LocalStudent

TEAM MEMBERS:
Marko Semcesen

SCHOOL(S):
Ryerson University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Student jobs suck.

In typical student jobs (like flipping burgers or stocking shelves), students are constantly micromanaged, paid minimum wage, and can't even choose their own working hours. But now, students are lucky to even find a job at all. The pandemic caused the student unemployment rate to recently hit 40 percent, which is the highest rate since 1976! And with automation on the rise, McKinsey estimates that up to 800 million jobs worldwide will be displaced by automation by 2030. This change will heavily impact students because they primarily work in fast food and retail, some of the most vulnerable industries to automation.

It's clear that student jobs desperately need to be redefined. And we've decided to be the ones to take on this mission.

Founded by two Ryerson University entrepreneurship students, LocalStudent is changing the way that students work. Think of us as Uber for student jobs. We built an online platform that allows people to hire students for on-demand services with the click of a button. We plan to become a platform for any service a student can do, significantly reducing the impact of automation.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes our project remarkable is that we empower students to find work that actually meets their needs. With LocalStudent, students can finally work autonomously, earn great pay, and choose their own working hours. This is why over 12,000 students have already applied on our platform!

Word is starting to get out about our mission, and we have recently been featured on CTV, blogTO, Narcity, CP24, Breakfast Television and the Toronto Star.

This summer alone, we are providing students with 5,000+ lawn mowing jobs in their local communities. We also want to start offering more highly skilled services that students can do, such as tutoring, graphic design and web development. This will only be possible with more funds for our startup, and that’s where this competition can help.

Winning the Remarkable Students competition would greatly accelerate our mission to change the way students work in the 21st century.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.localstudent.ca

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram: @local.student

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC6Otd2NrpI

iReceive

TEAM MEMBERS:
Vashish Ramoutar

SCHOOL(S):
University of Toronto

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Allow me to share a bit about the company and the pilot project. It's mid-level in that it'd cause a big impact but not really save the world from carbon emissions just yet but it's a good start. It'll mostly be in the environmental product and clean energy sector. The pilot project is to replace thermal printers at the point fo sale with wireless scanning technology. Create a database, convenience, rewards points, make recommendations of savings, cost analysis, implementing AI into the software for the database eventually and selling processed data to big firms so they can make informed marketing moves, price point strategies and item production.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes this project remarkable is that the technology to innovate and develop it from ideation to implementation exists. All that is required is the work done using the technical skills acquired through my degree along with ongoing research and development with the strides being made in the field of engineering. It is truly remarkable to see the things you learn in the classroom along with the skillset of other professionals coming together to make an environmentally conservative and economic monitoring system within corporate and personal circles come to fruition.

FounderNow

TEAM MEMBERS:
Alex Ryzer & Matt McCoy

SCHOOL(S):
Ryerson University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The world is becoming more digital, but the benefits of the digital economy will not be shared equally. Fortunately, there is one factor that can even the playing field: knowledge. FounderNow is making quality knowledge accessible to everyone. Many people already have access to Google and Bing. But the fastest and most reliable knowledge doesn’t come from search engines. It comes from real people. FounderNow is an app that allows anyone who has a question to click a button and be instantly connected to a real person who can answer that question, over a phone or video call. We are addressing a gap between one-dimensional, cookie-cutter answers that can be found online and the need for quality, personalized answers that can only be accomplished with real human interaction. While big technology companies are working hard to remove human interaction and automate our daily lives, we’re using technology to help people empower each other.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
FounderNow is remarkable because we are democratizing fast and reliable knowledge. To accomplish this, we’re starting off by targeting founders and entrepreneurs, because entrepreneurs need access to quality information to make quick decisions that can make or break their small businesses. In just a few months, we have already built a functional mobile app and onboarded users from leading startup incubators such as Next Canada and Y Combinator.

Although we’re starting off by targeting the niche of founders and entrepreneurs, our app will soon be available to anyone who has any question. Tired of watching Youtube tutorials on how to repair your bike? Click a button and instantly speak to a bike repair expert. Got a math question before your exam tomorrow? Click a button and instantly speak to a math tutor.

We are now entering the “knowledge economy”, and those with the least knowledge will be left behind. That’s why our mission is to make quality knowledge accessible for everyone. They say knowledge is power, and with your help we can empower people with access to fast and reliable information with the click of a button.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
foundernow.co

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/foundernow/

PROJECT VIDEO:

Coffee with Crainer

TEAM MEMBERS:
Linden Crain

SCHOOL(S):
University of Windsor

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
A live show that provides today’s emerging leaders with valuable stories, advice, and best practices that will assist them throughout their leadership journey.



Vision: to provide students from across the world with the opportunity to listen to exceptional speakers who coach them throughout their leadership journey, professional careers, and personal life.



Values:

- Honesty - Speakers share truthful stories, advice, and best practices that have no hidden messages. Emerging leaders listening are receiving premium knowledge that is accurate and in their best interest.

- Passion - Speakers are emotionally invested in the topic they are discussing and truly enjoy their field of work.

- Education - Speakers and topics provide listeners with the knowledge that will help them increase their intellectual capacity and walk away with new reasoning and judgement.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
The Coffee with Crainer Show is a one-of-a-kind platform in Windsor-Essex that provides emerging leaders with the opportunity to hear advice from our regions most credible and successful industry professionals. This platform aims to give back to the community by donating proceeds from online merchandise to local charities. In 2020, $1300 was donated to local missions (Street Help Windsor & Amherstburg Food & Fellowship), helping the most vulnerable during the pandemic. An audience base of over 3,000 followers from the Windsor-Essex community has provided the host, Linden Crain with a unique opportunity to help students in the early stages of their career find valuable career advice.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.coffeewithcrainer.com

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://compiled.social/coffeewithcrainer

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/eUpkfzcrGpw

Wish for Change

TEAM MEMBERS:
Meah O'Donnell

SCHOOL(S):
Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
With Wish for Change youth who have suffered or currently suffer from mental illness have the opportunity to make a wish. With a wish, individuals can find purpose in the world by reflecting on what matters most to them and what they want. Additionally, Wish for Change works to educate and destroy the stigma surrounding mental illness. This project provides those who are suffering with hope - hope for better days and positive change, while addressing the need for conversations about mental illness and promoting wellness in all. Wish for Change brings change on a personal, local and global level.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
During my journey with mental illness, specifically Anorexia Nervosa, I felt useless and lost. It seemed I had no purpose in the world. I had aspirations and goals but felt constrained by a lack of resources, support and overall understanding of what I was going through and how I felt. Each person’s journey with mental illness is different, and I cannot to pretend to know how each person who has suffered or is suffering feels. I do, however, feel justified to say that each person would like a wish.

My wish is to drive change.

Wish for Change is here to address societal and global needs. There is a void when it comes to supporting mental illness or educating others about it. Many organizations do provide wishes to youth, however, they exclude those with mental illness. Mental illness costs our hospitals more money and results in more deaths than any critical illness in youth, yet somehow mental illnesses still aren’t “severe” enough to warrant these resources. I disagree.

When I was sick, a wish could have provided me with hope and the ability to drive change. Sigmas exist despite efforts to reduce them. In the depths of my illness and even now I am hesitant to share my struggles and story for a fear of judgement or exclusion. My story would be different if mental illness wasn’t a taboo or if myself and those around me were knowledgeable on the topic to recognize the symptoms. I am starting this project to allow others to make the wish I didn’t get and break the barriers that stopped me from getting the help I needed or speaking publicly about my adversity.

Overall, this project is remarkable because of its potential impact and it’s uniqueness. No organization like it exists and Wish for Change helps to promote and facilitate meaningful discussions regarding mental illness and mental health. It is essential to recognize the severity of these problems, their impact on society, and what we can do to help. Additionally, with continuous efforts to help educate the general public about mental illness and mental health we can make our communities more knowledgeable and inclusive. Each wish creates change, contributing to the development of individuals, communities and the world, however, most of all, it directly supports those with a variety of illnesses that are often overlooked, glamorized or forgotten. Together let’s drive change, create hope and cultivate understanding.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.wish4change.com /

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/wish.for.change/

DirtMarket

TEAM MEMBERS:
Emma Kirwin & Asad Jalib

SCHOOL(S):
Brock University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
DirtMarket.ca was founded by two university students on a mission to tackle Ontario's Soil Crisis. Over 25M metric tons of soil is excavated from Ontario each year. With only 122M metric tons of landfill space remaining, we are in desperate need of an alternative destination for soil - that solution is beneficial soil reuse!

DirtMarket.ca is an online marketplace that enables beneficial soil reuse by connecting project sites that need soil with project sites that have soil. We have been saving small and medium-size construction teams thousands of dollars throughout the pandemic. By connecting the sites that are geographically close to each other and meet each other’s soil needs, we cut out expensive landfill fees, reduce excessive trucking costs, and cut back on the CO2 emissions that are emitted during soil movement.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
We are remarkable because we are introducing technology into the construction space in a new and innovative way. DirtMarket is a tool that is empowering construction teams to expand their networks with instant connections based on one another's needs, with the click of a couple of buttons. Right now, the construction industry relies on pen-and-paper transactions and networks fostered through in-person contacts. With DirtMarket construction teams, excavators, developers and landscapers can instantly connect with one another and efficiently get their jobs done!

We are remarkable because in just 4 short months, we have grown to over 400 members, created over 650 project site matches, and have over two million yards of material either offered or needed on the platform. Since we launched, we have already diverted over 1,000 truckloads of soil from landfills and saved our members thousands and thousands of dollars. We believe that we can make the way Ontario’s earthmovers handle soil more sustainable, and we need your help to make it happen!

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.dirtmarket.ca

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/dirtmarket.ca/

Dorset Rescue Kittens

TEAM MEMBERS:
Cailey Seymour

SCHOOL(S):
Sheridan College

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Dorset Rescue Kittens is a not-for-profit cat rescue based in Dorset, Ontario. From feral to friendly, it is our mission to rescue the most vulnerable felines and find them a forever home. We rely on donations to keep our program running and provide essential veterinary services to each on of the cats in our care.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Dorset Rescue Kittens is an extremely deserving project to win the remarkable students competition! If chosen, every dollar would go towards the kittens and cats who are coming into our care on a daily basis. Over the last year, while being a full-time, honour role veterinary technician student, I have rescued over 100 cats from outdoor living situations. I am behind the scenes of our social media, communication with the public, fundraising, intake, booking veterinary visits, co-ordinating foster homes, communicating with board members, sharing our story and of course, finding the best, most suitable homes for our cats. We specialize in rescuing feral cats and kittens who are by far the most overlooked as they are extremely under socialized.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.dorsetrescuekittens.ca

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.facebook.com/dorsetrescuekittens

PROJECT VIDEO:

Settlegration

TEAM MEMBERS:
Marina Ilyas, Sophia Mourcos and Adriana Ceric

SCHOOL(S):
Waterloo Collegiate Institute

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
With the app, Settlegration, newcomers and existing members of the community can connect through a variety of custom services. Newcomers can request car-rides and babysitting, while volunteers can offer English tutoring and item donations. This app increases newcomers' quality of life as it provides them with free help in their transition to a new country and allows them to befriend members of their community! The app also provides a platform for teenagers to earn volunteer hours in their own time.

*This project earned "Technovation Global Semifinalist" in 2018*

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Canada is proudly one of the most diverse countries in the world and continues to offer helpful services to newcomers. However, since the large influx of refugees and immigrants in 2016, newcomers are getting ostracized and excluded from their communities. Settlegration is awesome because it encourages community members to communicate with and reach out to those who are struggling in their transition to a new country. This app forms friendships, offers volunteer hours for students, provides newcomers with beneficial services, and reconnects separated communities! It is a huge win-win and has never been done before.

In supporting newcomers through simple acts of kindness, our app empowers the next generation of entrepreneurs, parents, doctors, and leaders throughout the nation. Overall, what makes Settlegration remarkable is its simple vision to connect our diverse nation and spread kindness.

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5PcgNEmn-w

Volunteer Watcherz

TEAM MEMBERS:
Ruqayyah Ahmed, Sobiah Khan, Abuzar Ansari, Faizan Sheikh

SCHOOL(S):
Olive Grove High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
It all started with a small group of high school students in 2021 who decided to help others find virtual volunteering opportunities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. As a student-led initiative, our goal is to provide virtual volunteering opportunities for high school students during this unprecedented time during this pandemic; we help create a safe student network to help connect students to others in a professional manner. The hours we offer fall into a variety of fields including graphic design, law, computer science, tutoring, med-related, and much more! Additionally, our project has designed a system to help students record their hours and keep them accountable. Overall, we aim to provide students with a chance to apply to volunteer roles while giving non-profit organizations security and dependable volunteers.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Volunteer Watcherz is a unique project because it supports both students wanting to find volunteering opportunities and small, up-and-coming, non-profit organizations that want to make the world a better place. Through matching students with the perfect volunteer opportunity that aligns with their interests and values, Volunteer Watcherz has proven to care deeply about bettering society. We wanted to create an extremely convenient and easy experience for the students who volunteer with us. Especially during these unprecedented times, we wanted to help students know that they are not alone. We wanted them to know that someone is willing to help them find volunteering roles that don't risk their health and safety. To protect our community, fellow high school students and this generation's visionaries, Volunteer Watcherz has stepped in to provide where schools and other establishments have lacked most; virtual volunteering opportunities.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
vwatcherz.org

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/volunteer.watcherz/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLqozmj1edU

DECAP! Needle-safety Companion Devices

TEAM MEMBERS:
Jamie Magrill, Ina Na

SCHOOL(S):
McGill, UBC

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
400,000 healthcare workers experience needle-stick injuries every year - almost one every minute! The personal costs of a needle-stick injury can be huge: from contracting a blood-borne disease, to needing to take harsh anti-retroviral (anti-HIV/HepC) medication, as well as psychological stress of coming back to an unsafe workplace, and for this reason needle-stick injuries account for more than $600 million USD in healthcare and workloss costs each year in North America alone!

With DECAP! you can protect yourself and your co-workers, friends and family members using needles at work. DECAP! eliminates needle-stick injuries by allowing you to work one-handed and keeps your fingers away from the sharp-end of the needle. DECAP has a proven, patent-pending design and has the potential to save lives and make healthcare a safer place - we just need your help to put DECAP! in every hospital, pharmacy and research lab around the world!

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
We created DECAP! because we both injured ourselves with needles in the workplace. When we looked for alternatives, we realized there weren't any, and we decided to act.

No one should have to go to work and worry that this might be the day they poke themselves with a life-threatening drug or disease-carrying solution - but this still happens every day to healthcare and research workers - up to one every minute!

Although we are just beginning our careers as graduate students, we were able to build a team, go through e@UBC's Lab2Launch Accelerator, and create DECAP! a unique, patent-pending device that helps make needle-use safer - help us take DECAP! around the world and make a difference in every workplace!

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.decapresearchanddevelopment.com/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/decap-research-and-development/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjNe9sTokIQ

Saskatoon Community Caring Camp

TEAM MEMBERS:
Daina Kary, Robert Belley, Makayla Jim, Glenna Henderson

SCHOOL(S):
First Nations University Saskatoon Campus

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This project is to help the homeless population outside of the regular hours of warm up stations within organizations in Saskatoon. We are on site from 5pm until 8am supplying hot meals, warm clothing, a fire to stay warm, and cots to sleep on in the teepees.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This project has ensured that people do not go without outside of regular business hours when resources are available. We provide a safe and warm place to come where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.facebook.com/Saskatoon-Community-Caring-Camp-109586567836436

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://fb.watch/48Oj5j667z/

Ending Maternal Mortality (EMM)

TEAM MEMBERS:
Ruhani Walia, Isabella Grandic, Navya Riju, Sophie Pellar, Christina Wang, Mishaal Lakani and Ammielle Wambo Becker

SCHOOL(S):
North Park Secondary School, Ursula Franklin Academy, Jeunes sans Frontières, Minerva University, University of Toronto Schools, Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, St. Clement's School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Mothers are needlessly dying while giving life.

Maternal mortality is a tragedy that affects far too many women around the world, particularly in Africa and South Asia. Northern Nigeria is afflicted by some of the highest maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) in the world. For example, Jigawa State, in North-Western Nigeria, has an MMR of 1,012 deaths per 100,000 live births. To reach the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.1 set by the United Nations, Jigawa must lower its MMR by 93%.

Strong maternal healthcare systems are a benefit to more than just mothers; strong maternal healthcare is a step towards a stronger healthcare system for families, and ultimately, resilient communities for all. The tools necessary to reduce maternal mortality exist; they are simply not accessible or affordable to those who need them the most.

Our intervention, Ending Maternal Mortality (EMM), aims to supply women in rural areas with misoprostol, a drug that reduces the onset of postpartum hemorrhaging, to reduce the rate of maternal mortality deaths in Jigawa by 20-31.5%.

Our first pilot is planned to take place in Jigawa State, Nigeria. With continued support from the Ministry of Health, EMM hopes to further this project to states beyond Jigawa.

The EMM framework has two overarching pillars: Distribution and Training. We have created a simple and effective system to distribute misoprostol to remote villages and are developing a training curriculum to improve the quality of informal healthcare.

