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

If you’re ambitious, daring, and always land on your feet – you could be a ninja. Maybe it’s time for you to work for a start-up!

Have you ever thought about working at, or starting your own new company? Come out to Start-OP, and find out what it takes!

The event aims to bring together start-ups, venture capitalists and research institutions from the Kitchener-Waterloo region to chat with University of Waterloo students and demystify the exciting and adventurous world of entrepreneurship. Students will get  to connect with some of the most successful Canadian-born companies and some newer up-and-coming companies. This program will emphasize entrepreneurship as a co-op option for students and give a chance to start-up companies in Waterloo to market their profile and name. Don’t forget your business cards!

• When: Wednesday March 24th, 2010 at 5:30pm to 7:30pm
• Where: Tatham Centre, University of Waterloo (200 University Ave. W.)
• Remember: The event is free and refreshments will be served!
  Companies and Keynote will be announced in the coming days so stay tuned!

Everyone is encouraged to come to this exciting event, so please register at: startop.impact.org!

As is becoming increasingly apparent at a local and global scale, society is facing a number of ‘big problems’. Problems bigger than choosing Starbucks or Second Cup for your morning coffee and even bigger than meeting next quarter quotas.

In the Waterloo Region, there are numerous organizations and new ideas being dedicated to solving the bigger problems of our local and global community by using innovative approaches. At 5:30pm on March 4th at the Kitchener Children’s Museum, these change-makers will come together to share their social innovations and seek support from this community as they continue to work towards finding new ways to solve old problems.

The event is called SEE: Social Entrepreneurship Exchange. It is a unique networking event bringing social entrepreneurship to the forefront, showcasing the innovative organizations and individuals who are using the principles of entrepreneurship to support a social or environmental injustice. This event is not only designed to help us learn about the social innovations through informal discussions and a pitch competition ($300 for winners!), but also features a poker-chip style exchange, where all participants become philanthropic investors in social change by receiving two $10 poker chips and one two-hour volunteer chip on arrival (from your $30 event fee). By the end of the night, as you learn about Social Innovation, if you hear something you like, support them with your chips. After the event the new ideas, or innovative organizations can turn those chips into real dollars (and contact information from donated time chips!) to help grow and develop their innovations.

This event is hosted by Students Offering Support (www.studentsofferingsupport.ca), a local turned national student-led social venture headquartered here in Waterloo. The event is sponsored by Capacity Waterloo Region and Laurier’s Centre for Sustainable Organizations. SEE’s community partners include: Manulife Financial, Leadership Waterloo Region, Communitech, DreamNow, Lime Events, and the Kitchener Children’s Museum.

When: Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Start Time: 5:30PM
Location: Kitchener Children’s Museum, 10 King Street West, Kitchener, ON
Tickets: $30 - Register now

To learn more about the event (check out our event video), and to register / participate – go to www.SEEinnovation.ca.

If you have any questions, e-mail seeinnovation@studentsofferingsupport.ca.  You canalso follow them on Twitter (@SOSnational) or Facebook (Students Offering Support).

The Impact social that Impact Connect held on February 2nd at the University of Waterloo was a huge success, leaving Waterloo students and Impact members alike to be motivated and excited!

The session was very successful, with over 50 Waterloo students in attendance. A number of  Impact members were also there to share their experiences of being part of Impact, as well as to outline Impact’s plans for the upcoming year.

At the end of the session, many students stuck around to network and mingle with the Impact members, and many expressed interest in becoming involved with Impact’s programs in 2010!

If you were unable to attend Tuesday’s Impact social but are still interested in becoming a part of Impact team, please feel free to contact laura.chelaru (at) impact.org.

To see more photos from the Impact Social, click here.

Ever wanted to know more about Impact? Ever wanted to show your potential and connect with other inspiring leaders? Then the upcoming Impact social is the place for you to shine.

This Tuesday, February 2nd, Impact Connect will be hosting a social for UW students who are interested in learning more about the organization and our plans for 2010. It will be taking place from 5-6 pm, in the SLC room 2105B. RSVP by filling out this form [http://tinyurl.com/impact-social] or via Facebook [http://tinyurl.com/impact-socialFB] so you won’t miss out on this chance of getting the inside scoop of Impact.

We hope to see YOU there!