Empowering Changemakers: Social Innovation & Impact Minor Celebrates a Transformative First Year

by Davandra Earle, Communications Officer

“I feel as if I've received a new pair of glasses to view the world around me.”

That’s how one student described their experience in the Social Innovation and Impact Minor, United College’s newest minor program, now completing its first full year.

Launched to support student changemakers eager to tackle pressing societal challenges, the minor has already seen students dive into projects focused on food security, circular systems for plastic production and consumption, and more.

Further reflecting on their journey, the student shared that the most exciting part was gaining both the hard and soft skills needed to turn passion into practical action.

“The course showed me the kind of tools required to move from theory to impact.”

Another student credited the Minor with helping them land a co-op role in inclusive innovation and expressed a strong interest in continuing their path through more coursework and involvement in GreenHouse.

For others, the experience was transformative, deepening their commitment to social change and motivating them to actively contribute to real-world solutions.

According to co-creators GreenHouse Director Tania Del Matto and United College Academic Dean and Associate Professor Dr. John Abraham, the Minor was built to invite students from any faculty at the University of Waterloo to explore how innovative thinking can respond to today’s most urgent social and environmental issues.

“The student commitment and enthusiasm we’ve seen in this first year has affirmed why this Minor matters,” said Dr. Abraham. “It gives students both the inspiration and the practical tools to lead change in the real world.”

Students in the inaugural courses—INNOV 200 and INNOV 201—tackled real-world challenges, explored the theory and practice of innovation, and began charting their paths as impact-driven leaders. With small class sizes and a strong focus on community-based learning, the courses created a space for students to take risks, unlearn perfectionism, and embrace uncertainty—key traits for any changemaker.

Del Matto emphasized that the Minor builds on United’s longstanding commitment to experiential learning and social good.