The EMM model begins with upskilling informal health workers (e.g. traditional birth attendants) and connecting them with upskilled formal healthcare workers (e.g. community health workers) to promote the use of misoprostol in rural Nigeria. Health workers pre-register women via a simple prescription process and user registration form. This registration gives women access to misoprostol should they give birth at a healthcare facility or with an upskilled birth attendant. The distribution of the misoprostol is done through a community-based system, involving effective monitoring and evaluation practices.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
We started this project out of passion and a desire to reduce inequalities in healthcare access. Focusing on building a robust and scalable model that localized stakeholders can maintain ensures that we can reach the most people possible.

In the next five years, we want misoprostol to be readily available across Nigeria and in at least two other countries. EMM aims to help pioneer an international policy and strategy to reduce maternal mortality through a community-first distribution model that leverages female entrepreneurs and community health workers.

We additionally aim to combine the informal medical sector, including stakeholders like TBAs, and the formal sector, including Primary Healthcare Centres. By incorporating existing infrastructure into our model, we hope to rapidly integrate misoprostol and medical upskilling to low-resource, remote communities.

To begin tackling this wide vision, we are conducting a pilot in Jigawa State, Nigeria with the support of the Ministry of Health. The focus of the pilot is to test the efficacy and sustainability of the EMM intervention by identifying areas of improvement within our training curriculum and logistics plan. The purpose of the pilot is to reduce the number of cases of postpartum hemorrhaging by 85-90% through the improved distribution of misoprostol.

Its rapid onset action 9-15 minutes after oral ingestion stimulates the contraction of uterine smooth muscle. Its simplicity of storage and administration makes it an appealing treatment option for PPH in areas with minimal options for comprehensive maternal healthcare during labour. For this reason, it is the preferred alternative to the uterotonic oxytocin in low-resource environments.

Misoprostol is likely to gain widespread support in low and middle-income countries because of its cost-effectiveness. Compared to oxytocin, whose price ranges from $1.86-$25.60 USD per unit of administration, misoprostol ranges from $0.27-$2.21 USD per dose. Each tablet of misoprostol will cost EMM approximately ₦63 due to our collaboration with a national supplier. A mother requires between 3 and 4 tablets after delivery to prevent and treat PPH. If EMM sells each tablet at ₦90, the total for each mother would be ₦270-360. In comparison, the total cost for the same number of pills from a pharmacy, which would be approximately ₦1000-2000, means that our price 64-87% cheaper.

Given that our program development team (EMM) is not attached to our locational pilots, community partnerships are central to our model. This is why launching our pilot in Nigeria involves our partnership with a local non-profit called FAYOHI. They are delivering high-impact public health interventions with local and international partners, including higher education institutions. We can leverage our talent for building community networks to scale misoprostol across the globe, saving lives.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://emm.health/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/emmhealth/

Moon Time Sisters BC

TEAM MEMBERS:
Carly Pistawka & Neha Menon

SCHOOL(S):
University of British Columbia & Port Moody Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Moon Time Sisters B.C is a non-profit organization started in October 2020. Moon Time Sisters is a project specific to the donation and shipment of menstrual products to remote and isolated Northern Canadian communities as the products are often unaffordable and inaccessible. Prices of menstrual products can be 3-5 times the price found in Vancouver, and women/girls may miss school or work due to a lack of products available to them. We collect donations of both financial contributions and products to send shipments of preferred menstrual products to remote communities.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This organization has the main aim to support and empower Indigenous girls and Women in Northern BC and Canada. This is a local initiative to address period inequity in Canada, while also promoting solidarity and power to women. This project is also remarkable as it focuses on sending only desired products, by directly asking communities what they would like in terms of products. This means that the project is mindful of preferences, quality, and issues concerning other inequities such as boil water advisories. While we talk about the period inequity present in Africa, for example, and how girls will miss school due to having a lack of products, but we don’t talk about how it's also a problem in Canada

PROJECT WEBSITE:
truenorthaid.ca/moon-time-sisters-british-columbia

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.facebook.com/moontimesisters.BC

End Open Defecation

TEAM MEMBERS:
Ayaan Esmail, Eshan Rasul, Valmik Rao.

SCHOOL(S):
Markville Secondary School, The Woodlands Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
We want to solve the open defecation crisis in Nigeria. To do so, we've created a closed-loop solution that incentivizes Nigerians with the money generated from their own feces. This will allow us to scale to the 47 million people who open defecate in Nigeria while making this solution very long-lasting for every family that uses it.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Every other solution to this problem only thinks of the solution from a technical standpoint. None of them think about economics and scaling to the millions of people that open defecate. As our profit margins show, we gain $23.50 USD in profit for the first month and $55.68 USD for all subsequent months for every unit that is used. This allows our solution to be the only closed-loop open defecation solution in the world. We also solve the education problem mentioned by giving them money instead of educating them about the problem. We solve every single root cause of open defecation while giving them money for things like water, houses, and other basic needs.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
http://dopesht.world/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsxHYCscNKw

Health for Homeless

TEAM MEMBERS:
Nicholas Hamzea, Kanish Baskaran, Annie Li

SCHOOL(S):
University of Western Ontario, McMaster University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
On any given night, over 8,700 people in Toronto are experiencing homelessness, the effects of which have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While many organizations and individuals are working tirelessly to address different aspects of this crisis, one often overlooked facet are the significant barriers to healthcare faced by this population. In a country which prides itself in offering free health services to all, we are often guilty of assuming that this privilege is accessible to everyone, which leads to a neglect of those in the most need. Health for Homeless was founded by three university students with the goal of implementing meaningful solutions that help remove these barriers to accessible healthcare. We seek to achieve this goal through a variety of initiatives including creating health-centered care packages, organizing first aid workshops for homeless individuals, and planning conferences to connect public policy officials with the many passionate stakeholders invested in this issue.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Having heard stories of people in homeless shelters living with broken bones, wounds, and other illnesses because of the discrimination they face in the healthcare system, it became evident that something needed to be done. The truth is, many are afraid to go to an emergency room because of the possibility of being disregarded and dismissed as just someone looking for painkillers or some other handout.

We know that this could not be farther from reality.

This is an issue that must be attacked from multiple points if we are to ever find a solution, and Health for Homeless aims to take a multi-faceted approach towards addressing these inequities in our healthcare system. Through our first aid workshops and care packages, we strive to ensure that those affected have access to the knowledge and resources to treat various common conditions that they face, so that they do not have to make the decision between going to the emergency room and living with a wound or infection. We also plan on hosting conferences between public policy officials and key stakeholders to foster open communication so that we may begin to mend the broken trust between the homeless population and our healthcare system. With the support of this grant, we hope to magnify our contributions towards addressing these systemic inequities.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
healthforhomeless.ca

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/health.for.homeless/

Light Up the Dark

TEAM MEMBERS:
Nicole Gutka & Jenna Bencharski

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Light Up the Dark is a community driven initiative meant to engage our sociological imagination, and ILLUMINATE hope to the most vulnerable members of our community. Light Up the Dark has given back to our community by fundraising over $1200 to provide food/clothing/hygiene products to our local cold weather shelter. We also donated two holiday hampers worth $300 to two families in need over the holiday season. Our passion and drive to create unity within our city comes from personal experiences that shape us into the leaders we are today.* Light Up the Dark understands that our efforts may not be an instant solution, but more of a beacon of HOPE, TOGETHERNESS, and LIGHT! *

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
More often than we’d like to admit, the world turns a blind eye to our most vulnerable, the addict, those suffering from intergenerational trauma and mental illnesses. Our mission is to bring light and support those in need

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.facebook.com/lightupthedarkPA/

Marcies Community

TEAM MEMBERS:
Benjamin Wong

SCHOOL(S):
St. Marcellinus Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Marcies’ Community is a school-related page created to inform and help students navigate high school at St Marcellinus. The Marcies’ Community Instagram page and website provide students with up-to-date information on events and news in the school community. Using the Marcies’ Instagram page, we were able to help over 20 school clubs attract new members, connect students with potential volunteer opportunities to meet their graduation requirements, and provide resources to support the class on their future endeavors (university and college). To interact with students Marcies’ Community hosts monthly Q&A sessions and informs students of new things in the community.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
The Marcies’ Community page started in June of 2020 intending to bridge the gap between students and school. In under a year, Marcie's Community is now the second-highest following St Marcellinus school page boasting over 1000 followers - which accounts for 40% of the school population.

Marcies’ Community is a valuable resource to the community by providing information and support to students. Marcies’ Community on Instagram compiles valuable information into posts on a single Instagram page. Therefore it is now much easier for students to find out what they need to know using a single click. In addition, students can seek out support through direct messages. Messages are read and responded to daily, providing support and specific information to students who requested it.

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/marciescommunity

We Care ; Winter Homless Care Packages

TEAM MEMBERS:
Samantha Cyrille

SCHOOL(S):
Ryerson University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This year I raised $1760 to create 50 winter homeless care packages for people in need in Toronto. My goal was to provide them with necessities to help them survive the cold a bit better and allow them to spend the money they get on other things. Once I got all of the items together, I went into the city and passed out all the bags (Socially Distanced). It made a lot of people smile, some cry, and many were very thankful, but what mattered to me was knowing that I could provide something for them to snack on and something to keep them warm. For a look at what I put in each package look at my third photo. Thank you to anyone for donating or supporting my initiative.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This project is remarkable to me because it takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication to ask people for money, buy everything, pack it all up and then wander the streets to hand them out all on my own. This year I raised almost double what I had raised my first year, which allowed me to make more packages and include better items. The smiles, tears and thank you's I get from the people in need will forever touch my heart and inspire me to keep doing it in the future. I think it was even more important that I was able to do this during Covid because a lot more people became homeless and there were fewer people walking around giving away change in the city. No matter what I am going through, I always strive to help someone who is more in need than I am.

Here to Hear

TEAM MEMBERS:
Simrit Mangat, Daisy Zhang, Samantha Ouyang & Caroline Huang

SCHOOL(S):
Semiahmoo Secondary School, Western Canada High School, Bayview Secondary School, Abbey Park High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The challenges of connecting in a digital world are amplified for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. In particular, young DHH students who have trouble reading and writing English and can only communicate through ASL. Our online platform Here to Hear builds a DHH-accessible environment for building community and enriching language studies. We tackle the difficulty of learning a new language through two ways: subconscious and conscious learning.

On the Here to Hear platform, using deep learning and computer vision, DHH students can learn English through subconscious learning as their ASL will automatically be translated into English text captions and displayed on screen when communicating with other DHH students through a video call. Through this method of subconscious learning and repeated exposure, they are able to draw implicit connections between English and ASL to gain more fluency in English. Research has also demonstrated the effectiveness of subtitles in learning languages, indicating a 10% improvement than without subtitles. This method offers a low pressure, low effort, and non-intimidating approach to improve English literacy while being able to socialize and have fun with friends.

Students on the platform will also engage in conscious learning, which reflects the more traditional way of learning languages, in which an individual’s attention and ability to recall information is actively at play. We achieve this on the Here to Hear platform through three different methods: flashcards, an immersive reading tool, and learning games.

After a call, it saves a transcript of the conversation and uses Natural Language Processing and Named Entity Recognition to automatically generate flashcards using keywords from their conversations, and cues in the immersive reader, which has an English to ASL animated interpreter, allowing them to independently review vocabulary and situate words into sentences. Research has not only shown that flashcards are the most effective method of studying, but they are specifically helpful for children, allowing them to make associations, strengthen the links in their brain, and act as an effective self-testing method as it allows students to engage in active recall. From the flashcards, the platform also presents 3 different games the children can play and earn points from to reinforce the material on the flashcards in a fun and engaging manner: write, learn, and match. Research has cited gamification as an effective method for second language education, with improvements in engagement, motivation, and satisfaction. This will help tremendously in motivating young children.

This project was named a Top 10 Global Winner in the Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior AI for Good Challenge.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
34 million children worldwide are deaf or hard of hearing. Due to the lack of support for DHH students, only 52% of them complete elementary education in Canada. This means that almost half of them will never be financially stable, independent, or able to land a well-paying job, all because we failed to take action when they were young and support them from the beginning. In fact, the hard of hearing employment rate is almost 33% lower than that of non-disabled Canadians.

What many people fail to understand is that American Sign Language is NOT the visual form of English, but its own language, with different grammar and syntax, and nuances such as tone and expression. Without being able to hear the language, learning English becomes a near impossible task for young DHH children, and they naturally gravitate towards using ASL during childhood development, such that their English falls behind. To make matters worse, the deaf community has been severely impacted by the pandemic. For deaf children, the DHH community at school is their family. As 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, who typically do not know how to sign, they feel even more isolated than usual because they are unable to be in a place where they can receive the support they need and feel like they belong.

This however, is only for schools with special DHH programs. There are currently only 13 schools across all of Canada for the deaf, and most of the time, they will have to enroll in private schools who have this special support, due to the large lack of programs in public schools across the nation.

Moreover, the struggles of DHH students are often ignored. Deaf children are usually placed in programs that accommodate their needs only after they fail academically in oral/auditory-verbal based programs. At that point, the critical years of language development are gone. English is also one of the primary languages that is used to communicate with the DHH students, which is a problem because the majority of DHH students also have trouble learning English. The lack of equity and inclusivity in current education for DHH significantly hinders their future opportunities.

Hearing impairments and its consequences on children and their education are largely unspoken about. Our project is remarkable due to its unique ability to address a large problem that has little governmental action taken, and that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, making it not just a frontrunner in this space as one of the only solutions, but all the more prevalent as well given the current circumstances.

Moreover, we took special effort to involve the DHH community in every step of the process, gaining insight into the problem from someone who is a part of the DHH community himself, as well as an experienced DHH program educator. Our solution has not only been validated by Microsoft through our achievements, but by members of the DHH community themselves in the value they would find from it, citing that “it shows a lot of promise” and that they “haven’t heard of something like this before, but would be very interested in trying it out!”

Our focus on learning English through a variety of different scientifically-backed methods also makes Here to Hear remarkable. Firstly, with a novel method of subconscious learning by doing nothing more than chatting as per normal, secondly, through flashcards to enable active recall, thirdly, with an immersive reader to support young children with visual and interactive associations to words, and lastly, through gamification to ensure their motivation.

Our large emphasis on building community also makes Here to Hear unique, as DHH students can chat with each other as they would normally through ASL. By reinforcing relationships and building community, we can combat the feelings of social isolation created by the pandemic. Social connection boosts mental health, as it can lower anxiety and depression, regulate emotions, and lead to higher self-esteem and overall well-being. In fact, a review of 148 studies showed that individuals with stronger social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival.

Using various methods of Artificial Intelligence, we present a unique solution to this issue that is both innovative, yet feasible. Backed by leading technology companies such as Microsoft and validated by members of the deaf community themselves, we are eager to take our project further in building out a fully functional prototype, conducting more user interviews, and receiving mentorship from leaders in the space.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://heretohear.simritmangat.repl.co/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/XXeMr6dwt8o

Touché Company

TEAM MEMBERS:
Connor Renton, Sophie Renton, Josh Renton

SCHOOL(S):
Western University, Queen's University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
While at home and living together in quarantine, we realized that the simple actions of everyday life we used to take for granted, would no longer be possible under the rules of quarantine. We created the Touché Tool to provide a safe, high quality, eco-friendly and contactless way to avoid contaminated shared surfaces. Since creation, we have been featured on Global news, Buzzfeed, Blog TO, and as an Air Canada 2020 travel essential.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What started as a small side hustle has turned into a full time job. After cold calling, emailing, and walking into stores, Connor and Josh were able to secure our first two retailers, Whole Foods and Fortinos. They did that by walking right in and speaking with the manager. No sales team, no fancy sales brokers or distributors, just hundreds of no’s, a little grit, and a lot of determination. We have not looked back since. Connor quit his bank job to pursue Touche and Sophie and Josh came on as part time workers! Since launch, we have donated over 4000 meals to Food Banks Canada, and over 4000 PPE items to schools in Halton/Peel. We made Global News, were featured as an Air Canada Travel Essential, and had numerous blog features on BlogTO, Buzzfeed, and Yahoo. Touche has now launched their newest product line Sanitizing hand cream, and now have products in over 500 stores across Canada including a massive online presence as an Amazon Best Seller. Our latest order was a national rollout to Real Canadian Superstore. This consisted of over 30,000 Touche Tools. We have done this 100% with our business profit and a small loan from our parents. Managing cash flow of this size has been an incredible learning lesson for us but we aren't stopping until every candian has their own Touche Tool!

PROJECT WEBSITE:
Touchecompany.ca

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/touchetool

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nZhHqAQtvI&t=2s&ab_channel=Touch%C3%A9

SpeechDojo

TEAM MEMBERS:
Armaan Somani, Ebun Akomolafe, Josh Karathra, Sara Mah, Zachary Gee, Amanda Zhang, Anuj Krishnan, Caitlyn Huynh, Nimra Hooda, Hedy Zhou, Victoria Zhou, Megan Kwan, Ashlesh Mathrani, Aaron Wong, Steven Tang, Joshua Ji, Husayn Esmail, Rajan Maghera

SCHOOL(S):
University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Old Scona High School, Fredericton High School, Strathcona High School, Lillian Osborne High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Students with public speaking skills are statistically more likely to graduate high school, get into university and, even, get a job. However, lack of skills and confidence cause over 70% of people to be afraid of public speaking. At SpeechDojo, we are committed to making public speaking skills accessible to every student. We approach this challenge through two programs: SpeechDojo Classroom and SpeechDojo Online Platform.

