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!

Are you ready to take the next step with your business plan? Need feedback from successful entrepreneurs and cash to get that idea moving towards commercial success? The Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship & Technology (CBET) at the University of Waterloo welcomes undergraduate students to participate in an entirely virtual business plan competition!

The RISE (Reaching Innovation, Sharing Entrepreneurship) is completely online, so students from all over the world can take part in the competition! It will be hosted through three rounds, each designed to help participants focus, provide them with feedback, polish their business plan and prepare them for the final round as well as future challenges. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three teams and the grand prize includes an automatic qualification for the Wes Nicol Competition, hosted by the Sprott School of Business, and a chance to win $10,000!

The deadline for round 1 of the competition  is Thursday, January 28th, at 12:00 am EST!

For more information about the competition, click here.

Christine Lu, Ontario Office President and Paul Maxwell, 2009 Impact Arts Entrepreneur of the Year will be live on daytime, Rogers TV most popular lifestyle program, in Waterloo on  Monday January 25th at 11a.m. on cable 20.

Christine and Paul will be discussing the recent success of the “2009 Impact National Conference” and Impact’s new project “I Am My Ambition” with hosts Susan Cook-Scheerer and Jay Chagnon.

Be sure to tune in!

daytime –  it’s your daily dose of what’s happening in and around Waterloo Region.

For more information, please visit: www.rogerstv.com