Students rise to the climate challenges
With an uncertain future, beset by climate change, they certainly have skin in the game.
Students from Okanagan College’s sustainable management class have partnered with youth leaders in the Central Okanagan school district to help them pitch projects during the Sustainable Development Challenge, the college announced in a media release.
Part of the college’s Bachelor of Business program, the sustainable management students have mentored teams from four Kelowna high schools in the run up to the challenge, scheduled for Thursday at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in downtown Kelowna.
“Having our students connect with the younger generation of high school students creates such a great energy and discussion about sustainable practices and some of the big issues the world is dealing with,” said OC professor Danielle Robinson who split her third-year sustainable management class into groups to work with each of the teams involved in the challenge.
The teams have met three times in the run up to the competition, which is itself a partnership between Global Citizens Events and the Global Empowerment Coalition of the Central Okanagan. The challenge has been mounted each year
since 2003, promoting the United Nation’s 17 sustainable development goals.
“Being able to work with high school students has been amazing,” said third year student MacKenna Lenarcic, who is herself a veteran of team competitions as president of Enactus Okanagan. “We have been very impressed with the groups and the ideas they have. It’s been exciting to share information with the next wave of student leaders.”
The challenge culminates in the live event on Thursday where the student
groups will pitch their ideas to judges and a public audience, the release said. The top teams will receive funding and further support to bring their ideas to fruition.
“It’s been really great for the high school teams to get mentors who are a little closer in age to them,” said challenge organizer Antonia DeBoer. “They were so excited to be on the Okanagan College campus and I think it was nice for them to be able to visualize one day being in a post-secondary setting.”