SpeechDojo Classroom
SpeechDojo Classroom is a program where we partner with elementary schools to have our volunteer instructors provide 30 minutes of public speaking instruction during class time each week (using Zoom or Google Hangouts). Our lesson plans align with school-specific curricula and provide opportunities for interactive activities that allow students to practice the skills they are being taught with immediate feedback. Through the SpeechDojo Classroom program, students learn concepts such as the proper use of volume, pitch, pacing, enunciation, body language, and eye contact, as well as more substantial, critical subjects like argumentation and the selection of evidence.

Over 61 students have already received instruction through the SpeechDojo Classroom program and we are working to grow even further in the coming school year.

SpeechDojo Online Platform
The SpeechDojo Online Platform is a collection of free online courses targeted towards high school and university students where students can efficiently learn the public speaking skills necessary for their academic, career, and community pursuits. While students can take the courses independently, we also partner with schools to integrate them directly into their classes. For example, every Grade 9 student at Crestwood Junior High in Edmonton is in the process of taking our online course.

We currently offer 4 courses on our platform:

1. Acing the Job Search: Goes through how to successfully network, build a stellar resume, navigate the career fair process, and ace an interview.
2.Becoming Presentation Savvy: Step by step guide to create and deliver an engaging and interactive presentation.
3.Fundamentals of Public Speaking: Goes through the basics of public speaking from building storylines to developing confidence.
4.SpeechDojo-beta: Our first course! Provides students with strategies for common public speaking situations.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Public speaking is a skill that is so essential to our society and development but is rarely a focus of schooling systems and public education. At SpeechDojo we believe that these skills are too important to be missed - that is why we strive to offer engaging, informative, and interactive classes that are accessible for all students.

There are three things that make our project remarkable: quality, scalability and market validation:

Quality:
- Our team of student instructors, content creators and video editors have collectively spent over 350 hours writing, recording and editing our online courses.
-We’ve researched well over 60 established sources to curate the best and most valuable material to provide to our students.
-Our team of web developers are building an upgraded custom platform with gamification features to provide a more engaging learning experience for our online courses.

Scalability:
-Our SpeechDojo Classroom and Online Platform programs are free and accessible to any student or school in the world. We are currently launching a program in Central Asia where our instructors use Zoom to teach classes.
-Our Online Platform has been used in a variety of settings - from entire classes to individual students learning at home.

Market Validation:
-Our educational TikTok videos have over 1.5 million views, demonstrating the large number of students interested in public speaking education.

-SpeechDojo Classroom is expanding its program by 6 schools this year solely through teacher recommendations, demonstrating that schools have found our program to be useful to their students and are eager to help us grow.

Innovative education and EdTech are the way of the future and students, especially post-pandemic, are becoming increasingly familiar with online learning. It’s time that crucial skills like public speaking are taught in an accessible format for everyone.

SpeechDojo is run by student volunteers. Instructors have years of competitive speech & debate experience, some having debated at national levels, some having taught formal speech & debate courses for years. Instructors are excellence-achieving leaders in their school communities who are dedicating their portfolio-building energy to a genuine passion for teaching & public speaking. In general, our team is an entrepreneurial group of students that are solving the problems they’ve faced first hand as high school and early university students. From product development to social media content creation, each volunteer is motivated by the idea of giving students the skills they need to lift themselves up and create their own success.

We truly believe that public speaking education is a gateway to providing students with a stronger belief in themselves and their abilities.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.speechdojo.org

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.tiktok.com/@speechdojo?lang=en

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/MOt6q3s_quE

D(eye)agnosing Alzheimer's Disease With a Smartphone

TEAM MEMBERS:
Hafeez Husein

SCHOOL(S):
Wilfrid Laurier University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Alzheimer’s Disease is an illness of the brain that affects millions of people around the world. It hinders one’s memory and eventually functionality. As of right now there is no concrete cure for the disease, only treatments to suppress symptoms. These treatments help those with Alzheimer’s to lead a better life for longer, and the earlier they are applied the better the effect. Currently the main form of diagnosis for the disease is behavioural, which appear late in the progression of Alzheimer’s.

What if we could use a simple noninvasive method to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease earlier? Millions of lives could be positively affected. This project looked at a novel affordable technique to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease early through the eyes with a smartphone.

In the project, the plan had been to use a smartphone attachment called the oDocs VisoScope to capture images of the human retina to look for changes in the brain as reflected on the retina. These changes are specifically something called beta amyloid plaques, which are plaques of a natural protein that accumulate and block brain cells known as neurons from communicating. They would appear as small dark spots on the retina. Unfortunately, this plan was interrupted by COVID-19, as I could no longer be in physical contact with participants due to concern of virus exposure and spread. Instead, I made a “do it yourself” eye simulator to take pictures with to demonstrate that the technique could view the retina. Subsequently, I did research to prove that you could diagnose Alzheimer’s through the retina. With this in mind, I set out to answer the question of whether or not this attachment can allow a smartphone to view the retina, and whether or not this view could allow us to diagnose the disease earlier.

The results of the project indicated that this method could indeed work to diagnose Alzheimer's disease earlier using a smartphone and an attachment. This could have serious ramifications for millions of people worldwide, and I hope to further study this in the future when possible.

Also, if you are interested in seeing the details of how I carried out this project, please check out the website I have included. It provides a full overview of every step of the project and my research.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
The positive effects of this new technique are quite impactful, as it could literally change millions of lives globally. In the United States alone, there are up to 5.7 million people affected by Alzheimer’s disease. This number does not include undiagnosed early stage patients. The technique would impact these people’s maintenance of memory and functionality, as they depend upon treatments to maintain memory and functionality, and if that treatment is applied earlier it greatly benefits the effect. This technique could potentially deliver that early diagnosis, at stages much earlier than behavioral symptoms. Also, due to its affordability in comparison to other alternatives such as Optical Coherence Tomography, more people could access this form of diagnosis, in the United States and globally. It would decrease the need for professional resources in less developed areas with its ability to provide a virtual electronic diagnosis. People diagnosed with this method would be able to maintain functionality and memory for a longer time due to earlier administration of treatment, and thus live a fuller life.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://projectboard.world/ysc/project/deyeagnosing-alzheimers-disease-with-a-smartphone/

VSN customs

TEAM MEMBERS:
Valentina Sanchez Narino

SCHOOL(S):
Ryerson University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I make custom printed and embroidered clothing and totes at affordable rates

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
I make it so customers have liberty in choosing their designs and working with them to assure their vision comes to life! I believe represent individual uniqueness is incredibly important

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://instagram.com/vsncustoms?igshid=rk84ugaroyzq

be company apparel

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
We're a sibling duo from Smithville, ON who started @becompanyapparel at the beginning of quarantine in March 2020. Our goal when creating the business was to shed light on the importance of mental health and to spread positivity through apparel ☺️ ⁣

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.becompany.shop/home
PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/becompanyapparel/?hl=en

Missing Persons Research Hub

TEAM MEMBERS:
Lorna Ferguson

SCHOOL(S):
Western University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Missing Persons Research Hub (the Hub) is a national networking forum and research hub for the field of missing persons in Canada. Its key goals are communicating research, increasing evidence-based work, providing networking opportunities, educating on missing persons, centralizing access to research and resources, connecting researchers, and, ultimately, increasing and advancing Canadian scholarship in the field of missing persons.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
I am engaged in studies seeking to help Canadian policy-makers, police, social service, and other practitioners better understand the phenomenon of missing persons and create evidence-informed policies and practices. As a compliment to this, I have started a virtual Canadian research network on missing persons. Through this, my aim is to improve both prevention and response to all missing cases, but particularly those involving individuals who, like myself, have faced social, economic, and other hardships. .

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.missingpersonsresearchhub.com

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://twitter.com/MPRHCanada

LEAP Canada

SCHOOL(S):
Western University, University of Toronto, McMaster University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
LEAP Canada stands for Learn, Empower, Assist, and Prepare. Our mission is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and connections they need to bridge the gap between secondary and post-secondary education.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
LEAP started in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Driven by a group of university students that had experienced their first year, many of whom did not have access to enough resources nor guidance entering post-secondary.

As an organization run entirely by students, we want to use our experience to be mentors - especially in this time where their fears may be even greater with so much uncertainty and change. We hope to create an impact on these students' professional and academic development, so they can find their footing with ease throughout this transition.

Since our launch in 2020, we have connected 212 Mentees to 147 Mentors through our Mentorship Program, gathered 40+ Ambassadors across Canada to support LEAP’s mission, hosted 16+ webinars with 1300+ attendees, and impacted 10,000+ students across 38 countries. LEAP is driven by guidance, mentorship, and assistance and strives to impact more students around the world.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.leapcanada.org/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/leap.canada/

Say My Name

TEAM MEMBERS:
Ishaan Sachdeva and Enactus Georgian Team

SCHOOL(S):
Georgian College

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Have you ever experience having your name mispronounced. How did it make you feel?

Say My Name is a project designed to tackle social isolation in our community. It strives to make all environments inclusive places to study and work so that everyone feels welcome and feels a sense of belonging.

Say my name allows you to safely learn the proper pronunciation of any individual's name that you interact with. For those of you who often find your name gets mispronounced, It also provides ways you can help people learn to pronounce it, without feeling like you have to stay silent or use a nickname.

This provides a refreshing ice breaker and learning opportunity for everyone. This process truly helps each and every individual to embrace their identity while actively engaging in the group and promoting positive communication.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Pre-Covid we created a wearable button that includes the person’s name and phonetic pronunciation, creating an inclusive community one name at a time. People will wear their name button and become instantly approachable, giving everyone the confidence to start up a conversation in their community.

Since we cannot meet in person thus we pivoted our project virtually. Now, we encourage everyone to write the phonetic spelling of their name beside their name on virtual platforms such as WebEx, Zoom, and Teams or use one of our Say My Name custom-made virtual background with their name and phonetic spelling.

It's an empowering and validating feeling to know someone cares enough and wants to pronounce your name correctly. Acknowledge when you've mispronounced a name and commit to learning it for the next time you engage with that person. Everyone will feel much more connected as they begin to learn more about their peers and colleagues.

Never have your name mispronounced again!

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eGbvVSwRuc

Languages Without Barriers

TEAM MEMBERS:
Ashley Grewal, Manroop Bagri, Rupinder Sangha

SCHOOL(S):
Rick Hansen Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Languages without barriers is an Instagram account that is accessible worldwide it's designed to remove any kind of language barriers to help communities better understand each other as well as respect and acknowledge other cultures and languages. We do this by teaching primary phrases in the languages most prominent but also those not represented enough in our communities.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
We live in a wonderfully diverse world where communication and understanding each other is a potential issue for some individuals. To make the community more diverse and inclusive we decided to come up with an idea that would help people of all ages to learn basic phrases in their desired languages to remove language barriers. Learning simple phrases will help individuals acknowledge and respect other cultures.

PROJECT WEBSITE:


PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/languages_without_barriers/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L65cCsRkd3c

talkhappi : A Novel Mental Wellness Application

TEAM MEMBERS:
Ayush Malhotra

SCHOOL(S):
Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
With the app talkhappi, users are finally able to adequately express themselves in a wellness app, and counsellors are able to keep track of patients and better evaluate who needs attention during a time where many counsellors are overbooked. Users will receive a high accuracy positivity score that acts as extrinsic motivation to be more verbally positive the next day. TalkhAPPi will monitor these scores and report them to an individuals counsellor if there are any sudden changes. In addition, word prevalence counters give users an in-depth analysis of what words they mentioned on happier and sadder days, allowing users to get an insight into their subconscious feelings, and potentially make healthier lifestyle changes accordingly.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
The COVID-19 Pandemic has taken a significant mental toll on us or someone around us. For me, it was one of my closest friends who was diagnosed with depression. After finding out that they, like millions of other people, were turning to inadequate wellness apps and rarely getting to see their therapists, I took it upon myself to develop an app that solves both these problems. After seeing recent research on the effects of verbal positivity on depression, I had an idea to extrinsically motivate a user to be more verbally optimistic and give them a critical analysis of their speech in order to enable them to do so. I hope that this initiative can improve the daily struggles of many people just like my friend, and am working closely with large organizations to continue my development.

PROJECT SOCIAL:
instagram.com/talkhappi

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvNmSVGBKlw

A Check-Up On Healthcare

TEAM MEMBERS:
Seth Vahra

SCHOOL(S):
Chinguacousy Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
A Check-Up on Healthcare dives deep to investigate and uncover the hidden controversies of the Canadian healthcare system. From the disturbing relations of nurses and physicians to the COVID-19 blues running through every person, this podcast researches it all. During this rough time, it is much more crucial to address current health concerns which impact each person. Whether you are an aspiring medical professional or simply an individual trying to become your healthiest self, this podcast will expand your perspective, as I speak to healthcare professionals about their opinions, experiences, and positive advice.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Two years ago, I became committed to interviewing certified Canadian healthcare professionals, discussing solutions to menacing mental health issues residing in our communities after losing a dear friend to depression. Each week, I invested my time and money to record, edit, outsource free episodes and collaborate with other mental health organizations, such as Jack.org. Since waiting times and the risk of leaving home have elevated greatly due to the pandemic, A Check-Up on Healthcare makes it efficient and safe to connect medical professionals, including therapists, psychologists, dieticians, pharmacists, and nurses, with patients or prospective healthcare students who require assistance or advice. Additionally, to motivate others to voice their opinions, I developed an Instagram and TikTok page to share podcasting advice, viewed by over 130,000 individuals, inspiring them to begin their digital projects. For instance, a medical student from British Columbia suffering from clinical depression felt consoled by my episode, "Calming your COVID Blues" and began her podcast to speak on her experiences with depression. Recently, I was awarded a grant from Rising Youth and Taking It Global, hosted by the Canadian Government, to appreciate and aid the advancement of my podcast. A Check-Up on Healthcare remains remarkable and unique, as it is a successful digital, educational product, accessed by over 800 listeners on major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcast, across Canada and the USA, engaging youth and adult interactions with our Canadian healthcare.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://anchor.fm/kuldeepbhangucheckup

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/checkuponhealthcare/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CLvFlHMDlah/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

She Support Drive

TEAM MEMBERS:
Isabella Arthur and Renee Wulterkens

SCHOOL(S):
University of Windsor

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The She Support Drive is a women-run initiative based in Windsor-Essex County that aims to support women facing abuse, homelessness and poverty. Our first drive kicked off on March 8th, 2021 (International Women's Day!) where we began collecting menstrual products, hygiene items, monetary donations and gently used bras. Providing hygiene items or menstrual products may seem insignificant, but for women living in poverty, especially marginalized women who struggle trying to access their necessary products once a month, this can one less thing they need to worry about. So donate. PERIOD! We also believe all women deserve the dignity of having access to a well-fitting bra, and if we can provide comfort and confidence to women by simply donating bras, we will do just that! Through connecting with local businesses, online fundraising and innovative porch-pickup weekends, we have had overwhelming support from our community and we are hoping to continue to grow and spread our initiative to be able to impact women in need on a much larger scale!



WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
WHY: We are remarkable because…we are EMPOWERED women EMPOWERING women. According to Plan International Canada, 1/3 of Canadian women cannot afford menstrual products and we are just NOT okay with that. So yes, period poverty is a very REAL issue in Canada! If women are forced to use unconventional methods to get through their period, they can face serious health implications. The She Support Drive directly gives women essential items that they otherwise would not have access to.

IMPACT: After our first four-week campaign, we raised almost $12,000 to donate to local shelters that are offering programs for women in difficult situations. We also raised almost 20 000 pads and tampons and 4000 hygiene items such as toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant etc! Most excitingly, we collected 960 gently used bras to help women support…their girls.

