. She was one of only four students to be honoured by CEWIL Canada out of more than 40 competitive nominations.

Sottile was put forward by DC’s Experiential Learning team with the support of partner organization Students Offering Support (SOS). Among the highlights flagged by the college were her leadership skills, professional expertise, initiative and creativity, which she demonstrated in particular while participating in an education abroad opportunity in Guatemala, where she worked on a digital storytelling project with local youth.

“Tara has demonstrated the transformative influence that work-integrated learning can have on students,” said Amanda Brown, manager, Experiential Learning, with the college’s Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “Through service learning experience, she has transformed from a passive-observer to an engaged learner and confident student journalist. She now takes advantage of every opportunity to try new experiences and expand her skills.”

Sottile was also commended for being a champion of WIL at DC, especially international service learning, through her advocacy for expanded WIL opportunities and mentorship of first-year students.

“Tara’s support of work-integrated learning is now contributing to the expansion of similar experiential-learning opportunities between SOS and DC in other areas of study,” said Jamie Arron, executive director of SOS.

In each of their announcements, EWO and CEWIL Canada highlighted Sottile’s passion for writing, broadcast and video production. In addition to her regular studies, she is a radio tech at the student-run campus radio station, Riot Radio, as well as a regular contributor to DC’s campus newspaper, The Chronicle.

Inspired by her WIL experiences gained through her academic program, Sottile is focused on pursuing a career in radio broadcasting after graduating.

 

Four DC alumni working abroad talk sports and law enforcement during DC Talks: Global Graduate

On March 11, four Durham College (DC) alumni from across North America spoke via video conferencing in the Global Classroom for DC Talks: Global Graduate, an event organized by the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs. Co-hosted by DC President Don Lovisa and Global Class professor Lon Appleby, students and employees had the opportunity to attend the class in person or join via livestream, taking advantage of the Global Classroom’s state-of-the-art facility and teleconferencing capabilities.

During the event, the alumni, who are all graduates from one of DC’s sports business programs, spoke about their career path in the sports entertainment and law enforcement industries and what it’s like to live and work abroad.

Guest alumni included:

  • Stew MacDonald – Currently executive vice president of revenue for Oilers Entertainment Group, Stew has also worked for the Regina Pats and the Saint John Flames and has been part of Stanley Cup Championships in 1987, 1988, and 1990, a Calder Cup Championship in 2001 and a Memorial Cup Championship in 2014. A native of Ottawa, Stew holds a diploma in Sports Administration from DC and is currently based in Edmonton at Oilers Entertainment Group headquarters.
  • DJ Mackovets – A 1980 Sports Administration graduate, DJ has spent 40 years in event marketing and operational planning in the sports entertainment industry. He has been involved in the World University Games, the Goodwill Games, two US Olympic Festivals and two Super Bowls. Most recently he was the CEO of the 2021 World Games Birmingham Organizing Committee, and the CEO of the 2015 World Police and Fire Games. DJ currently lives in Alabama with his wife Christy.
  • Judy Pal – After graduating from DC’s Sports and Entertainment program in 1983, Judy started her career in PR and sports marketing, working for the Edmonton Oilers, and as a television anchor for Global Television. She then took her communications experience and applied it to law enforcement, working as chief of staff for numerous police organizations and as director of operations for the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association. Today, Judy lives in Knoxville, Tennessee and works as a consultant, training public information officers and police leaders about how to better communicate.
  • Philip Pritchard – A 1985 graduate of DC’s Sport Administration program, Phil travels the globe to promote the game of hockey and the Hockey Hall of Fame. He has visited more than 35 countries and attended a number of key amateur and pro hockey events, including the Olympic Games and World Championships. Part of his duties include being the “Keeper of the Cup”, travelling with and walking the Stanley Cup out onto the ice to be presented to the National Hockey League’s champion.

To watch a recording of the class, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/globalgrad.

Durham College and partners win Pacific Alliance Education for Employment call for proposal

Durham College (DC), in collaboration with Vancouver Island University and Fanshawe College, wins the Pacific Alliance Education for Employment A.08 call for proposal which will see the Canadian consortium lead the technical assistance for the development and implementation of a national and regional promotional campaign of the entire Pacific Alliance program in Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

Funded by Global Affairs Canada and administered by Colleges and Institutes Canada, the program will see more than 1,500 employers and learners benefit from a dialogue on educational best practices; capacity in leadership and institutional management strengthened; and 105 trainers trained in pedagogical strategies. Focus areas will include: training approaches, competence-based education, and leadership training.

The Pacific Alliance Education for Employment A.08 contract further reinforces DC’s commitment to quality education, not only here in Canada, but all over the world. To learn more about DC’s international initiatives, visit the International Education office website.