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The brand-new Experience Ventures program has come to a close with 270 students and five FAS departments taking part. Due to the success of the program, it’s been renewed for two more years.

Experience Ventures creates paid entrepreneurial-focused placements with innovative companies in Canada. The program aims to inspire creativity, resiliency, and vision to shape the future with the right skill set. The goal is to empower students to develop and apply entrepreneurial skills no matter their career path.

“The program allows students to apply in-class learning to the challenges and opportunities facing startups and social ventures,” says William Nelson, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning). “Along with receiving compensation for their work, participants take away work-ready skills and experience.”

The response from students has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I got the incredible opportunity to strengthen unique skills while working alongside peers from a multitude of programs and disciplines,” says Marlow Benson, a fourth year biology student. “I was able to gain a multidisciplinary perspective on treating Lyme Disease while learning from professors, healthcare workers, scientists, and people who have firsthand experience with the disease. Regardless of the program you are in, Experience Ventures offers a chance to network and connect with remarkable people while learning about topics that really matter.”

The Experience Ventures that ran this year were:

Edge of Lyme Case Challenge (Professor Robert Colautti, Biology) - The week-long event raised awareness for the consequences of tick-borne diseases (e.g., Lyme Disease) and facilitated an interdisciplinary approach to disease prevention, treatment, and management. Sixty-nine students received $525 for their placement.

Film 111: Imagining a Digital Future for the Art Museum (Gabriel Menotti, Film and Media) – This venture helped reimagine the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Students joined the Agnes’s Youth Advisory Council and received hands-on real-world experience. Five students received $700 each for the placement.

Social Innovation Hack-a-Thon (Jean-Baptiste Litrico, Smith Centre for Social Impact) – The Social Innovation Hackathon was an engaging immersion into the world of social innovation and its implications for using business as a catalyst for social change. The student teams reviewed a challenge provided by a sponsor company and had one week to brainstorm potential solutions. The teams then provided a pitch deck presentation. Seventy-seven students received $325 for the placement.

(Un)Hacking Downstream Consequences (Alex Pedersen, McDonald Institute) – (Un)Hacking Downstream Consequences was a deconstruction of the typical hackathon. The non-competitive event focused on championing collaboration and good-will amongst participants. The goal of the experience was to develop and apply entrepreneurial thinking and skillsets for resiliency, opportunity recognition, action orientation, risk management, systems thinking, and trans-disciplinary thinking. Twenty-nine students participated, each receiving $325 for their participation.