FUTURE: The overwhelming response from our first drive has made us inspired to continue to amplify the She Support Drive message! We want to continue to celebrate women by supporting local organizations fighting against poverty and abuse as well as expand the She Support Drive to other communities. We would love to see a world where NO woman goes without these essential items.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://linktr.ee/reneenicw

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/shesupportdrive/?hl=en

Voltx

TEAM MEMBERS:
Shagun Maheshwari

SCHOOL(S):
Stephen Lewis Secondary School, Carleton University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Voltx is a B2B company that uses machine learning to accelerate the testing process for energy storage devices by 96%, from 3 months to 3 days. Current testing for batteries and supercapacitor cells (energy storage device) can take anywhere between 3 months - 1 year, making it a large bottle-neck to mass production of these cells for energy wide storage. The platform my co-founder and I have built, powered by a machine learning model, can cut down 97% of the current manual testing time with a ~90% accuracy in prediction. From the support of mentors such as Robert Piconi (CEO of Energy Vault) and VP of Operations and Engineering at Tesla, we have successfully secured two paid pilots and over ten pipeline companies that include some of the largest manufacturers in supercapacitors. Our model is currently being piloted by top supercapacitor manufacturers to test out 10,000’s supercapacitor devices that they are producing. In the future, we would like to scale our machine learning model to a broader range of devices such as battery recycling testing and electronics such as photovoltaics, LEDs, lasers and semiconductors.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Our vision for the future is having our world run on fully renewable energy and to do that we must solve the underlying issue of stabley storing renewable energy. We hope to democratize cleantech around the world by removing barriers in energy storage, renewable energy, ultimately taking a step towards reducing climate change. Renewable power could cover up to four-fifths of global electricity supply by 2050 – drastically reducing carbon emissions and helping to mitigate climate change. However, one of the main reasons we can’t use renewables today is because we don’t have enough energy storage to accommodate for the intermittency of renewables. In fact to meet the target of 45% of the world's power being generated from renewable sources by 2030, we’ll need almost 20x our global energy storage capacity from today. Current methods to test energy storage devices are expensive and lengthy which becomes a huge bottleneck in producing them. We believe that supercapacitors and batteries are key technologies to increase energy storage capacity for storing renewable energy. Thus, by working on optimizing the production and scalability of these devices, we can directly create an impact.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
http://voltx.org/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://ca.linkedin.com/company/voltx-energy

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/5iF5UtOllf4

Ripple Studios

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Through video games and other digital media, Ripple Studios is on a mission to reinvent how the next generation of children are taught to approach their future, specifically in regards to STEM. We founded Ripple Studios Inc. to inspire young people, especially females, to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and math.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://ripplestudiosinc.com/

Phrase.ly

TEAM MEMBERS:
Subha Azrin & Mairah Hashmi

SCHOOL(S):
Danforth Collegiate Technical Institute

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
In 2016, 72.5% of immigrants, just in Canada, had a first language apart from English or French. With growing numbers of immigrants in English-oriented countries, it is no surprise that these newcomers face a lot of obstacles caused by the well-known language barrier. Many find it extremely hard to adapt to the English language and often face troubles while communicating in the language. This includes: stuttering with sentences due to lack of confidence, not being able to organize the sentence with appropriate English grammar and even, afraid of judgement due to lacking English skills and the intimidating aspect of speaking a new language. As a result, many immigrants are intimidated and hesitate when voicing their opinions and trying out for new opportunities which require communication, such as jobs. A bigger problem is that many of them have the foundational knowledge of the language, but lack the “finishing touch” i.e sentence organization, as well as speech practice, which plays a pivotal role in everyday communication in the English language.

To tackle this issue, our team is developing an android application called Phrase.ly, which focuses on delivering an incredibly detailed English learning app, with minimal navigation and a very interactive UI to make the app more user friendly and accessible to those that are not as fluent in the English language.

As of now, the app has two main features: Phrase Generator and Language Bot. The Phrase Generator feature allows the user to input words they would like to construct a sentence with, and provides them with generated sentence options and a further breakdown of all the words within the sentence of their choosing. This feature prioritizes the concept of understanding the role of the different words in a sentence and sentence structure. Additionally, the Language Bot feature is a chatbot provided by the app, which allows the user to apply their understanding of the English language and practice conversing without the fear of being judged. To provide users with the most accurate information, Phrasely makes use of several Application Programming Interfaces such as the Oxford Dictionary API and Linguatools API. The app also uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to ensure effective user-app interaction in the Language Bot feature. All in All, Phrasely strives to diminish the language barriers faced by immigrants and hopes to make their lives in foreign countries easier, especially in North America.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Phrase.ly solves the problem of language barriers through our very unique features which include using AI. This application provides an all-in-one tool for anyone hoping to learn or improve in English and to be able to speak it. While there may be hundreds of language learning apps, what makes Phrase.ly stand out is its unique approach to language learning.

Since Phrase.ly is English-specific, we are able to focus on the details and support our users in understanding the English language. The Phrase Generator allows the user to experiment with sentences and ignite creativity in their minds. Alongside, the Language Bot feature allows the user to practice making conversation with ease. It eliminates the intimidating factor that stems from the fear of judgement while practicing speaking, which is a common reason for why new English speakers shy away from learning opportunities. With this feature, there would be no worries about getting a phrase wrong and it allows the user to be comfortable while practicing a language.

Additionally, our team prioritizes the user experience and has many plans to improve our current app with new and improved features based on our market research, surveys, and feedback received. In the near future, we plan to implement features such as the Language Buddy. This feature pairs up two individuals looking to improve their speaking skills through an in-app call or chat component. This way users with no skills or many skills can talk to each other and improve their speaking skills together.

Phrase.ly will really be an all-in-one package deal for anyone trying to perfect their English. It adds a whole new level of realistic learning to the language learning market by offering features that do not make the user feel like they are in school learning through lessons. Instead, they are allowed to experiment and learn with Language Bot and Language Buddy. Undoubtedly, this unique combination separates Phrase.ly from the rest.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
http://phrasely.co/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/phrase.ly_/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/0NiUtKwFJsU

Wise & Well Vic

TEAM MEMBERS:
Natalie Martin, Chanel Mandap, Blaine Tubungbanua, Jasmine Holmes, Tiffany Diack

SCHOOL(S):
University of Victoria, Camosun College

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
We are an online community dedicated to bringing older and younger generations together via educational & fun programs.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes Wise & Well so remarkable is that we are creating vital and fulfilling intergenerational connections between students and the elderly population. These types of relationships are not only unique and engaging, but they also help decrease loneliness within this vulnerable population, which is a significant problem we want to address at Wise & Well Vic. Through our educational programs, and the volunteer activities we engage in, we not only get to connect with the elderly but also help foster curiosity and love for learning that hopefully helps improve their mental health and overall sense of wellbeing.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.wiseandwellvic.com/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.facebook.com/wiseandwellvic/

Simply Haircare

TEAM MEMBERS:
Efemena Eghujovbo

SCHOOL(S):
Assumption College Catholic High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Simply Haircare is an all inclusive hair products company that specializes in natural products for all hair types. Our brand strives for simplicity as all of the products are made for easy application and use. The company's products are all handmade by CEO Efemena Eghujovbo and are 100% vegan as well as cruelty free.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
As a black female business owner entering the world of entrepreneurship, naturally I was afraid of what reaction I would get from the public. Having said this, I put my fear aside and just decided to take a leap and jump into the intense market of small businesses. I soon realized that my brand really was quite unique as everything from the product formulas to the packaging and social media was all run by me which at such a young age, many people had not seen before making my business stand out from others. I believe that my business is remarkable because it has helped other people kick-start their hair journey and has even inspired others to start their own businesses as well.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.simplyhaircare.ca

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram: @simply_haircare Tik tok: @simply_haircare Twitter: @simply_haircare

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KynuU8tCD4w , https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/natural-growth-local-teen-finds-success-as-entrepreneur-1.5346885

The Daily Feminist

TEAM MEMBERS:
Aishwarya Heran, Adelaide Ellerbeck, Julia Kyi,

SCHOOL(S):
Prince of Wales Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Our project recognizes the many students that do not understand feminism, or misinterpret its meaning. To address this issue, we started The Daily Feminist, an initiative including a workshop series offering information about the history of feminism, the meaning of the term, and the importance of the movement. We also discuss important feminist vocabulary, such as intersectionality. We involve the students through activities, discussions, and questions, allowing them to take an active role in their learning. Our workshops are available for students in grades 3 to 12, and we have delivered them across British Columbia. Some of these students have grown up with skewed views of feminism. Education at a young age can help them develop informed opinions. Through our workshops we hope to equip the next generation to advocate for equity and justice.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
The Daily Feminist is an initiative sparked by our passion for feminism. We recognize the misunderstandings surrounding equal rights and feminism and work to inform youth on feminism’s true meaning. Feminism is commonly misconceived as being anti-men or anti-femininity, and therefore many are deterred from using the word altogether. But feminism has been around for centuries, and is still prevalent and necessary in the world we live in today. Though we’ve made progress in recent years, there is still little education targeted towards children and schools.

Youth are impressionable, and through them we hope to work towards a more equitable and intersectional future. The need for education and feminism in schools and communities is overwhelming. Our free, student-led workshops provide a youth perspective towards the current issues, though personalized and interactive content. Our own experience with the school curriculum has left much to be desired, and through this realization our initiative was created. Through our online workshops we have taught over 300 children in various schools and classrooms. Our ability to connect to students on a personal level has helped expand their perspectives and worldviews, encouraging them to become intersectional feminists at a young age.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://feminismeducation.wixsite.com/thedailyfeminist

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram: @thedailyfeminist_education

Okanagan Paddle Board Co.

TEAM MEMBERS:
Emil Feeny

SCHOOL(S):
Immaculata Regional Highschool

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Okanagan Paddle Boards was founded in the beautiful Okanagan valley by a 15 year old entrepreneur with strong ties to the community. Our mission is to provide top notch paddle boards at an affordable price that is accessible to all outdoor enthusiasts. All of our high quality boards come fully equipped with all the gear you need to get out on the lake and enjoy the summer sun.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:


This company is remarkable because it aims to address the lack of affordable water sport products. Many individuals struggle to enjoy the beautiful lakes and landscapes that the Okanagan valley offers. Okanagan Paddle Boards is trying to reconcile this issue by providing high quality paddle boards to suit all budgets and needs.



PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.okanaganpaddleboard.com/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/okanagan_paddle_boards/

Are You Happy?]

TEAM MEMBERS:
Tayalynn Stephens

SCHOOL(S):
Edward Milne Community School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
My project is based around the importance of mental health. I write songs and sing about my own personal struggles in life, therefore my project features a song I wrote based on the possible side effects of social media.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
My song was written in support of those who struggle with mental disorders, like myself. My song questions happiness, even after all of the things done, like losing weight, to achieve happiness or society’s idea of perfect. Are you really happy after putting yourself through pain just to reach that goal?

PROJECT WEBSITE/VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/JUiPteMI2Bw

iAscend Canada

TEAM MEMBERS:
Jacqueline Cheung

SCHOOL(S):
University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario, McMaster University, University of Waterloo, Ryerson University, Queen’s University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
In the summer of 2020, a few of us had a vision to level the field of opportunity towards all students, to equip and empower them for every endeavor, and to foster the next generation of student leaders, entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers. This was the foundational origins of iAscend – an organization in which almost a year later has become one of international capacity, a beacon of insight and support towards students, and a pioneer in the movement to support students transitioning into post-secondary education. With over 1500 followers across all social media platforms, iAscend has since set foot in two countries: Canada and the United Kingdom, and has over 50 members contributing internationally. We created over five unique initiatives and reached out to the global population – all while maintaining our vision, our why, as a centralized platform towards all student needs.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Even without the COVID-19 pandemic, the interface between secondary and post-secondary education is a major deterrent in one’s educational success and an area that lacks intervention. One can argue that this is a penultimate chapter to “growing up” — a stage where students focus on learning and exploring potential careers.

At the pinnacle of this stage is the university application process, and the transition itself. The support is restrained to the knowledge of your teachers, peers, and guidance counselors; and usually, the best “transitions” are predated by anecdotal student experiences.

Now, factor in COVID-19 — the global pandemic that has isolated students from each other, closed down campuses, and have forced everyone to spend hours on end on Zoom -– and you have an environment even more maladaptive towards success within this area.

There are over 300,000 high school graduates in Canada yearly, with a significant portion of them opting to transition into post-secondary education. What makes iAscend remarkable is the impact and scope of our initiatives and the number of students that we’ve been able to positively affect.

Founded by 1st-year university students, we understand exactly what that process was like — the challenges and barriers to success — and have meticulously tailored our resources and programs to support all students going through this transition. Notably, we’ve been able to benefit over 20,000 students since our conception one year ago.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.i-ascend.com/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/iascendcanada/

Cognates

TEAM MEMBERS:
Mariella Rubenson, Charlotte Hayes

SCHOOL(S):
St Joseph's College School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
We think the best way to learn a language is to speak it. But we realize it’s not always easy to find someone to practice with. Cognates solves this problem. Cognates is a free digital language exchange program connecting anglophone and francophone teens from around the world. In addition to matching teens as online exchange partners, we host virtual events to connect teens from around the world.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
When the COVID-19 pandemic made easy in-person meetings with friends next to impossible, Cognates made it simple to connect with teens from around the world. Cognates members are able to experience the benefits of an exchange program from the comfort of their homes. After having been matched with francophone teens with similar interests, members tell us that they are grateful to have met new people, improved their language skills and have a whole new world opened up to them.



Though high school classes teach students the academic side of languages and cultures, Cognates gives students the opportunity to experience these important themes firsthand.

Our project is entirely women-operated by a team of eight high school volunteers from three countries. We started Cognates during the pandemic and have already been featured in multiple publications including Student Life Network in Canada and Phosphore magazine in France.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.cognates.me

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram for anglophones: https://www.instagram.com/cognates.en/
Instagram for francophones: https://www.instagram.com/cognates.fr/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cognates.en

The Revolutionized Mind Podcast

TEAM MEMBERS:
Angelica Galluzzo

SCHOOL(S):
Western University (undergraduate), Yorkville University (graduate)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Revolutionized Mind is a podcast that brings education and awareness to the topic of mental health, addresses issues that we see within society, and teaches ways to improve how we think and live our lives. I wanted to create a platform that not only allowed me to share my own knowledge and experiences but also to give others a safe space to share their story. I am an extremely passionate advocate who wants to ensure that others have the resources and tools to battle their inner demons and make the most out of every day. I strongly believe that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and I want to help others find that light, wherever it may be for them. I recently graduated with an Honors Specialization in Psychology and am moving onto graduate school to hopefully become a Counselor. It is my passion and purpose to use my voice in a way that benefits others and inspires them to become the best versions of themselves.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
I am absolutely blown away by the growth and progress of this podcast. After only 21 weeks, 20 episodes, and 18 guests, I have over 3200 plays across 16 different countries, over 1000 followers on Instagram, and a whole lot of positive feedback. I have partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association for social events and have also worked with local businesses for mutual promotions. In the most humble way possible, I truly believe that I can make something out of this platform as these are conversations that society desperately needs to hear. My goals are to continue to expand my audience, have a variety of guests on the show, and have the resources to actually make this happen. It has been quite challenging to do the recording and editing from home, as I live with 5 other people and a dog, which makes the audio difficult at times. Nonetheless, I have loved every second of this journey as I feel like I have made a positive impact on those who are listening and following my social media. I am incredibly excited to continue to grow my brand and release new episodes and topics! Thank you for considering me for this competition.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://anchor.fm/therevolutionizedmind

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/therevolutionizedmind/

Vulnerability

TEAM MEMBERS:
Charissa Wilce

SCHOOL(S):
Grant MacEwan University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
To be vulnerable a lot of times may be a choice. To choose safety over the potential of getting hurt. This piece shows the joy that may be experienced when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. It also shows that once that joy is unleashed, it may encourage us to break down that protective layer and allow us to explore our vulnerability further.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This project is remarkable to me because it was inspired by a time of heavy personal growth. I was given the opportunity to choose to grow as a person and explore unknown territory. Initially I was terrified, but this photo demonstrated the breakthrough of confidence and joy I felt when I truly backed and trusted my intuition- when I decided to take a step into the unknown.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.gallea.ca/en/artists/charissa-wilce/artwork/18955

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/wilcecharissa_/

Feed India's Water Needs

TEAM MEMBERS:
Marie Park, Nihitha Koneru

SCHOOL(S):
Richmond Hill High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Covidpillars is a student-led non-profit organization dedicated to making an impact during the pandemic. Since their inception in February 2021, their core work has been to provide assistance to groups of individuals suffering from the consequences of COVID-19.

Covidpillar's first mission was to support the homeless community by donating food and essentials to homeless shelters and today, they hope to raise awareness and equip a water plant operator to a hospital in India to help the largest covid outbreak.

India is currently struggling with COVID-19 and the black fungus disease. Due to contaminated water, oxygen provided to patients with COVID-19 is not safe. As a result of the contaminated water being used with oxygen, the black fungus epidemic has become a huge problem all around the country. Covidpillars is aiming to supply a water plant operator to a hospital in India in hopes to provide clean water. The water plant operator can be seen in the pictures provided.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Clean water can mean a great deal to these people in such a dangerous situation. Covidpillars is currently fundraising with a goal of $4,200, they’ve been able to fundraise almost $2,000 so far by informing people about the situation in India through social media, partnering with different non-profit organizations and by selling sweets. In the future, they also plan to sell small accessories in attempts to reach the goal.

With the cases reaching an all time high of 400,000/day in India, people were seen begging on the streets in need of medical supplies such as medical oxygen and hospital beds. The deaths rose over 300,000 but experts believe the real numbers could be over a million as there seems to be a lot of unreported deaths. Another problem arose. The black fungus was inevitable since 80% of the water in India is contaminated. Black fungus is a life threatening disease, with a mortality rate of 50% and terrible symptoms, providing clean water would prevent such a disease from occurring in patients. Furthermore, it would also prevent further diseases that are caused by unclean water at a hospital.

