Thursday, December 7, 2017
A new prize was introduced at the most recent GreenHouse Social Impact Showcase – a ‘People’s Choice for Social Impact’ award, thanks to management consulting firm Oliver Wyman. The audience chose to award the $1,500 to block, a social venture that will help high school students figure out which career path they should follow. It uses ‘building blocks,’ including a virtual reality component.
Block also won $2,000 from the GreenHouse Social Impact Fund, which awards promising GreenHouse students with funding for their ventures at the end of each term.
Accounting and Finance Management students Samantha Tjong, John Youn, and Peter Youn founded block.
The two other recipients of the GreenHouse Social Impact Fund were:
- Chelsea Campbell, Take Care: This Social Development Studies student is establishing an online platform for youth and young adults with cancer so they can find meaningful connections.
- Rachel Thorburn, Resilient Minds: This Arts and Business student is fostering mental health literacy in high school youth in an effort to prevent youth suicide.
Micro-fund winners were:
- Dinojah Patkunarajah and Nahema Sybill Jules, MadeIn: Canada: These Arts and Business students are helping newcomers to Canada acquire language skills and meaningful employment.
- Le-Tien Duong, Apollo’s Compass: This Public Health student is addressing access to holistic approaches in mental health services.