What is it like to be able to share your thoughts and ideas with thousands of people via a video show? Fantastic, as in the opinion of the three of us Impact members who had the opportunity to join Mark Franklin, the host of Career Buzz on CIUT 89.5 FM last week on Friday, October 30th, 2009. During the one-hour show targeted at university students, graduates, and well as other people interested in seeking career opportunities, we were engaged in a fun and informative talk mainly about youth entrepreneurship and how our experience on the Impact Entrepreneurship Group has influenced where we are today in our academic life and our career paths.

The show featured Christine Lu, the director of Impact’s communications team, Aditya Shah, an Impact alumni who has successfully started his entrepreneurial venture, and Yue Liu, a past Impact Microcredit Competition participant and a current Impact member, as well as Herky Cutler, the youth career correspondence of CareerCycles based in Alberta. The conversation flowed from general career and academic choices and paths chosen by the Impact members to how Impact has had a positive impact on the not only the lives of Impacters, but also thousands of youth across Canada. The entrepreneurial spirit promoted by Impact is fully demonstrated by the three interviewees as they carry out different innovative ventures in their extracurricular activities and career adventures. As university students and graduates, we have truly received a lot from Impact, among which the most important would be the vision and confidence to look at the alternative path of entrepreneurship as supposed to finding a corporate job, and to have the ability to carry out your passion and to realize your dream. Relating to the current economic downturn, we reached the conclusion that now would be the best time for young people to take a serious look at all their career alternatives, including starting a business in an area of their expertise and passion. While starting a business might not be your interest, a passion for entrepreneurial pursuits and innovations would still be necessary for today’s youth to stand out of the crowd and to really utilize their resources in accomplishing something valuable both to them and to the society.

And that is where Impact comes into play – to promote entrepreneurial spirit and leadership among Canadian youth, by hosting events and competitions, providing services, and spreading the news such as by having an enjoyable chat on the radio show. Please join us in appreciating youth entrepreneurship on Career Buzz, and see how entrepreneurship plays an important role in your career path! Photos to come soon!