As the government was taking no action to abate the high number of cases, it would take a few years for the country to be able to supply hospitals with water plant operators. However, Covidpillars is trying to aid at least one hospital with a water plant operator in approximately a month. The quicker they are able to get the money, the more lives they will be able to save. Additionally, Covidpillars is in the process of creating a program that connects Canadian/American certified health care workers with patients in India who are suffering from Covid-19 or black fungus. This program can be seen on their website, it aims to support the families who can not afford medical assistance with directions to overcome such adversities.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://feed-indias-water-needs.raisely.com/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/covidpillars/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGDiYw50Xoo

My Mom, The Magician- children’s book

TEAM MEMBERS:
Allecia McDonald, & Kelly Mazerolle

SCHOOL(S):
JR Robson High School / Lakeland College

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I recently illustrated and with the author self published a children’s book. A dollar from each book purchased is being donated to Angel Hair for Kids.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
It’s amazing to be able to give confidence back to children. The organization, Angel Hair for Kids, provides wigs for children who have lost their hair from alopecia or chemotherapy. This project is very dear to me because my cousin has suffered from alopecia so it’s an amazing privilege to have created something that can give back.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.amazon.ca/My-Mom-Magician-Kelly-Mazerolle-ebook/dp/B08QYTBCX9/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=my+mom+the+magician&qid=1621369730&sr=8-1

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelhair4kids/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AngelHairforKids/

Refreshingly Idiotic

TEAM MEMBERS:
Hana Ghani

SCHOOL(S):
T L Kennedy Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Refreshingly Idiotic is a podcast focused all on different aspects of mental health. It stems from the idea that there are certain things that society just poses as basic knowledge, things that you need to know to be 'accepted' what stuns me is that even though the talk of mental health is growing, not many people really know about it.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes my project remarkable is the blend between learning and storytelling I love to put in my episodes. Every week for the first season I talk about myself, connect with my audience, and then teach them about different mental illnesses, throwing in connections from not only my life but the media and world events happening currently. I get listeners to engage with the episodes, I ask for their opinions and a question of the episode for them to respond back to me.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://anchor.fm/hana-ghani

Student SEAS

TEAM MEMBERS:
Vivian Tan

SCHOOL(S):
RC Palmer Secondary

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Student SEAS is a nonprofit transforming student’s lives by mobilizing, empowering, and educating a global community to unleash their full potential from within. We invest and advocate for all students via quality student education + wellbeing globally.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
The lack of personal, academic and professional development in schools and in student lives is limiting the potential of student success. To add to that, students are confused by the unclear guidelines to prepare for life and post-secondary, and there is a lack of equality in quality education, resources & support.



However, Student SEAS wants to solve these problems by providing personalized support, resources and opportunities for students to navigate the seas of adulting. We want to become more than a social media platform or even an organization.



We are aiming to build a thriving global community of students empowering each other towards their personal, academic and professional success.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://beacons.ai/studentseas

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://instagram.com/studentseas

[first_name]

TEAM MEMBERS:
Simran Dhillon

SCHOOL(S):
University of Alberta


PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The opioid crisis is an international health epidemic causing detriment on both families and friendships. In Canada alone, there have been 17,602 apparent opioid toxicity deaths and 21,824 opioid-related and 9,869 stimulant-related poisoning hospitalizations nationwide from January 2016 to June 2020. In 2017 there were approximately 11 deaths per day with there being a critical spike in fentanyl related deaths in 2020. Alberta, the homeplace of our team, is the second most affected province in Canada following closely behind British Columbia. Furthermore, 94% of these opioid deaths happen by accident. This is often due to the contamination of illicit drugs with fentanyl; as at the street level, there is currently no quality control of the products being administered that is effective in preventing overdoses. Therefore the problem exists where individuals are unaware of the potentially lethal contaminants within their substance.



These statistics only gauge the detrimental impacts on a regional scope, however, our product aims to provide a pertinent resource to all individuals dealing with substance abuse. We hope to utilize our technology to create awareness and educate individuals on the contents of their substance prior to the administration of a potentially lethal dosage. FentaGone seeks to catalyze change; change that reduces overdose rates on a local, national and international scale.



WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
With our innovation, FentaGone, we are addressing the problem of there being no reliable testing methods for fentanyl on the street level. Many other current technologies in place are insufficient in solving this crisis as they require users to sacrifice some of their drug for testing and don’t address the ritualistic nature of drug use.



By developing this innovative fentanyl-detecting system not only are we providing access to a technology that has the highest sensitivity and specificity for fentanyl, but we also address their major limitation of not accounting for the ritualistic nature of drug use. Requiring no additional education on behalf of the user and providing access to an effective immunoassay detection technology.



Development of this detection system, allowing for mobility and access to this technology, individuals are able to utilize the FentaGone innovation on hand in their most isolated and vulnerable moments.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.fentagone.com

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram: @fentagone Twitter: @fentagone Linkedin: FentaGone

PROJECT VIDEO:

UX Laurier

TEAM MEMBERS:
Thabeetha Regi, Justine Trieu and Jacey Vi

SCHOOL(S):
Wilfrid Laurier University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Our mission at UX Laurier is simple! We are creating an inclusive community for students from all backgrounds to learn, practice and explore the exciting world of UX design✨ We know that design can be intimidating for many students. Our goal is to cultivate a space for folks interested in design to come together to develop their skills, share resources, connect with industry professionals, collaborate on epic projects and put the skills they learn into some serious action.

Our Values

Inclusivity: Design can be really intimidating to break into and learn, so it's important to us that everyone in our community feels welcomed, safe, and supported.

Diversity: In recent years, UXD has become an industry full of designers from various backgrounds such as psychology, business, computer science & MORE. We believe those with diverse backgrounds are a huge asset to the design field, and thus welcome everyone and anyone no matter their school, program, or background.

Curiosity: The best designers are often the most curious. There is a WHOLE lot to learn about design so we encourage everyone to stay curious, ask questions, and continually seek to improve our understanding of the problems we tackle in design.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
We are three students from Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus who are passionate about the intersection of design and social good. As we explored our passion, we discovered that there were many students just like us who were interested in UX design, but either had preconceived misconceptions about it or thought of UX design as an intimidating field. As a result, we started UX Laurier, Wilfrid Laurier University’s first UX design club! We want to empower students with the resources, support, and opportunities they need to fully explore and immerse themselves in the world of UX design.

Although we’re just getting started, our growing Discord community currently has over 200 members from five continents and it serves as a place for our community to:

⚙️ Share resources & opportunities

🧠 Learn about the power & impact of design

👥 Connect with like-minded yet unique individuals

❓ Ask A LOT of questions

🤗 Have fun!

UX Laurier’s goal for the school year is to host design events, panels and workshops for aspiring designers on topics such as design thinking, portfolio building, design as a career etc., and end the year off with a design competition. This design competition will give students the opportunity to apply their skills, collaborate with other students, and go through the entire design process to create a project for which they will receive actionable feedback, mentorship, and funding. In addition, through our student-run pro-bono design agency, Innovative Design Co., we are bringing together student designers seeking real-world opportunities with local startups and small businesses seeking student talent to support them with their website and interface design needs.

We’re excited to continue to grow our community and hope that you let us be your partner in design!

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/ux.laurier/

Lone Fox Photography

TEAM MEMBERS:
Luc Levesque

SCHOOL(S):
Harbour View High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
My project is a photography business. I have been passionate about photography since I first held a DSLR in Grade 6 for my school yearbook. I started my business in June of 2020 and had major growth over the summer with photoshoots multiple times a week doing a variety of photoshoots !

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
I strive to create stories with my photos and assuring that my customers are happy and have cherished moments in photo form forever.

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.facebook.com/LoneFoxPhoto

Euphoria Mental Health

TEAM MEMBERS:
Diya Mehta , Prerana Manoj

SCHOOL(S):
University of Toronto Schools

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
We have created an app and platform that allows teenagers to cope with worsening mental health because of the pandemic, while still socially distancing and following CDC guidelines. Our goal is to empower teenagers to have the will to seek mental health support. People do not necessarily identify that their mental health is worsening. So, our app emphasizes educating teenagers about mental health, having a balanced lifestyle and finding resources for mental health.

In the Euphoria platform, the user can:
- Discover free, anonymous resources and call into a student-run hotline to discuss their problems with young adults.
- Understand challenges teenagers typically face (such as peer pressure, substance abuse and social media addictions) through an interactive game.
- Find nearby, outdoor locations for active living, that they might not know about and suggest places we can add to the virtual map.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes our platform remarkable? Well, our app stands out from other mental health / wellness apps because of four main reasons.

A lot of mental health apps focus on preventing negative thoughts, but being sad or negative is a part of life. We need to accept those feelings. Euphoria teaches teenagers how to accept those negative thoughts and feelings, and react in a mature way.

Additionally, a lot of these apps forget to educate teenagers about mental health and do not display an accurate depiction of what mental illness. Many of the teenagers we had surveyed said that certain problems such as drugs, alcohol abuse etc… were glorified by the media. The Euphoria starter game depicts a realistic teenage life and obstacles they might face, using statistics and interviews with teenagers to come up with scenarios. Additionally, many teenagers, receive advice about mental health from their parents and trusted adults which might not always help since they can’t take the perspective of a teenager during the digital age.

Our hotline is student run which provides a fresh perspective for teenagers, and makes the experience more relatable. Teenagers also have more experience navigating social media, and growing up during the pandemic. Based on our research, we found out that teenagers are more likely to call into a hotline and get help from their peers, rather than talk to trusted adults who cannot relate to them and only give advice based on logical reasoning. So who better to talk to teenagers than fellow teenagers?

Finally, our project is geared towards the pandemic, which means that any advice or resources we have on our platform, are either online or can be done socially distanced.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://euphoriamentalheal.wixsite.com/mentalhealth

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8jflkbMFoipLa0Q_FOkeUg

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/NtlDkhQOxOc

100 rides in 100 days

TEAM MEMBERS:
Nevada Maier

SCHOOL(S):
Strathcona Tweedsmuir

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I road 100 peloton rides in 100 days in a row for a charity called "heartbeats" since I have a heart problem.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
I inspired people to work out more and got people to donate to the charity. I raised 11 to 12 thousand dollars

PROJECT SOCIAL:
@nevadamaier on instagram

Prairie Alpine Art Co

TEAM MEMBERS:
Dayna Goerzen

SCHOOL(S):
University of Saskatchewan

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I watercolour paint nature-inspired scenes as a hobby-turned-small-business! I started an Etsy shop for my watercolour art during the initial quarantine for Covid-19 since I lost my summer job. I have always loved doing anything artsy as a form of self care, and I am thrilled people actually enjoy my creations enough to want them on their walls! I draw inspiration from home: the foothills of Alberta (or anything naturey!). I have recently started an Instagram and YouTube page for my Etsy shop hoping to inspire others to believe in their own creativity!

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
I believe my project is remarkable as it has gotten me through this tough year of the pandemic. I wasn’t able to work and was going crazy in my small, dark basement suite, so I turned to my happy hobby - creativity. My grandpa was a self-taught artist. He taught me lots about art and how to do certain things, and so did my art teachers throughout school. I never felt limited with my creativity and for that I am really blessed. I love to do anything artsy I can get my hands on (sewing, wood burning, crocheting, painting, drawing, sculpting, embroidery, singing, playing an instrument...) but watercolour felt like something I could do more with and was really great self care. I recently started an Instagram page for my Etsy shop, and now a YouTube channel! My hobby may not be changing the world, but I hope to inspire other creators out there to believe in themselves as artists. I truly think that everyone is creative in some way, but that we’ve just been taught not to believe in that and that we’re not good enough. Thankfully, I was told I AM good enough at art. Now I want to pass that along to others, including my future students (I’m going to school to be an elementary teacher!). Maybe someone will watch my YouTube videos and feel inspired to pick up a project they were working on. There’s no such thing as perfect art. It’s about the process, not the product. Art and creativity grounds me, helps me self-regulate, helps me relax, and allows me to just be with my thoughts without judgement. It’s a form of therapy. What does creativity do for you?

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/PrairieAlpineArtCo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCWbS38dlVwVvu7RLGU8r-w?app=desktop

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram: @prairiealpineartco

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/QvABio9pKH4

Meloche Bicycle Repairs

TEAM MEMBERS:
Noah Meloche

SCHOOL(S):
Notre Dame Elementary School, Holy Names Catholic High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
At Meloche Bicycle Repair, I fix bikes at an affordable cost and help those in need if they need it. My project is to create a business which combines a bike shop and a gluten-free burger joint. The main reason for the gluten-free burger joint is because I have Celiac disease and I have noticed the lack of Celiac friendly gluten-free options so I want to create a burger joint catered to being Celiac friendly.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes my project remarkable? Well, I believe fixing old bikes and bring them back to life will help the environment because they won't end up in a land fill or a garbage dump. Also, I am very honest with my customers. If their bike isn't worth fixing or if I don't have the proper tools. I will tell them instead of ordering all the parts and charging them for it. I am also very selfless when it comes to my business, I had a customer how needed an adjustment done and did not have the correct parts. I had the parts but on my personal bike, so I gave him parts off of my bike so he could go on his ride later that day. I've also helped people in need, one of my customers was needing a repair for her daughters bike who had autism and I gave them a good discount because I saw they were in need. If I won the $10000, I would use the money to buy tools to better improve my business and connect to more people across the city. thank you for you time.

Stepdancing lessons

TEAM MEMBERS:
Melodie Jordan

SCHOOL(S):
École-sur-Mer

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
There were no extracurricular activities for the elementary students at my school so I decided to offer them an activity after school and I started teaching stepdancing for students.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes my project remarkable is that this type of dance is also part of the culture and a traditional type of dance in our community so by teaching dance I keep our wonderful culture and traditions alive. My project is also remarkable because we live in an area where French is a minority and I decided to teach my classes in French for the students of the French school.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.facebook.com/lesgigueusesdeSummerside

Project Salus

TEAM MEMBERS:
Eason

SCHOOL(S):
The Knowledge Society (TKS)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I used Convolutional Neural Networks to detect pneumonia, an infection that kills over 2.5 million people around the world every single year, from a chest x-ray with a 99.5% accuracy rate.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes my project remarkable is the accuracy rate. According to studies from the NIH, chest x-ray diagnosis accuracies are only 93.3% from doctors and 93.7% from leading machine learning models. This means that my model is 6.2% more accurate than humans and 5.8% more accurate than other machine learning models. Project Salus has the potential to literally save thousands or maybe even millions of lives around the world!

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://github.com/eason-w/PneumoniaClassifier

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVx3JqXB_yk

What happens when the sun sets

TEAM MEMBERS:
Samantha Mann

SCHOOL(S):
Christ the King Catholic Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
"What happens when the sun sets" is a poetry book of my own composition, which highlights mental illness such as anxiety and depression, as well as the struggle of persevering alone.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
It is safe to say that there is a huge stigma surrounding mental illness. Even with the huge surge of reported mental illnesses throughout the pandemic, many people still view anxiety and depressive disorders as the results of someone "overreacting". There also continues to be a huge negative connotation associated with the words “mental illness”, where others often assume that one is either “lying” or “crazy” if they are struggling to cope. With that said, “When the sun sets" is a remarkable project because it approaches these stigmas head-on. Personally, I believe that the only way to reduce misconceptions surrounding certain concepts, such as mental health, is through raw and candid discussion. “When the sun sets” is the flame that will continue to ignite and fuel said discussion, as its content is centered around the lows and the highs of someone who is coping with mental illness. By using the power of poetry, this book will continue to destigmatize and open up conversations surrounding mental health, and thus aid in destroying the detrimental stereotypes that are still held throughout society.

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram: @sammann_writes_poetry

Blair Designs Co.

TEAM MEMBERS:
Gabrielle Blair

SCHOOL(S):
Collège de Valleyfield

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Last November, I finally mustered the courage to start my small print business. My goal is to expand into different categories of products, like apparel and accessories that are made in Canada.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
I aim to create art that is inclusive and diverse, as well as shed light on different issues. I also aim to be as environmentally conscious as possible. To do so, I look for recyclable materials for my packaging and work with printing companies in Montreal to support the local economy and reduce emissions.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
blairdesigns.ca

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram: blairdesignsco

Distryx Music

TEAM MEMBERS:
Varin Lal

SCHOOL(S):
White Oaks Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Almost two years ago, I started a YouTube channel with the mission of sharing my passion for music with a broader audience. Since then, I have uploaded at least one music-related video per day. As my channel grew in popularity, I partnered with artists to launch and promote their new releases. Today, Distryx Music has 250,000+ subscribers and 85,000,000+ video views from music lovers worldwide. We’ve also released three exclusive singles under our record label with artists that I discovered. My role as an executive producer was to support my artists with the beats, lyrics, artwork, and marketing. Our vision at Distryx Music is to continue to create and share impactful music with our growing audience.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
The Distryx Music project is remarkable because the music we focus on releasing and promoting has a positive impact on our listener’s lives. Traditionally, the hip-hop and rap genre has been rife with offensive lyrics about women, violence, and drugs. Today’s major record labels choose to promote this kind of music. My goal is to promote a more positive message through hip-hop and rap music by giving purpose-driven artists a platform to reach the audience they deserve. These artists care about critical societal issues and convey this through their lyrics, whether mental health, discrimination, or self-confidence. For example, we recently released a single titled “Lost Away,” which included lyrics about finding your path in life and understanding what you want to do. With everything going on today, Distryx Music intends to change the hip-hop music image. Young people listen to, on average, 3.7 hours of music a day. The Remarkable Students project can help us change the type of music we listen to.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://youtube.com/distryxmusic

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://instagram.com/distryxrecords

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/D5Qa2b9Ry3M

BYO

TEAM MEMBERS:
Angelica Tso, Priscilla Lam, Shannan Kao, Angela Shen, Sol Lee, Deniz Evrendilek, Joanne Kim, Hyeonyoung Park, Sunayani Sarkar

SCHOOL(S):
University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Did you know Canada throws out 1.6 billion disposable cups every year? BYO is on a mission to reduce this tremendous waste. Our mobile app incentivizes customers to bring their own cup to participating cafes for to-go drinks via rewards and a tree planting initiative (every 5 cups saved is 1 tree planted!). We are currently gearing up for our Beta Launch this summer with a few local coffee and bubble tea shops. Our goal is to change the way people think about disposable culture and encourage people to adopt reuse culture in a way that is fun, community-oriented, and impactful. To describe BYO in a nutshell, it is cup waste reduction, reforestation, community building, and supporting the local economy in one!

