GreenHouse innovators receive Social Impact Fund grants

Six GreenHouse social ventures received a total of $13,000 at the latest Social Impact Showcase, which highlights the work of each term’s innovators.

The innovators who received funding from the Social Impact Fund (SIF) for the Spring 2017 term included a venture that will import sleeping ‘pod’ technology for shelters and airports, a venture that will help girls develop leadership skills through gaming activities, and one that will help racialized women access fitness programs.

Half the SIF recipients were GreenHouse Fellows – winners of the Big Ideas Challenge, an annual event in which students pitch their ideas for social good; the winners get summer-long GreenHouse Fellowships.

All GreenHouse students have access to the SIF grants at the end of each term, and pitch their ideas in front of a panel before the Showcase.

Here are all the Spring 2017 winners and their ventures:

Fellows:

Arawelo: Indi Madar

(Master’s in Sustainability Management)
$2,500 to help create a cross-cultural women’s health platform

MapleKey: Julia Hiscock

(Psychology)
$2,500 to bring innovative technology into shelters to create safe, secure, and private accommodations for the transient community

Bamboo Labs: Dhruv Guliani and Shahid Mawji

(Mechatronics Engineering)
$2,000 to develop a technology consulting venture, specializing in helping companies become more socially responsible

Innovators:

SheLeads: Cassie Myers

(Peace and Conflict Studies)
$2,500 to empower girls to realize their leadership potential through skill-based games

Just Bee: Bailee Walls-Guertin

(Health Studies)
$2,500 to create education materials which teach emotional intelligence to children

Finer Minds: Elizabeth Stankiewicz

(Psychology)
$1,000 to develop a skill-building program for homeless youth with a mental health focus

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Read more about some of the SIF winners on the Waterloo Stories site.