Held at Waterloo-Kitchener’s most fabulous venue, Communitech’s signature event took place in the early morning of Wednesday, July 14^th. Eight of us had the opportunity to be part of this high-profile conference, and were able to walk away with a set of fresh ideas.

Kicking off by keynote Clay Christensen, bestselling author of The Innovator’s Dilemma, the conference raised the energy of the attendance by Christensen’s unique theory about disruption.

The other two keynotes did not disappoint either. Bill Taylor, the co-founder of Fast Company, invited us to rethink about the differences between individuals. Noel Biderman, President of Avid Life Media, challenged our perspectives on social entertainment by confronting us with one of the most controversial websites.

Aside from the innovative speeches, we also took part in Communitech’s annual tech expo, and interacted with regional’s leading firms and high potential startups.

We felt applied to the HR team and Impact in general from matters such as being innovative and accepting ideas (from Noel’s speech) to understanding that we need to distinguish ourselves. – Macro Yim

I loved the conference for its great organization, high delegate moral and quality, and wonderful keynote. – Yue Liu

These take-aways, I’m sure, will spur us as we take on more future challenges to grow Impact bigger and better.

A huge thank you to Communitech for inviting us to this amazing conference and great job on all of our Impact ambassadors: Oleg Kostour, Nikhita Singh, Yong Gi Lim, Eric Ho, Susan Wang, Yue Liu, Marco Yim, and Scott Toldsdorf. Loved all your enthusiasm and professionalism!

Image courtesy of Communitech at http://www.communitech.ca/en/special_events/index.shtml

Impact Microcredit Chair, Mitchell Schinbein, will be participating in the MasterMind event at this weekend’s YSEC Re:Vision 2010 Conference on Sunday afternoon. Impact Microcredit 2010 has been one of 4 delegate initiatives at the conference that have been selected to be analyzed in this challenge .

Here’s How It Works

Impact Microcredit 2010, along with the  three other “cases” will each provide a two-minute pitch in front of an audience that describes the project and the challenge. After hearing all of the pitches, the audience is going to decide which of the four cases they want to help over the next hour or so. Followed by this will be a breakout session, where four separate discussions will take place, each based on a specific case. In these breakout sessions, the audience will get a chance to learn more about Microcredit 2010 and discuss ways to address the various challenges and oppurtuinities presented in this initiative.

Impact would like to wish Mitchell the best of luck in this event and thank the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada in selecting Microcredit to be part of this worthy event!

To learn more about Impact Microcredit, please click here.

To learn more about YSEC and the re:Vision conference, please click here.

In March 2010,  the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada is bringing together the top 100 young changemakers in Ontario to re:Vision change. If you:

1. Are 17-34 years old
2. Have previously demonstrated leadership
3. Are committed to making a living while making change

Then YESC is looking for you! At re:Vision 2010, you will:

• Learn to align mission & sustainability
• Target root causes and systemic solutions
• Participate in a community of thought leaders & practitioners

Over two days, you’ll connect with leading experts in social enterprise and learn how to supercharge your initiative, harness innovation for your work, and make your projects sustainable.

Where: Metro Hall (55 John Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3C6)

When: March 27th & 28th, 2010

Tickets: Registration for re:Vision 2010 is $150, including a $25 refundable deposit

Registration: To register, please visit http://revision.ysec.org/register/

For more information, contact 416.993.6655 or email revision2010@ysec.org.