On June 19, Durham College’s (DC) Enactus president, Heather Brown, and her international team placed first at the Hong Kong Global Social Innovation Summit. As part of the competition, teams gathered to compete in a 24-hour hackathon to solve mental health, funding, and workforce challenges for Hong Kong-based corporations. Heather joined students from Malaysia and China to create sustainable and impactful solutions for Teen’s Key, an organization that supports vulnerable young women by providing education, medical testing, and employment experience in a safe space.

Enactus is a global organization that provides opportunities for students to launch initiatives to improve the world. Always up for a chance to help others, Heather says, “When I saw the final registration call through the Enactus network, I couldn’t resist getting involved. The experience was well worth it.”

Competition at the Summit was fierce, with teams of talented and engaged students attending from around the world. Each participant brought unique skills and perspectives, leading to innovative ideas and cross-cultural collaboration. With Enactus Hong Kong as the host, the competitors had to ensure their solutions serve institutions which operate in a different country from their home, requiring a lot of research, not only on the corporations but on the country itself.

In addition to the competition, Enactus Hong Kong provided students like Heather with workshops on financial inclusion, compassionate communication and mental health, industry consulting, and networking.

“Through the real-world cases we were solving, I discovered amazing organizations making social impacts, which I would never have had a chance to learn about without attending the Summit,” says Heather.

After a full day of challenging work, Heather’s team presented their solution to the judges. Their project idea took first place in the case competition, after proposing a merchandise-based social enterprise which would empower women with new skills to give back to the community and support other women in need.

If you are interested in learning more about Enactus, the Summit, and Heather’s experience, please visit her DC blog.