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On February 26^th, 2021, The Globe and Mail announced the recipients of its inaugural Report on Business Changemakers award. This new award celebrates the accomplishments of 50 entrepreneurs and academics who are working to create unique and equitable solutions to the world’s problems. The University of Waterloo and its entrepreneurial community were thrilled to see alumnus Cassie Myers recognized for her work as CEO and Founder of Lunaria Solutions.

The Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement, along with its partners, The Ripple Effect Education (TREE) and Kindred Credit Union, kicks off the next cycle of the Peace Innovators Scholarship and Mentoring Program on March 1, 2021 when the 2021-2022 application period opens. 

Despite worries that the COVID-19 pandemic might interfere with the ability of Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement participants to continue their peacebuilding efforts, transitioning to a virtual environment jump-started new innovation at established organizations and new peace start-ups alike. This February, The Ripple Effect Education (TREE) introduces a brand new virtual program: The Conflict Toolkit Cohort.

Friday, January 22^nd was a monumental day for many countries around the world as the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) became international law for over 51 states in 122 nations. More work needs to be done, but as Core Collaborator at the Centre, Project Ploughshares, explains in Five things to know about the nuclear ban treaty, the TPNW is “the most consequential nuclear disarmament development in decades”.

The heartbeat of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement’s work is mobilizing impactful, collaborative social innovation efforts to advance peace. Participants in the Centre’s Epp Peace Incubator program pair their expertise with the Incubator’s support to catapult their ventures to new heights.

Three of the Centre’s current Incubator start-ups, Lunaria Solutions, GeoMate, and Panic, Anxiety, + Stress Support (PASS) have a history of consistently leveraging the program’s resources and connections to grow their businesses. Over the past couple of months, each of these start-ups has received external affirmation for their progress and promise. Here is an update on the recent successes of these Incubator ventures.

When Research Fellow and Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) professor Lowell Ewert retired in June, the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement had a faculty spot in the community to fill. In response, the Centre invited PACS Visiting Assistant Professor Dr. Eric Lepp to join its diverse community of peacebuilding researchers, activists, entrepreneurs for the duration of his time at Grebel.

The University of Waterloo recently put a spotlight on former Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement Communications Assistant Kirsten Mosey. Mosey was selected earlier this year, out of over 6,500 applicants, to be one of ten UN Youth Champions for Disarmament.

For the past five years, the Epp Peace Incubator at Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement has helped more than a dozen ventures leverage supports available in the Waterloo Region innovation ecosystem. With a unique focus on peace entrepreneurship, the Centre’s Incubator program provides support and mentorship to ventures seeking to advance peace locally and globally.

The Centre welcomed three new ventures to its Incubator program this September, all of whom are dedicated to applying creative solutions to real, complex social problems.

Student engagement is an important part of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement’s mission to advance expansive and innovative understandings and practices of peace. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, youth have continued to be a resilient, driving force in community change. With an increased willingness to challenge the status quo and keenness to consider fresh perspectives, students have a distinct and important role to play in social innovation.