At less than a year old, this project has received positive responses from our community. BYO has won the Grand Prize in SFU’s Student-Community Engagement Competition 2020, placed 2nd in MWMC Ontario’s Canada’s Next Top Sustainability Leader 2021, and placed top 30 in the Youth Impact Challenge 2020. In designing this project, we have interviewed over 70 Metro Vancouverites and local cafe owners to truly understand the needs and opportunities for change in our community.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This project is remarkable because we are addressing the root cause of our throwaway mindset. Many current solutions such as recycling schemes or switching to compostables fail to address the underlying disposable, convenience culture. Additionally, incentives for bring-your-own-cup—such as small in-store discounts and cup surcharges—are minimal and struggle to bridge the connection between consumer action and the larger scope of the waste issue. BYO believes that to change our wasteful society, we need to change public attitudes.

This project is remarkable because we are turning individual action into collective impact. Small green acts like consistently replacing a disposable cup with a reusable one have a ripple effect in the community. By giving visibility to the bring-your-own-cup practice via visual tracking in the app, BYO hopes to create a sense of togetherness among users working towards our common waste reduction goal.

Lastly, this project is remarkable because we seek to connect individuals to a larger cause through tree planting. We hope that this added global element will encourage individuals to think about their bigger role as global citizens and the different ways in which they can be environmental advocates whether that be through small actions such as bringing their own cups and planting trees, or larger actions through political involvement. We also hope that this global aspect sparks thought about how each and every one of us has a responsibility to leave the environment better than we inherited it and that moving forward with mitigating environmental degradation will require all actors from grassroots to governance to work together to inspire change.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.letsbyo.com

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/byo.app/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbY_aBkr7hQ

The Written Revolutions

TEAM MEMBERS:
Alazne Qaisar

SCHOOL(S):
Sir Winston Churchill High School, Calgary

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Written Revolutions is a non-partisan youth journalism organisation dedicated to dismantling the age-old notion "you are too young for politics". The platform encourages students around the world to use the power of their words to inspire change by amplifying their voices and allowing them to gain a deeper and multidimensional understanding of world affairs. This platform seeks to fortify journalism in students who have a desire to rise up against injustices around them, affecting the marginalised and oppressed. Moreover, The Written Revolutions paints the future from the lens of diverse youth who are ready to make positive changes and leave a mark in this world, because no step forward is too small.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
One of the larger global problems, in my opinion, is the systematic exclusion of youth from decision-making processes and political discussions. The reality however is that youth are directly affected by the policies enacted by the government and our generation has to tackle the consequences of the government’s decisions in the future Hence, representation & participation are important. Participation can be both direct through voting, and indirect through journalism, discussion forums, activism or raising awareness through social media etc. It is pivotal to hear the perspectives of youth and exercise our influence because it holds politicians accountable for their promises and compels them to address our concerns. As a result, I started “The Written Revolutions (TWR)” a youth journalism organisation actively dismantling the age-old notion “you are too young for politics” by giving a platform to students from around the world to share their perspectives on important political, social and economic issues through various creative mediums. I believe that we do not need to revolutionise society through violence and war. We can revolutionise our world through the power of our words because a pen is stronger than a sword. I established TWR in march of 2020 and recruited 16 poetry and political columnists and in under a year, we have been able to grow the organisation to a team of 60 members comprising columnists, ambassadors, video-journalists, editors and junior columnists whom we train, from around the world. We also host a podcast called TWR-Roundtable Discussions where we invite 4-5 students to speak on issues such as nationalism, billionaires and capitalism etc., to reduce polarisation by encouraging respectful debate. The organisation is one-hundred percent youth-run and we publish the articles and works of our team and budding youth journalists on our website thewrittenrevolutions.com where we have accumulated over 25,000 views. I have been able to form meaningful connections with several governmental, non-governmental and youth organisations as well as work with a diverse team of students and youth leaders from every continent. The national director of the Canadian Association of Journalists, Ms.Fatima Syed praised our work, we received verbal acclaim from UNICEF Canada, I was invited to speak as the founder and president of TWR at the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association youth forums last year and also at the Human Rights Day hosted by Action Dignity. TWR encourages youth to engage in their civic duties by using journalism as a medium to discuss their much-needed perspectives. Students who have written for TWR have felt empowered to speak their mind and delve into the world of politics without any dissuasion. We have been able to raise awareness on a multitude of important issues such as the Myanmar coup, Yemen crisis, Wirecard scandal and more. I have learnt so much as a result of this experience and I am in awe of the talent and passion of the students I work with which in turn fuels my drive to continue with our mission. This has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.



PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.thewrittenrevolutions.com/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/thewrittenrevolutions/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MeHTnTCUr2wcE84BdhEQ2zjRBhTTonu1/view?usp=sharing

Cryptic Languages

TEAM MEMBERS:
Ramandeep Saini

SCHOOL(S):
Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
STEM education is becoming increasingly important in our technologically driven world. However, there are many groups of people who are systemically held back from pursuing careers in STEM. For example, women make up just 25% of the global STEM workforce. Racial and ethnic minorities are also under-represented in STEM. To illustrate, in 2019, only 3.7% of Google’s workforce was Black. Marginalized groups need to be represented in STEM to ensure that future innovations in science and technology benefit everyone. This is why I started Cryptic Languages, an initiative that aims to introduce students around the world to coding in a low-cost, accessible way.

Students can find free HTML and CSS coding tutorials on the Cryptic Languages website and Youtube channel. These videos are simplified for beginners and allow students to work through mini projects, such as creating an image gallery for a website. In addition, I have also hosted beginner-level coding webinars, reaching 177 young people from 19 different countries around the world. Furthermore, I partnered with the Brampton Library last year to host a city-wide webinar, which helped to further engage my local community in computer science education.

The Cryptic Languages website also contains other free resources that aim to spark young people’s interest in STEM. These include self-authored articles that simplify complex technologies, such as computer vision, the Internet of Things and quantum computing. In these articles, I highlight the potential of these technologies for social good, hoping to inspire my readers.

Currently, I am working on increasing Cryptic Language’s impact by starting a podcast featuring people of diverse genders and ethnicities working in STEM.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Cryptic Languages has been reaching youth around the world since its inception. I actively work to ensure I am reaching my target audience, which is people underrepresented in STEM. For example, I try to empower more girls to learn to code with my webinars by advertising them through social media accounts with a prominent female following, such as the Canadian Association of Girls in Science Instagram account.

Cryptic Languages is having a real impact. Last year, the initiative was selected to be a part of the WE Incubation Hub, run by the ME to WE organization, to help scale the initiative. In addition, I was also selected as a finalist for the Aspiring Teen Award from the Women in Tech Global Movement. This international award recognizes teenagers whose actions aim to diversify the technology workforce.

I hope to continue adding value to the community through Cryptic Languages. For example, I want to expand my tutorials to other languages, such as Python and JavaScript. The Project of the Month Award will support this work by helping me cover the monetary costs of expanding Cryptic Languages’ reach and producing content.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://ramandeep-saini.github.io/Cryptic-Languages/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/cryptic_languages/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG6PNN3FrVa68yGT3r55oA?view_as=subscriber

Shawna's Strength Project

TEAM MEMBERS:
Sarah Zeuch, Vera Reid, Eric Carter, Veronica Chapa, Pehandra Visagie, Hannah San Juan, Ashley Sadowsky, Ashley Walter, Jessica Lambert-Exner, Taylor Duria,ux, Giovanni Medeiros

SCHOOL(S):
College of New Caledonia

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Shawna's Strength Project (#SSP) is about real friends caring about real people who suffer from PTSD due to sexual assault. Founded by a group of passionate design students in response to a young woman's pain and suffering that has gone on for far too long, we aim to support our friend, Shawna, in accessing progressive PTSD treatments not covered by health insurance. Additionally, we aim to bring awareness to the availability of such treatments and destigmatizing mental health. We are currently a fundraiser; however, once we reach our goal of helping Shawna access these treatments, we wish to become an official charitable organization that focuses on helping other victims of sexual assault and sufferers of PTSD. Volunteers will create, market, and sell mental health and PTSD awareness-themed stickers, apparel, other accessories. All proceeds will go directly into funding Shawna's PTSD treatment.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
After completing the first year of the Web and Graphic Design program at the College of New Caledonia, we have banded together over the summer to develop our charity. We are eager to use our education and newly acquired skills for a cause we strongly believe in—to build a safe community that supports all victims of sexual assault and sufferers of PTSD. The support SSP has received has been overwhelming. Most importantly, Shawna has expressed that she has finally felt supported and her voice heard. Our volunteers have worked hard to design our stickers and prepare for the official online launch of SSP. We plan to continue this charity once our current fundraising goal is met, and all future proceeds will be donated to support other victims of sexual assault and those suffering from PTSD. Everyone deserves to live a life of quality that is free from pain and suffering, and we want to ensure that everyone has a chance to heal from their trauma. We wholeheartedly believe in the success and power of SSP and will continue to make our vision a reality.

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.facebook.com/Shawnas-Strength-Project-112377091087535/?ref=pages_you_manage

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/vF82UTjd2Ao

Take care

TEAM MEMBERS:
Amanda Tanner, Jessica Noakes, Gabby Holt, and Thamali Samarasinghe (note: this is our main team as we are not sure about the three others listed on our website)

SCHOOL(S):
Gabby- University of Guelph. Thamali - Simon Fraser University. Jess- Nipissing University. Amanda - Concordia University.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Teachers are burnt out. Students are ridden with anxiety. We need a solution, and we need it ASAP. The problems in the classroom are endless. Governments aren't listening to educators in a land where education should be a high priority.

The Teacher App serves to curate a hub for Canadian teachers where they can feel anchored in order to best support their students in their education. This will serve as a tool that offers teachers access to crucial resources, professional mental health services, and connection with other teachers and classrooms across Canada.

We're a tech startup working towards making a tool like this available as soon as the next school year starts. We need all the mentorship and support we can get! We're a team of passionate, hardworking individuals who are ready to sacrifice personal engagements and commitments in order to see this project through. We also have extensive experience in school environments both as students and teachers, a burning passion to make a difference, and connections and networks we're tapping into!

Our goal is to be installed on the phones of teachers and psychoeducators across Canada in a year. In 5 years we aim to be an organization that builds and sustains the health of educators and their students, which also seeks out further opportunities to grow and implement education and training across school systems everywhere.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
There is a lack of education on mental health, and a lack of support for educators especially, which is something we hope to change. The Teacher App prioritizes mental health education while also promoting resiliency in teachers and students across Canada in a time where it is needed now more than ever. We hope to create a multi-purpose platform that leaves teachers feeling healthy as ever. Currently there is no multi-purpose mental health education platform like this out there and we want to make sure teachers feel supported both in and out of the classrooms.

Our team is building a tool that connects teachers across Canada with professional support, counselling, etc... Meanwhile, also creating a hub for teachers to connect with each other and share classroom joys and wins. Connection is especially important during these times and we want teachers to be able to feel supported. This is done by a one-stop tool where they can access everything they need to cope with the realities of their students' lives and even their own personal lives.

Psychoeducation and the accessibility to it is our approach. Using incentive programs to encourage resilience, partnering with businesses, and connecting teachers across the country is something we hope would be a new approach to motivating educators to take better care of each other and themselves. This project has a national impact and a local influence, which is crucial to provide support in dynamic environments.



PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.theteacherapp.ca

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/theteacherapp/

Alberta Clean Water Association

TEAM MEMBERS:
Kessia Varkey, Sophia DeLuca, Emileigh Gray

SCHOOL(S):
Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Alberta Clean Water Association (ACWA) is a registered non-profit that provides schools throughout the province with free water quality test kits to monitor the health of their local waterbody. The experiential learning program we provide directly aligns with the Alberta eight and ninth-grade curriculum and allows schools to enhance the curriculums' education with hands-on experiences. By focusing on local water bodies, pollutants, and solutions, we create a personal connection that helps inspire a new generation of scientific leaders. We analyze all the collected data and inform schools and students of the local pollutants and realistic solutions that will help to restore the waterbody's natural equilibrium in the future. Additionally, we provide an online database with comprehensive water quality data sourced from our partner schools. This way Albertans can better understand the variation and specific local pollutants of different water bodies within the greater watershed. We hope to spread awareness about the issues affecting water quality at home and abroad and to equip and inspire a new generation of scientific leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to make a difference in their world.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
We understand there is no one fix solution to water pollution as each community is unique and thus must be knowledgeable of point source pollutants. We aim to protect the most vital environmental resources by inspiring students through experiential learning. Students who learn through experience are proven to master skills in a shorter period of time and create an emotional connection with the topic. By fostering this emotional passion towards water quality, students can develop a deeper interest in the topic and be motivated to protect it. The majority of Alberta's population and industries get their water from surface water sources. A clean and abundant supply of source water supports the health of humans, our economy, and the aquatic ecosystem. By creating a connection about the influence of peoples' practices on local water bodies, we can reduce the pollution of Alberta watersheds in the long term. We are a remarkable organization because we educate today's youth on the health of their local water body and inspire a new generation of scientists to improve our ecosystems in the future.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://albertacleanwaterasc.wixsite.com/nporg

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Instagram @albertacleanwaterassociation

Bélanger Design Co.

TEAM MEMBERS:
Santiago Bélanger

SCHOOL(S):
Earl of March Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I redesign and design cars. I like to think about how the manufacturer would do it, and use their design language. I have redesigned a few famous cars and some weird and unknown ones, too. I hope you consider me for this bursary.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes my project remarkable?

I love doing this and making a realistic version of a sketch with photoshop. As well, I would love to study industrial and automotive design when I arrive at university. I would use the $10k for my tuition

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.facebook.com/BelangerDesignCo

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/belangerdesignco/

Cottage Blueprint

TEAM MEMBERS:
Sharde Stemmler

SCHOOL(S):
Mohawk College

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Hello! This was my final project for my Graphic Design class.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Graphic Design class taught me to use AutoCAD for the first time in my life. I'm studying to become an Electrical Engineer, so it is very crucial I become familiar with using it. It was challenging to get used to at the beginning of the semester, but I learned to love using AutoCAD and pretty decent at using it now after hard work. ( obviously, I still have some more learning to do)



This Cottage blueprint took a lot of time and tears, but it is my best work, and I'm very proud of it!; thank you for letting me share it with you(s).

Traditional Indigenous Healing & The Land: Ebook

TEAM MEMBERS:
Sophia Shepherd

SCHOOL(S):
Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
My Ebook teaches others about the importance of the land to Indigenous peoples' way of life and how this connects to Indigenous beliefs about health and healing. Through a description of various Indigenous traditional medicines and healing customs, the hope is that non-Indigenous peoples can gain a greater understanding of and respect for Indigenous traditional healing practices and beliefs as well as a greater appreciation for the rich cultural knowledge that is the foundation of diverse Indigenous cultures.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
My Ebook supports people in gaining a deeper understanding and recognition of as well as respect for Indigenous land based traditional healing practices among the non-Indigenous population in Canada. My Ebook can be a powerful tool for reconciliation because it acknowledges the truth about the importance and value of traditional healing customs in order to support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action to ensure that Indigenous communities have access to culturally appropriate medical care that allows for the incorporation of traditional medicines. Greater recognition of and integration of Indigenous health practices within Canada's public health care system can help improve the overall health of Indigenous populations in Canada, and my book aims to help reduce discrimination against Indigenous peoples by teaching non-Indigenous peoples about the beliefs and values Indigenous peoples hold regarding wellness and healing. The hope is that non-Indigenous peoples who read this book will develop a better understanding of and respect for the holistic and land based approach Indigenous peoples take to health.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://read.bookcreator.com/B9DqQnnfy5SFiWU4eJdMoSJ5Zcr1/Y_1Idiv6QpiRCWWBa6-jzQ
https://globalnews.ca/news/7758510/high-school-project-indigenous-culture-alberta-school-division/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://globalnews.ca/video/7758986/high-school-student-project-on-indigenous-culture-endorsed-by-one-alberta-school-division

Helping Hands

TEAM MEMBERS:
Kasope Antonio

SCHOOL(S):
Holy Rosary High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Helping Hands - "Lending a Helping Hand to those who need it most."

