Youth group wins second $20K design challenge
Beecuz, a Kitchener-based non-profit organization founded by Lena Schreyer, is the main recipient of the $20,000 Recovery & Rebuilding the Region Design Challenge Two.
Established in 2019, Beecuz offers innovative, skill-based workshops and educational curricula to support youth with the tools they need to address their mental health.
“This is an important and exciting milestone for our organization,” Schreyer said.
“Now that we’ve won this design challenge, we can grow our classroom model to an online platform, increasing accessibility of our services beyond Kitchener-waterloo and London with the potential to bring mental health programming to all schools across the province.”
In addition to the $20,000, the successful applicant will receive a personalized suite of business advisory, financial coaching and community impact services presented by Libro Credit Union, Pillar Nonprofit Network and Techalliance. Both design challenges were co-presented by Communitech in the Waterloo Region and Wetech Alliance in Windsor-essex.
Studies are indicating youth and children are disproportionately affected by mental health challenges due to COVID -19. New data shared by the Canadian Mental Health Association predicts a serious mental health crisis following the impacts of COVID-19.
“It is impressive that in a short time Beecuz has already reached over 1,500 students in the London area and Waterloo region,” said Lori Atkinson, Libro’s Essex-based regional manager of advice and service delivery.
“With the coaching supports from all of the partners involved, Lena and her team will be able to expand to reach far more youth in other areas of southwestern Ontario and beyond.
“We’d also like to thank the private donor for supporting this initiative. The additional funding provided allowed us to recognize The Working Centre’s project, which aims to create employment and improve food accessibility.”
The buzz of the design challenge prompted interest from a private donor, who contributed $5,000. This was awarded to The Working Centre in downtown Kitchener, which has been responding to poverty in downtown Kitchener since 1982.
Schreyer, who has a background in neuroscience, positive psychology and mental health advocacy, hopes to use the coaching supports from the design challenge partners to ensure Beecuz continues to be inclusive, diverse and accessible for everyone.
The design challenge funds will be used to support Project 4000, a collaboration between engineers, horticulturalists and community leaders to apply tech innovations in agriculture to grow 4,000 servings of produce in two shipping containers, create new jobs in the region and create profit to support community rebuilding efforts.