Durham Involves Youth named winner of Durham Ideas Den 2013 Posted on April 2, 2013 at 9:45 am. College proud to play key role in Durham Region’s first social innovation competition for post-secondary students Oshawa, Ont. – Durham College in conjunction with the Community Innovation Lab (ilab), today announced that Sandra Young, Jennifer Russell, Elizabeth Willatt and Dana Murray, all first-year students in the college’s Paralegal program, are the winners of Durham Ideas Den 2013, a social innovation competition for post-secondary students. The competition was co-hosted by the college through the Global Class which is housed under the School of Interdisciplinary Studies & Employment Services and the ilab, and sponsored in part by the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment. “Durham College is very proud to be part of this forward-thinking student challenge,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “Durham Ideas Den 2013 has provided a unique platform for students to develop creative ideas and solutions for real-world issues being faced right here in Durham Region. We are extremely proud of the submissions from all of our students as they are a true testimonial to the entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well on our campus. Congratulations to Sandra, Jennifer, Elizabeth and Dana on their outstanding success and to all of the finalists on their significant accomplishments.” The competition, which began in December 2012, saw teams of students work together to generate ideas for solutions to complex community problems based on five key themes identified during an Ideas Jam with community stakeholders hosted by the ilab in 2012. In February 2013 students were presented with the five themes and invited to brainstorm ideas and/or solutions for each including re-imagining engagement of our youth; enhanced transportation systems and alternatives; poverty; image of our region; and climate change. More than 100 submissions were received with 25 teams shortlisted as semi-finalists. From there, six teams were invited to pitch for the top three awards at the final competition. Hosted on March 28 at the Durham College Student Services building by Dena Chiarcossi, host of Rogers Daytime TV, the event saw each team present their social venture idea to a panel of judges. “The Community Innovation Lab is pleased to launch the 2013 Durham Ideas Den, in partnership with Durham College, the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment and a growing list of community sponsors and partners,” said Pramilla Ramdahani, executive director, ilab. “There is nothing greater than engaging and challenging our students’ creativity and building their social innovation DNA by incentivizing their ‘stillborn’ ideas into opportunities. This is a real opportunity for our stakeholders to further explore the impact of youth social entrepreneurship and its return on investment for the region.” Each team was responsible for articulating how their proposed social venture would impact local communities and contribute to sustainable solutions with the team of Young, Russell, Willatt and Murray named the first-place winner for their submission titled Durham Involves Youth (youth engagement theme). As the winners of the competition, they will receive $5,000 toward the incubation of their ventures at the ilab in the summer of 2013. Stephanie Morris, Kristen Dormer and Travis Richter, first-year General Arts and Science students finished second for their submission titled Peer-to-Peer Mental Health (youth engagement theme), while Greg Park, Tyler MacDonald, Nate Lawrence and Mitchell Feyen, four first -year Paralegal students were named the third-place winners for their submission titled Big Belly Compactor (re-imagining the image of our region theme). The second and third place teams received $3,500 and $2,500 respectively toward the implementation of their ventures at the ilab. The three remaining teams received $1,000 towards further iteration and development of their ideas in collaboration with a mentoring team of coaches, advisors and social innovators. These teams were comprised of Scott Harrison, a second-year Advertising and Marketing Communications Management student; Eduardo Valladares, Taylor Gates and Phil Garbe, three first-year students in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program; and Megan Hueser and Julie Burnett, first-year Social Service Worker students. Additional sponsoring partners in Durham Ideas Den 2013 included Corel21, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise, Rogers TV, Durham Workforce Authority, the Region of Durham Economic Development, Powernoodle and the School for Social Entrepreneurs. -30- About Durham College At Durham College, the student experience comes first. In September 2012, the college welcomed more than 30,000 students to campus including 9,047 full-time post-secondary students as well as part-time and continuing education students; apprentices; and online learners. The college offers a wide range of market-driven programs in a number of different disciplines including business, information technology, media, art, design, general arts, science, skilled trades, justice, emergency services, health and engineering technology, enabling students to develop the skills required to meet the demands of today’s job market. A three-phase expansion of the college’s Whitby campus is currently underway. Phase 1 opened in September 2009 followed by Phase 2 in May 2011. Phase 3 will see the creation of a 36,000-square-foot building focused on agriculture, culinary, hospitality and tourism. Accommodating approximately 900 new students, it will house new classrooms and labs and offer a full-service, green-certified restaurant and lounge and see the creation of a greenhouse – all of which will be open to the general public. In addition, a new Student Services building opened at the Oshawa campus in January 2011. For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000. About Community Innovation Lab The mission of the Community Innovation Lab is to harness and strengthen the talent and skill sets of post- secondary youth by facilitating experiential opportunities in social innovation to increase employability and entrepreneurship options. Our commitment is to play a leading role in fostering social innovation in the region by creating an enabling environment where youth can access the tools, resources and opportunities to design sustainable ventures that benefits communities, while test driving career options and participating in a portfolio of transformational skill building initiatives with employers. Our vision is to build a pipeline for ‘next generation leaders in social innovation’. In addition to the Durham Ideas Den initiative, the Community Innovation Lab engages with other stakeholders via ideas jams (design labs), pop up labs and social innovation guest speaker series. For more information visit: www.communityilab.ca or www.durhamideasden.com or contact Pramilla Ramdahani at 905.409.2823. Media contact: Michelle Roebuck/Allison Rosnak Communications and Marketing 905.721.2000 ext. 2197 ext. 2333 michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca /allison.rosnak@durhamcollege.ca SHARE:
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