Ventures Showcase 2023

Brought to you in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Arts!

Date: April 5, 2023 from 1:00PM-4:00PM
Address: University of Ottawa, University Centre (UCU) Promenade
Contact: Fahd Alhattab at [email protected]

The Ventures Initiative Showcase is a social innovation fair that puts on display the work of
students engaged in a redesigned course that integrates social innovation through project-based
learning.

Through the pairing of courses with community partners that have real-world challenges to
overcome, our students have actively engaged in problem-solving of a social issue.
Students will first showcase their innovative social solutions to their professor and be judged
against their classmates. The top two groups from each participating class will be invited to
present their solution virtually in front of a panel of judges at the live Ventures Showcase.
The live Ventures Showcase will be a festive celebration and competition amongst the students.
Students will be judged on the creativity of their solution, the quality of their pitches, and their
overall work by our judges, who will be social innovators themselves.
This is a combined initiaitve between the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Social Sciences.

VENTURES SHOWCASE FORMAT
This year’s Ventures Initiative Showcase features the top three student groups across 13 classes.
We have divided the classes into 2 themed floors for consistency and ease of judging. Each of the
student groups will have 3 minutes to present their pitch in concession, followed by a short
questions and answers period, and the judging deliberation. The results of the judging will be
relayed to the students at the end of their session with the winners from all the other floors. There
will be 2 winners from each floor.

First Group : EDID and GBA+-based Projects
CMN3104: Women and Media x Lebanese Film Festival
DVM1300: Social Impact in Global Perspective x Days for Girls Canada
DVM2106: Introduction to International Development Practices: Challenges and Innovations x
WUSC
CMN3109A&B: Advanced Theories of Communication x YOW
CMN3109: Advanced Theories of Communication x Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre

Welcome to the Ventures Initiative Showcase! Group One features classes who are teamed up
with community partners, to impact EDID and GBA+ issues. First up, we have Women in Media
teamed up with the Lebanese Film Festival, where students are working to increase BIPOC
representation. We also have Social Impact in Global Perspective working with Days for Girls
Canada, where students are working on educating Canadians around period poverty in the
country. Introduction to International Development Practices: Challenges and Innovations is
working with WUSC to make the socio-cultural transitions to Ottawa more seamless for refugees.
Advanced Theories of Communication classes are working with YOW, to help our youth secure
employment. Finally, we have another Advanced Theories of Communication class working with
the Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre, to increase their visibility and promote their
services to the greater Ottawa community. Come join us for a showcase of social innovation and
diversity with Group One!

Second Group : Spotlight on uOttawa
DVM 1700 (FR): Social Impact in a Global Perspective x WUSC Local Committee
AHL3300: Creativity and Innovation x Student Affairs Office
ENV2301: History of Environmental Thought x Office of Campus Sustainability
CMN3174: Advertising Techniques x City Studio
PSY3303: Personality x Career Corner
ANT1501 (FR): Social and Cultural Anthropology x Indigenizing uOttawa
CMN2181: Intercultural Communication

Welcome to the Ventures Initiative Showcase! Group Two features classes who are teamed up
with community partners, to bring socially innovative solutions to our own campus. First up, we
have Social Impact from a Global Perspective working with the WUSC Local Committee at
uOttawa. This class is working to help refugees access post-secondary education, at the
University of Ottawa. We also have Creativity and Innovation working with the student affairs
office, to deliver on gamifying language acquisition. Our History of Environmental Thought class is
working with the Office of Campus Sustainability to create knowledge mobility projects, from
theses in environmental studies. Advertising Techniques is working with City Studio, to create
educational videos on the topic of safety, health, and wellbeing. We also have a course on the
psychology behind Personality, that is working with the Career Corner to explore student
personality testing for potential career placement. Students in Social and Cultural Anthropology
are working with a team on campus to indigenize/decolonize the university curriculum. Finally, we
have students from Intercultural Communication working towards fostering diversity on campus.
Come join us for a showcase of uOttawa-based social innovation solutions with Group Two!

Agenda:
1:00PM - 1:15PM: Introduction
1:15PM - 3:00PM: Presentations
3:00PM - 3:30PM: Judges Deliberate
3:30PM - 3:45PM: Announce Winners and Closing Ceremony
Prize: Judges will award the first and second place winners of each group:
1st place prize: $1500
2nd place prize: $1000
Pitches: All teams will have 3 minutes to present their idea to a group of judges, who will also ask
follow up questions.

Attend the Ventures Initiative Showcase!

Students- Register here to participate in the Ventures Initiative
Showcase!