Helping Hands is a non-profit campaign founded by Kashy Antonio. The mission of Helping Hands is to provide children in need in elementary schools and shelters with gloves to protect their hands during the winter months. The main goal of this campaign is to lend a helping hand to the most vulnerable people in society, while also quite literally helping hands. We believe no child should have to worry about how they’ll keep their hands warm or potentially lose a limb to frostbite and work to tackle this need in our community. It is Helping Hands priority to provide an adequate amount of gloves for the children who find solace in the local shelters and those families who can’t afford them for everyday life, in order to ensure no child would have to worry about going out with cold hands again.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
My Helping Hands initiative all got started this past summer during the COVID-19 quarantine period. During my prolonged time at home, I told myself I want to make a lasting impact on my community before I leave for university and this opportunity came quicker than I thought through simply stepping out of my comfort zone to sign up for EveryChildNow’s first Teen Summer Fellowship. Through this five week leadership camp, I was able to come up with my own non-profit campaign focused on how I can provide for children who are in need in my community and I decided to take on the prevalent need to protect their little hands against winter’s cold temperatures. I created marketing tools such as Helping Hands' social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook and enjoyed exploring my creative side through designing social media posts, posters and flyers to increase awareness around the community. The feedback of those in Lloydminster has been so amazing over the past several months. I was able to get my school involved, have new experience in being interviewed, along with planning and hosting a Fall Photoshoot Fundraiser. Gloves were delivered to the LCSD elementary schools in our community along with the local Interval store, for children who don’t have access to these basic winter necessities. I really enjoyed intertwining one of my favourite hobbies with helping children, while also providing families with affordable photos. I love photography and I plan to grow as much as I can in the art in order to continue planning photoshoot fundraisers and offer even better quality photos to those who give back to the community and help initiatives like mine. Raising $750 and collecting over 350 pairs of gloves, I learned that leading simply takes looking outside of myself, seeing a need, and working hard to tackle it. As a shy person from a young age, I would tend to be an observer rather than a partaker, but through launching my own non-profit I have learned that with a passion to help others it just takes some extra hard work and determination to accomplish the goal. Helping Hands focuses on encouraging others to use their talents for good and of course to lend a helping hand to those who need it most. I am currently hoping to extend Helping Hands when I relocate to Edmonton for University which is 2 hours away with a much larger population and therefore a greater demand, and I'm excited to launch even more fundraisers and raise awareness on the need of winter gloves for children there too.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://lloydconnect.net/2020/09/30/local-campaign-lending-a-helping-hand-to-border-city-children/
https://www.mylloydminsternow.com/42755/lloydminster-teenager-gathering-gloves-for-vulnerable-children/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.facebook.com/helpinghandslloydminster/
https://www.instagram.com/helpinghandsecn/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/mu7fsbWYgqQ
https://youtu.be/Otvpjo4dk-g
https://youtu.be/6yMXKHNH1iU

MonitorMyLockdown.com App:

TEAM MEMBERS:
Artash Nath

SCHOOL(S):
Bloor Collegiate Institute, Toronto

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Over 120 countries enforced some forms of lockdowns once the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on 11 March 2020. But lockdowns are effective in stopping human-to-human transmission of the virus when people stay at home.

My App uses seismic data to measure human movement in real-time in major cities across Canada and has expanded to Argentina, Poland and Spain.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Three things that make my project remarkable:

1. My project uses subsurface seismic data to measure surface level human movements.
2. Seismic data is free and open source data and is available in most countries
3. My App does not impinge on peoples' privacy and I have made the code open source- and it is expanding to other countries.

It means we will be better prepared to handle and monitor future pandemics.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.MonitorMyLockdown.com

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://twitter.com/wonrobot/status/1359200500613328898

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZN_1BvDcd0&t=55s

A Tin A Day (ATAD)

TEAM MEMBERS:
Christine Wincentaylo

SCHOOL(S):
MacEwan University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The main focus is collecting self-care tins or any type of sturdy container. Inside, the lids of the tins/containers there is a QR code that directs people, to ATAD website, it has Canada-wide helplines, barrier-focused resources, and demographic resources.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
I grew up in a poor working-class family. I needed products to help with my mental health, but I was never able to afford products. So I decided to create my own non-profit to help those who need products but struggle to afford those essentials. Self-care is part of mental health and the sooner we help with the lower-income and houseless populations sooner there will be less of a gap within societal classes.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://atinadayatad.wixsite.com/website

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://twitter.com/ATinADay1

The AWA Project

TEAM MEMBERS:
Andrea Caceres, Reece Young, Aryan Dhar, Grace Adams

SCHOOL(S):
University of Toronto

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
AWA provides water via fog-harvesting technology in Ihuanco, Peru. These “cloud catchers” generate water for domestic and agricultural use from ambient humidity.



At The AWA Project, we are committed to innovation which is sustainable over the long-term. We achieve this through meaningful relationships with our community stakeholders that are not limited to consultation, but true partnership. Innovation is about building new relationships that break down barriers as much as it is about new technology.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Our team is working towards creating solutions for issues such as water scarcity that can be scaled and applied to communities that face similar environments and insecurities. Many coastal regions and communities within Peru and other areas of Latin America have environments where fog-harvesting technology can be successfully implemented.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.theawaproject.org/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://instagram.com/theawaproject?igshid=1e7e5vj70lwax

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0jXY1qViUY

High-Performing Flexible Transparent Perovskite Solar Cells

TEAM MEMBERS:
Naila Moloo

SCHOOL(S):
Elmwood School,

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Making higher-performing synthesized transparent bendable Perovskite solar cells using graphene conducting electrodes, placed between fluorine-doped tin oxide Willow glass substrates, with an interior graphene quantum dot layer for enhanced efficiency and a Spiro-IA layer to prevent recombination, coated with moth-eye AR structures

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This has been affirmed by professionals in the solar energy field and although it has not been experimented with before, it could, if tested, have broad-reaching implications. Each layer is cost-effective and efficient, allowing possibilities spanning from solar windows on our houses and cars to bendable electronics to smart textiles!

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://nailamoloo.com/

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=486q-xfy8uc

Voice For The Voiceless

TEAM MEMBERS:
Emmanuel Adegboyega

SCHOOL(S):
Chaminade College School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Voice For The Voiceless Project was founded upon the vision of increasing human welfare and rebuilding safe and healthy communities for people around the world to thrive. This vision is fulfilled by specifically tackling the issue of discrimination and. social injustices in society. Within this big project are other smaller projects that aids the vision of The Voice For The Voiceless.

With the increasing levels of all sorts of discrimination from racism to workplace discrimination, human welfare is being reduced drastically so this projects aims to create solutions by advocating for positive changes and being the mouthpiece that helps communicate the social injustices people face from day to day. I have leveraged my media platforms, news coverages, TV/Podcasts/Radio appearances, and the relationships I have developed with people in power to help turn the vision upon which this project was founded upon into a reality; that is to promote human welfare and rebuild safe and healthy communities for people to succeed.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This project began very small within the walls of my school when I began to educate staff and students on why it is important to avoid discriminatory/unjust actions and practices because I had been a victim of it and I knew what I can do a community and an individual mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. So, this project was birthed from a place of experience and a passion to make sure people especially teens/youths do not face the societal struggles I had to face and overcome.

Though Initially, the vision of the impact I wanted to make through this project was localized, my plans quickly changed as this project of advocacy grew bigger than I could have ever imagined. Some will say my project is remarkable because it began as something small in my school community but today it has reached cities, provinces, and nations. Others will say my project is remarkable because it has brought me great opportunities that I would have never had if I had not started this project. But, I believe what makes this project of mine truly remarkable is the fact it is completely selfless and it seeks to build a society filled with love, tolerance, diversity, success, cooperation, peace, and prosperity.

I named this project The Voice For The Voiceless because with all the great work I have done and continue to do, that which is indeed remarkable and truly matters to me is that I can wake up every single day and know that I am doing something to selflessly serve and advocate for those in society whose voices and concerns are not being heard. This project is truly remarkable and exceptional because its cuts across all spheres of life, addresses current issues in society, and its impact is beneficial to both this generation and many to come.

The continuity and success of this project needs your voice and assistance too!!

PROJECT WEBSITE:
1. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/06/13/talking-about-racism-can-be-uncomfortable-t his-toronto-school-is-tackling-the-conversation-head-on.html
2. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/10/27/i-equate-nigeria-to-joy-now-im-he artbroken-toronto-grade-12-student-on-why-you-need-to-care-about-the-endsars-movement .html
3. https://globalnews.ca/tag/emmanuel-adegboyega/
4. https://news.rcdos.ca/2020/11/07/freedom-is-a-privilege-not-to-be-wasted-or-neglected-says canadian-teen-who-lived-in-nigeria/
5. https://twitter.com/torontostar/status/1300208904551489538
6. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/08/29/we-lost-our-own-superhero-how-chadwick-bos eman-the-first-lead-black-superhero-on-the-big-screen-made-families-feel-seen.html
7. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-82-here-and-now-toronto/clip/15805933-i-equate-niger ia-joy.-now-im-heartbroken
8. https://omny.fm/shows/bill-kelly-show/the-bill-kelly-show-podcast-systemic-racism-shooti
9.

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://twitter.com/adegb13?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Know Your Finance

TEAM MEMBERS:
Nadia Vorobieva

SCHOOL(S):
Waterloo Collegiate Institute

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Know Your Finance is an initiative that aims to educate high school students on personal finance and thus to promote financial literacy. This project consists of a comprehensive website that breaks down important personal finance topics in a way that is easy to understand, as well as a strong social media presence. The four main pillars that this project covers are budgeting, credit, making money, and financial goals. These concepts are the foundation for financial literacy, and just being educated on these topics alone will already make a significant difference in the rate of financial literacy. This resource enables students to better manage their money and to plan for a financially successful and independent future.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
When creativity meets opportunity, anything can happen. That is exactly what I told myself when I decided to launch a student initiative dedicated to educating high school students about personal finance, a cause that I strongly believe in. Whether you see a problem at your school, in your community, or your country, creativity and original thinking will be the backbone to you finding and implementing a solution. I could see the gap of knowledge among my peers and across the country, as students were entering adulthood with little to no knowledge on how to manage their personal finances. I knew that something had to be done, so I launched an initiative called “Know Your Finance” to bridge that gap of knowledge. I wanted to educate fellow high school students in an authentic and engaging way, so I started a social media account, to connect with my peers and to share personal finance content. I found a lot of fulfillment in designing original posts, about credit, budgeting, and investing, but I wanted to do more. Thus, I decided to code and design a website to serve as the ultimate personal finance guide for students, at “knowyourfinance.vision” and with a lot of hard work and dedication, I was able to realize my vision. This website covers the four main pillars of personal finance, budgeting, credit, making money, and financial goals, and breaks them down into understandable, simple concepts. It does not seem difficult to educate high school students about personal finance. Even outside of school; there are a plethora of comprehensive resources available to students. And yet, the financial literacy rate in high school students still so low. The problem is three-pronged: lack of authenticity, engagement, and availability. General resources that are already available are not always targeted for teenagers and the information is not always easily understandable, but beyond that, they do not prioritize student engagement and the education of financial literacy in youth. The answer to this problem is simple: A website, made by youth and specifically for youth, focused on spreading the message of financial literacy all across Canada, and consequently, building a community of finance-minded students. By breaking down the basics of financial literacy into simple, understandable and applicable concepts, students can learn how to manage their money and plan for a financially independent future. The four main personal finance topics that this website covers are budgeting, credit, making money, and financial goals. This solution is also ideal in response to the global pandemic, as students will be able to access and engage with this resource virtually, as virtual resources are becoming more relevant than ever before. My project has already accomplished everything it has set out to do, and yet, it's just getting started. So far, this initiative has reached over 200 Canadians across the country and has educated so many students on the importance of personal finance. Without an initial spark of creativity, this never would have happened. I had an opportunity, and I had an idea, and I had the dedication, and that was all I needed to make a change. This project has accomplished everything it has set out to do, and yet, “Know Your Finance” is only the beginning.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://knowyourfinance.vision/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/know.your.finance/?hl=en

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/eMpQ3SxSvKw

Project Chevette

TEAM MEMBERS:
Olivia Whissell & Ryerson Whissell

SCHOOL(S):
Strathcona Tweedsmir School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
At the start of December, my family purchased three Chevettes that we turned into race cars. We did all the work our selves and i was taught how to assemble the cars and make them safe to race.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
The work I did included adding the studs to the tires and redoing the brakes. I also helped make the roll caging which keeps us safe inside the car. I did many odd jobs and got to race the car by late January on a frozen lake near Edmonton Alberta

Power in Heels

TEAM MEMBERS:
Maysee McLean & Whitney Keunen

SCHOOL(S):
Ryerson University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
We've created a podcast to generate a strong network of inspiring women that explore what it takes to excel in any given field.

​Each week, we interview influential women to share and collect stories of success, failure, and perseverance in hopes of inspiring, motivating, and celebrating our listeners.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Women across the world are achieving incredible things, yet oftentimes their successes go unheard. At Power in Heels, we strive to use our platform to highlight these accomplishments!

Our mission is to create a powerful network that allows our listeners the opportunity to grow, learn, and inspire alongside us!

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://linktr.ee/powerinheels

Joe Local Business Connect

TEAM MEMBERS:
Karmin Dhindsa

SCHOOL(S):
University of British Columbia

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Joe Local Business Connect (@_joelocal) is a Non-Profit Digital Marketing Agency designed to service Canadian small businesses. The platform is an active and engaging space for free advertisement of small businesses and serves to nurture a community of entrepreneurs and consumers in a symbiotic relationship. Joe Local was founded out of a need to support local communities in the Lower Mainland during the pandemic as many small businesses were being disproportionally affected by financial hardships and diminishing consumer bases. Since then, Joe Local has contributed to reducing the expense of paid advertisement and built a stronger sense of community by showcasing bountiful small businesses from all across Canada.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Joe Local stirs a meaningful conversation between businesses across Canada through unique features in the Small Biz 4 Small Biz segments where small businesses are encouraged to share a video on their journey as business owners and to provide marketing tips and tricks that they have successfully implemented. The marketing agency aims to provide resources to help aspiring business owners get their foot through the door. As the founder and director of Joe Local, I am proud to say that the non-profit agency has established relationships with 3000+ small businesses, consumers and business strategists. The project is pivoting to a virtual small business fair where vendors can sell through our free services, and even more beneficial is that buying through Joe Local may provide discounts with some participating businesses. Joe Local is also a 2021 nominee for a BC Small Business impact award.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://shopjoelocal.square.site/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/_joelocal

Tutors for Tomorrow

TEAM MEMBERS:
Isabella Hooge, Riya Sharma, Ashika Kamboj, Simran Dosanjh

SCHOOL(S):
Mei Secondary

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Tutors for Tomorrow is a non-profit tutoring organization that strives towards bettering student's educational goals. We tutor from kindergarten to grade 12. Not all students are naturally gifted with every talent; therefore, we have created a safe space where students can feel comfortable learning, communicating, and succeeding. We like to think we are essentially helping and connecting with each student instead of teaching or tutoring them.

We also have many volunteer opportunities for students in High School who are interested in volunteering for us. We have implemented something called "study packages," which can also be purchased. These provide students with study material and helpful information for the specific course they would like. Our volunteers help create these packages, tutor for our organization and also have joined our TikTok team. Our TikTok team aspires to get students more excited about learning and volunteering.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
All of our proceeds from our organization go directly to a charity called One Girl Can. Tutors for Tomorrow started with a mission to make an ever-lasting impact on our global community. To achieve this vision, we are donating 100% of proceeds to One Girl Can, a non-profit organization that funds girls' education in Kenya. ​As a group of four girls, we feel very strongly about the issues relating to girls' education. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to attend school and have a proper education that we are dedicating our time and efforts to making this a reality for many other girls worldwide. We have done diligent research about this charity and cause, and we fully stand by it. Our tutoring organization is not only a place for students around the world to grow in their studies but a place where we can better the world around us by donating to a highly significant issue.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
Website: https://www.tutorsfortomorrow.net/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tfttutors Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutors.for.tomorrow/?hl=en

PROJECT VIDEO:
Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16x9Og18-cfEtPCQcqcMEyaImJA4vnBkk/view?pli=1

Crystaline Wire

TEAM MEMBERS:
Trinity Taylor, Alison Kramer ( My Mother ) and Aurora Taylor ( My Sister )

SCHOOL(S):
M.M.Robinson secondary school ( Me and my Sister ) and Trios College ( my Mother )

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
We make lovely spiritual adornments for your home. They are all made by hand, from the crystal tree to the decorated base. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, we are still in the process of making of our Etsy page and social media handles.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This small passion project is to help make it easier for my mom to pay for me and my sister's tuition. The techniques were taught to us by our mother and we intend to keep it going. It's not a regular thing you see everyday, it's very unique and very different that normal students and even normal people don't normally think about. This is also something that would help my mom have a happier retirement so starting this small business and getting it off the ground would make her so happy.

Vinyl Heart Co

TEAM MEMBERS:
Jordan Wills

SCHOOL(S):
Lambton Kent Composite School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I started the Vinyl Heart Co in January 2021 as we were in another Covid-19 lockdown. My goal starting this business was to try and make something that would spread some positivity and happiness at a time where I didn’t see much of it around me.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This project started off small when I decided I wanted to design and make my own stickers. This soon turned into people messaging me asking for custom stickers and I was so excited to make these people’s ideas come to life! As I started to make more stickers I also got into making custom keychains which have made great gifts to show those around you that you’re thinking about them even when you can’t see them face to face because of Covid restrictions. This has been a hard time for many of us and in a world where everything seems negative on the news, I like to think the small part I play helps spread some positivity and happiness and brings a smile to your face.

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/vinylheartco/

When Souls Intertwine

TEAM MEMBERS:
Sophia Hartzheim

SCHOOL(S):
Mount Royal University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
When Souls Intertwine is a poetry collection about mental health and community. I wrote it over the span of four years while I was struggling with my own mental health and feelings of loneliness. The idea behind this book was to show people that they are not alone, they are loved, and they are seen. I have received a few publishing offers, but have not been able to afford the fees. When I came across this contest, I had the idea to take this book and expand it into something new. When Souls Intertwine is not just a poetry book anymore. I want to expand it into a resource for people to learn more about mental health and illness, and how to help friends who are struggling..

