Community

“GreenHouse, now in its 11th year of operation, has provided social innovation and entrepreneurship education to thousands of students, and has supported, through the Social Impact Fund, the development of 120 student-run social ventures — that’s a lot of positive impact, both for the students and for society as a whole,” said Richard Myers, principal at United College, during his opening remarks on March 27 at the GreenHouse 31st Social Impact Showcase.  

The freedom to be who we are is something many take for granted, but as the hate-motivated attack on our campus last year reminded us, that freedom is increasingly being tested.

As I said from the steps of the Dana Porter Library during our campus gathering shortly after the attack, it is unimaginable that such hate exists in some people’s hearts. Looking out at the large crowd that joined us that day, I was heartened to know that as a community, we are united against all forms of violence, hatred and discrimination.

Across from the Environment 3 building, you can find a tulip tree. To most passersby, it’s just one of the many trees and foliage you can admire in that area of campus, but to the Planning class of 1974, it’s incredibly meaningful. 

Living in society means we are under the influence of others. This power can impact our behaviors and actions, which can result in both positive and negative results. For Mohamed Yousuf, the power of influence formed an integral part of his graduate studies research.  

To celebrate World Water Day in 2018, Autumn Peltier gave a heartfelt address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.  

“Now is the time to warrior-up and empower each other to take a stand for our planet,” said Peltier, who was 13 years old at the time and stood on a stool so that she could reach the microphone. 

Hana Karim, a first-year Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Waterloo, is passionate about improving maternal health for low-income communities and underprivileged women. She chose her program because of the opportunities for her to develop technology to solve social problems – integrating her love for history and social causes with her love of STEM.

As a young and ambitious oil rig worker, Maurice Dusseault was a university dropout who got his hands dirty on a northern Albertan rig drilling holes thousands of feet into the earth in search of this precious commodity.

In a bid to support the improvement of health care in Canada, WatSPEED, the University of Waterloo’s professional and executive education division is launching a cutting-edge program — Leveraging AI to Improve Health Care in Canada.

Starting in May 2024, this program will equip senior leaders and executives with the knowledge and tools necessary to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) for enhancing patient outcomes and organizational success.

Why is Kids Help Phone leading and sharing insights on innovation, data and even artificial intelligence?  Isn’t Kids Help Phone (KHP) a not-for-profit charity, a youth mental health social service charity?  These are questions I get all the time — until I tell the story of KHP and the work we have been doing for 35 years.