Vanessa Lam
1 September 2016: A University of Canberra Enactus team has won the best new team award at the 2016 Enactus National Competition thanks to its program aimed at providing high school students with hospitality skills.
Enactus Canberra is a student run social enterprise. Enactus is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to inspiring students to improve the world through entrepreneurial actions. Universities establish their own Enactus teams who work on social impact projects, which are designed, developed and implemented by students. With more than 69,000 students from over 36 countries participate annually.
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UC students Michael Peralta and James Sellers at the 2016 Enactus National Competition. Photo supplied.
It's the first time the University of Canberra has taken part in the competition, which was held in Sydney from 5-7 July. Teams presented their projects to business leaders, which acted as judges, with Enactus Canberra competing in the new teams competition.
Enactus Canberra president and founder James Sellers is studying a Bachelor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and said competing, as a new team was daunting, as they didn't know what to expect.
"Presenting in front of five judges was a different experience to what many university students are used to, but it was exhilarating being able to present something in an official setting that we had been working on for six months," he said.
The team is currently designing a school based program called the 'School Bean Program', which aims to provide disadvantaged high school students with basic hospitality skills.
"The aim is to provide schools with cafe equipment, initial supplies and an 8-10 week session plan that aligns with the Australian curriculum. Through the sessions students will have the chance to learn valuable skills for casual employment," Mr Sellers said.
"We'd also like to work with school counsellors to ensure the program can help students with any social or mental health issues while giving them tools and strategies to cope with difficult situations."
To find out more about Enactus Canberra visit their website.