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This project is not only a personal story to show people that they are not alone, but it is a resource for people to learn how to make their struggling friends feel truly loved and important. Depression was a pandemic long before the world heard of COVID-19. Our friends, our families, and our communities are hurting. People need to know that they are not alone and that they are undeniably and incredibly loved..

PROJECT SOCIAL:
instagram.com/soph.hartzie

Publishing My Dream

TEAM MEMBERS:
Alexia D'Silva

SCHOOL(S):
Saint Elizabeth Catholic High School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
After writing for four years, on February 2, 2021, I finally published my book, Weapons of an Empress, on Kindle. In this book, the story acts as a tool to motivate readers to have more confidence in themselves and to not give up on their goals, no matter how many times they failed in the past. Moreover, as there is a lack of Indian fantasy authors in North America, I hope to use my novel to promote equal representation, as each character is inspired by various ethnic groups around the world. Ultimately, my literary work is a tool to inspire readers to have the courage to pursue their dreams, without fearing the many obstacles of adversity in our society. With my career as an author, I also write articles on my website to offer advice to those who wish to pursue a similar path as mine.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
What makes my project remarkable is that despite being a teenager, I took the time to pursue my goals while others only dream of it. I also am an author from an under-represented and misrepresented culture, thus giving me the drive to create characters who are free of these stereotypes so readers can better relate to these cultures. Likewise, I am also helping fellow adolescents and other age groups to stand up against the negative aspects of life and to overcome the hurdles in their way, so they can become someone they are proud of. As society constantly bombards teenagers about how they should look, I work towards writing stories that help readers understand that beauty will fade away over time, but one's accomplishments will always shine bright for generations to come.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://alexia17d.wixsite.com/website

COVID- 19 and its effect on health and the healthcare industry.

TEAM MEMBERS:
Israa Hamud

SCHOOL(S):
Westview Centennial Secondary School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This project is about the effects that Covid-19 had on peoples health and the healthcare industry.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
My project is a well researched and provides the highlights of how Covid-19 took a toll on peoples life and the effects along with statistics on the healthcare industry itself.

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/105IgAk3WtNNCW7upyN8-eUwxlOdfGEEj/view?usp=sharing

Poly Plastics

TEAM MEMBERS:
Carter Barrett

SCHOOL(S):
University of Ottawa

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Plastic is everywhere. Every year, 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally, with only 9% of it ever being recycled. The other 91% piles up in our landfills and pollutes our oceans.

Poly is a social enterprise bringing plastic recycling to local communities, all while creating sustainable, community-led businesses, and enhancing environmental education. We manufacture and sell small-scale plastic recycling systems that allow anyone to turn plastic waste into new products.

Poly systems consists of a small-scale plastic shredder, which breaks down raw plastic into smaller pieces, and an injection-moulder, which melts these pieces down and shapes them into new products using interchangeable moulds. These moulds can be anything up to the size of a small toaster!

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Plastic recycling is flawed. In Canada and the United States, there are many communities that do not have plastic recycling infrastructure due to being too small or too remote to warrant it. As a result, plastic piles up in landfills, causing public health concerns and polluting the environment. And in cities and communities that DO have recycling infrastructure, a significant amount of plastic still ends up in our landfills.

This wasted plastic represents nearly $9Billion in material yearly - that's plastic that could be turned into something valuable. Poly addresses this gap by creating a community-led solution to plastic recycling, that allow anyone to turn their plastic waste into profit. We've started selling our systems, and have already brought recycling to two communities in Canada.

Poly is a fully student-run initiative, creating positive environmental impact across Canada, and educating the next generation of climate leaders through climate sustainability education.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
www.polyplastics.ca

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iio4t67EVjZQjh7uwi8L844cNLBYBgp9/view?usp=sharing

Mental Models of Successful People

TEAM MEMBERS:
Michael Ye

SCHOOL(S):
Blyth Academy Online

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
With the goal of inspiring & educating the next generation of entrepreneurs - 17-year-old host Michael talks with CEOs of billion-dollar companies like John Pollaers, world-class entrepreneurs like John Coogan, and creators breaking down the mental models they developed to succeed. These conversations are then turned into a potentially viral YouTube video (my videos have been viewed over 260,000+ times). Current guests include: John Pollaers - ex-CEO of multiple billion dollar companies such as Pacific Brands and Foster's Group, John Coogan - co-founder of Soylent, Ryan Junee - ex-Partner @ YCombinator & more!

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
As an entrepreneur who has built & studied educational startups - the overwhelming realization I had was we already have enough content on the internet to learn almost anything - the real missing piece is inspiration. In a world full of distractions, without consistent inspiration & role models to look up to, people default to becoming lazy and accepting the status quo. If more people were inspired to build & create, the world would be a much better place. I started Mental Models of Successful People because I believe it's the best way to inspire people --- by bringing on CEOs of billion dollar companies like John Pollaers & breaking down step by step how they succeed, people start to find their role models and believe that they can do it too. And with my expertise in creating viral content (my YouTube videos have been viewed over 246,000+ times), I hope leverage my reach & mentors to help inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. Even if just one person succeeds in changing the world out of the hundred thousand people that watches my videos - that's a significant impact on society.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
http://anchor.fm/mmosp, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOPpE6LKOqYuFAdlyypj5rw

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://linktr.ee/realmichaelye

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Ff8fzmCrw

Rural and Ready

TEAM MEMBERS:
Kayla Han, Heather Taylor, Ava Kucera

SCHOOL(S):
Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Ottawa

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Our mission at Rural and Ready is to help rural students find opportunities that help advance their skills to become career-ready leaders. With a lack of social support in rural areas, students often struggle to determine their career path and thus do not consider the steps to get there. We want to promote a growth mindset in rural students, which will encourage them to challenge themselves and fall in love with the process of how to shape their future. Therefore, our plan is to assist rural students in building habits that will change how they view their future. We have created a resource website, where third-party opportunities can be found on the website based on certain goals. Overall, we want to create a safe-space community online to hear from other rural students about their challenges and how to overcome them.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Often Canadians focus on rural economic/innovation development. However, there is a lack of acknowledgement for the youth who are the grassroots of innovation in a rural area. Youth in rural areas are significantly less motivated to be academically inclined than their counterparts in urban areas. Rural youth, however, are just as capable ti make an impact within their hometown. We are here to help that.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.ruralandready.com

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/ruralandready/?hl=en

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/D4aHaWK98f8

Erevna

TEAM MEMBERS:
Erevna Leadership

SCHOOL(S):
The Knowledge Society (TKS)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Erevna is a Harvard-based global nonprofit of 6000+ students across 20+ countries platforming social innovation through online conversations, research, and competitions. Erevna houses 9 unique initiatives, all focusing on connecting students together for research, collaboration, and impact.

Initiatives:

Coronavirus Visualization Team (CVT): The CVT is a project-driven initiative collaboratively developing data visualizations, statistical graphics, and insights on COVID-19. CVT addresses the infodemic surrounding COVID-19 misinformation by creating data visualizations to bring numbers to life and hosting events to teach and raise funds (i.e donating $350,000 of PPE). With over 800 active researchers and 20+ research projects, CVT’s potential is endless.

Policy for the People (PFTP): PFTP is an initiative working to involve more students in public policy, data-driven policy, and civic engagement. PFTP strives to develop students with deep policy writing and research expertise, giving them a taste of how actual policy proposals are drawn up. PFTP held the Pandemic Policython which saw 400 participants from 17 countries interacting with policy experts. PFTP also hosted the Education Policython and Students Improving Schools conference to reform school systems with student proposals.

Hack For The People (H4TP): H4TP is an intercollegiate hackathon designed to engage students in tackling some of the world's largest humanitarian problems. Our first event had over 700 participants and $20,000+ of prizes.

Intercollegiate Discord: The Intercollegiate Discord is an online community of college/university students sharing opportunities and building camaraderie with one another. The Intercollegiate Discord is a verified server found on Discord that provides a space for students to discuss, collaborate, and learn. Currently, there are 1200+ members.

Educational Nonprofit Coalition (ENC): The ENC is a coalition of student-run communities that prioritize making educational materials accessible for all students. The ENC brings together 15 community organizations and helps them pool their resources and network.

Panel To The People (P2TP): P2TP is a webinar series holding a space for important conversations worth having. P2TP hosts biweekly panel discussions with experts from varying fields. To date, it has expanded to 20+ top universities in the US, including Stanford and Yale.

Alphastart: Alphastart is a community of student entrepreneurs and startup founders collectively learning about the consumer products market. Alphastart connects founders, entrepreneurs, and technical experts across the startup ecosystem to create a community of prosperous organizations.

equiSearch: equiSearch focuses on providing students independent research opportunities. In collaboration with professors and mentors, equiSearch guides students through the research timeline and assists them in publishing scientific articles.

Links to each organization can be found on Erevna's website

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Erevna is a student-led organization composed of young adults who want to leverage their skill set to teach others, as well as make a positive difference in the world. Our goal is to create a valuable environment for students to explore new avenues and develop new skills. From data visualization (CVT) to policy writing (PFTP), at Erevna, there is truly a place for every single type of student. Erevna was founded during the peak of the pandemic - when there was little to no virtual interaction. We wanted to connect students and provide them with the resources and skills they need to thrive during a time of confusion by acting as a nexus between top students, professors, and industry experts. Erevna provides students with integral experiences to help shape their futures by opening the doors to many flavors of projects, each calling for its own innovative spark and working with other self-motivated individuals.

To date, we have incubated/reached:

75 Independent Research Projects (25/75 being paid) [equiSearch]

Created 200+ policy briefs [PFTP]

Donated 350,000 pieces of PPE [CVT]

Created 30+ visualizations [CVT]

Featured on New York Times, NJIT, Temple University, NBC

Erevna strives to engage and expand its active, global community of builders and innovators. We create a safe space to learn, get feedback, and grow exponentially. Through funding, we aim to support all our research projects by covering the costs of publishing fees ($750) and providing access to databases. Furthermore, we would like to set up a flexible curriculum and establish data science courses for students, requiring $2000 to host these interactive courses. In the last year, Erevna has hosted over 30 educational events for 1000 students and as such, we are seeking logistical funds ($2,250) to deliver more skill-building events to students.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
http://tiny.cc/eravnascholar & http://tiny.cc/erevnanotion

PROJECT SOCIAL:
http://tiny.cc/erevnaig

Save a Life Initiative

TEAM MEMBERS:
One Life BC

SCHOOL(S):
Douglas College, BC

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:


Using a video medium the discussion begins with a summary of the current state of affairs, including the statistics on overdose deaths in BC, and the increasing danger due the spread of fentanyl within other illicit drugs. Following this, we speak to some of the ways that people can help prevent overdose, including steps like making sure not to use alone (a challenge in the context of the current pandemic, but an important preventative step nevertheless) as well as other proactive measures. Viewers are encouraged to consider getting one of the free Naloxone kits provided at pharmacies by the government of BC, and are advised of the first aid considerations and concerns when dealing with a suspected overdose. Finally, the video concludes with a discussion of mental health, and of the potential for post-traumatic stress after an encounter with a potentially fatal event, and the resources available.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Although in Vancouver the overdose crisis is thought of as chiefly an issue in the Downtown East Side, the fact is that accidental overdoses aren’t limited to a single socioeconomic group, nor is any group immune to the risk. This video is intended to increase awareness of the risk factors for opioid overdose, the steps that can be taken to prevent it, and the first aid that will help if a loved one or stranger does overdose.

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19knWSotWlv_JHpkdeSAqVbmZFaLSroa0/view?usp=sharing

YegRecycled

TEAM MEMBERS:
Kelton Libich, Haley Spenst

SCHOOL(S):
Concordia University of Edmonton

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
YegRecycled is Edmonton's newest online thrift store. Our project is to increase the knowledge of thrifting and reusability of everyday items. We also aim to reduce fast fashion and grant people access to fun nostalgic items that become harder to find everyday.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
YegRecycled is remarkable because it is offering people items and clothing that they love and desire from the very comfort of their home. It allows these products to be reused and loved again instead of being thrown away. Not only do people love our products but they love saving the world by buying slightly used items instead of brand new items at full price.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://yegrecycled.company.site/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/yegrecycled/

Healing the 6ix

TEAM MEMBERS:

Manfred Amador

SCHOOL(S):
York university

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
My project would be a non-profit therapy-like session with individuals undergoing life stressors. This would aid the individual with the opportunity to express whatever underlying issues they may be experiencing. Then, with consent, the “story” of the individual will be posted on a YouTube platform to be shared among various other people who may overall benefit from the “session”. The YouTube video would be exclusively anonymous - with voice modifiers to protect the identity of the individual. And I would make profit from the videos posted online for the world to see.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
It helps me help someone, and that someone’s story helps someone else. It’s a beautiful chain reaction of support.

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/healingthe6ix/

The Second

TEAM MEMBERS:
Deniz

SCHOOL(S):
Toronto Film School

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
My project is called The Second. This will be an animated short film. I would like to tell people about a mental breakdown that I was inspired by my own life and experienced in the past years, and I want to tell people who have experience same things that they are not alone. Since I don't have enough equipment, my drawings are not progressing very fast at the moment, so I could not share many images. But this project kind of social service for me I don't expect to earn something from this project, I just want to inspire people and I want to tell them these days will be over because sometimes we cannot be a winner in life, and the person who will best understand us is the second person.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
This will be a real life story and maybe my story can give people a new perspective. Anyone watching this short animated movie can take strength from this

Digitally Decluttered - Online Service Based Business

TEAM MEMBERS:


SCHOOL(S):
York University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I help individuals and small business owners bring order to their digital space. Whether they have an overflowing inbox, can’t find that file they desperately need, or they need to manage their data better, I help them go from clutter-full headache to clutter-free digital world.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Digital clutter is a modern-day norm. But that doesn't mean it's a good thing. It can slow us down, decrease our efficiency, affect our mood… and oftentimes, knowing we need to address that clutter becomes a burden that starts to hang over us.

But for most people, decluttering their digital spaces isn't put off because they don't know how to get organized.

It's because they don't have the time… or the inclination… to do so.

Therefore I help them reclaim a calm, organized, burden-free digital world by going through the process of decluttering their digital space for them in a simple and confidential process done remotely.

​And I do it in a way that they can then easily maintain.

My goal is to help them regain their time, regain their space and most importantly regain their clarity to do the work that really matters to them without digital clutter and disorganization getting in the way.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
https://www.digitallydecluttered.com/

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/digitallydecluttered/

Enviroot

TEAM MEMBERS:
Padmapriya Srinivasan, Aakanksha Khandwaha, Esther Ataikiru, Oluwalopeye Olagoke

SCHOOL(S):
Mount Allison University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Enviroot is developing an environmentally friendly product that seeks to combine orange peel waste with an additional renewable resource to create a material that can be used to manufacture a wide range of products from durable particle boards to single-use consumer products.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
With our project idea, we estimate that initially a 100 tons of orange peel waste can be diverted every day to produce 50,000 standard sized Enviroot particle boards per month. This initial production would allow for over 24,000 tons of orange peels to be diverted from landfills each year. We are still in the process of costing out our Enviroot particle board, but believe it to have a competitive price. As a business, we aim to work with orange juice-makers to recover their orange peels and market our project to construction companies across Canada.

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ot2bURe4CA1jPBzXV8TiOEZAD9r0VhH8/view?usp=sharing

Textbook Osmosis

TEAM MEMBERS:
Lopsii Olagoke, Enoch Adekiitan, Nhien Nguyen, Weiting Li, Ngoc Thien

SCHOOL(S):
Mount Allison University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Textbook Osmosis, a project by Enactus Mount Allison was created with a multi-faceted approach to fulfilling two needs: the lack of access to educational resources and eliminating textbooks from going into the landfills.
(view video to know more)

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
We have impacted up to 700 students through our partner organization by providing them access to educational materials.

we supported 4 non-profit organizations, trained 11 students on financial education and indirectly impacted 300 at risk individuals.

we donated a total of $1000 to our partner organizations . Our donations assisted people with intellectual disabilities to be leaders in their communities, and tutor elders in New Brunswick to gain basic mathematics and literacy skills.

We donated 551 textbooks to Textbooks for Change, an organization that promoted financial literacy, and recycled 175 textbooks that were no longer in demand to Northumberland Waste Commission in Miramichi, NB.

PROJECT VIDEO:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=HQzHKQsE1VU

Bidgala

TEAM MEMBERS:
William Lande, Sam Tenenbaum.

SCHOOL(S):
Concordia University

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Bidgala is a global online art community and marketplace created by Concordia Students with goal of helping the emerging art community. When the founders, Sam and William saw that a lot was missing for art students to succeed as professionals, they decided to create a platform to bridge the gap between buyer and makers.

Bidgala is a new and exciting place to support local artists and democratize the industry. Our goal is to educate and encourage all practices, from all corners of the world, from anyone through an Editorial section.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROJECT REMARKABLE?:
Bidgala is groundbraking for the art industry because it's offering an innovative space where artists, buyers, designers and art lovers, can work together and share. Different from a gallery that charges a comission of 50% or an artist center, that is very selective, Bidgala guides all members of its community the same.

In our Editorial section we aim to educate and share knowledge from all levels, mediums and voices in the art industry through articles, interviews and blog posts. We are currently in need of an editor that will help the section stay sharp and relevant.

PROJECT WEBSITE:
bidgala.com

PROJECT SOCIAL:
https://www.instagram.com/bidgala/