W4SI 2023 RECAP!
Take a walk down memory lane to the Weekend For Social Impact (W4SI) by the 2022/2023 QSIA Executive Team!
By: Julia Hyett and Amy Simcoe - First-Year Representatives
On November 19th and November 20th, the Queen’s Social Impact Association put on our first-ever Weekend for Social Impact. A combination of our two biggest annual events, D4SI - Day for Social Impact, and C4C - Consulting for a Cause. The weekend was a great success, bringing together students of all years from varying programs with the shared interest of learning more about the social impact industry.
The weekend started off with the Day for Social Impact, allowing students to learn about the social impact from professionals at the forefront of the industry. Following an exciting Let's Get Social! (Impact) Activity, the weekend began with a fascinating Keynote from Jessica Myers and Rebecca Shrimpton from the SickKids Foundation marketing team. Jessica is a Marketing Manager on the Brand Strategy and Communications team and Rebecca is a Manager of Monthly Donor Acquisition on the Direct and Digital Marketing team. Together, they took delegates through their journey towards working in the Social Impact industry, and the impactful work they do every day at SickKids. Next, delegates had a networking lunch followed by a panel with the Kingston Propel Impact Fund (KPIF). KPIF representatives Ethan, Helen, Jessica and Ashton to discuss the impactful work of their student-led organization and the impact investing industry overall. Each KPIF fellow provided unique insights into their experience working hands-on in social impact in the Kingston community. The panel was followed by the first-ever Social Impact Fair, where we first heard from Queen’s student … who founded Bags for Promise, a certified charity organization committed to bringing communities together and educating the public about the various issues faced by homeless youth. Delegates then had the opportunity to explore various socially impactful clubs at Queen’s from all faculties. Finally, Delegates had the opportunity to hear from Queen’s graduates Jessica Diab and David Taylor from Brookfield Asset Management in a fireside chat. Jessica Diab is a Vice President in Brookfield’s Renewable Power Group focused on “impact” investments, transaction execution, and related legal matters and David Taylor is a Senior Associate in Brookfield’s Renewable Power Group responsible for leading and executing transactions in the renewable power and impact space. Jessica and David shared their experiences entering the social impact industry and insights into the work of Brookefield and its renewable power group. This was followed by a networking dinner sponsored by Miss Bao to conclude the Day for Social Impact. The first day of the conference was a great success, leaving delegates informed, impacted and inspired to pursue a career in social impact!
The second day of the conference was also a hit! Delegates joined the executive team bright and early at 10 am for a continental breakfast, and to hear Abbey, the day 2 director, kickoff the event. The second day of W4SI was focused on a case competition, called Consulting for a Cause, wherein delegates would be presented with a case for a corporation dedicated to social impact. This year, the event’s sponsors Ernst & Young and Fusion Consulting were the focus of the cases.
Once the delegates were divided into their case teams, they presented their cases from representatives from each of the sponsors. Then, it was go-time. Delegates had three hours to prepare their presentations while enjoying lunch from Meet Cuisine. After the time was up, each team presented their case to the judges, which included the sponsor representatives and fellow Queen’s Commerce students Bill Le and Julius Adu. Each group presented their case with clarity, precision and passion, but there could only be one winner per case. Congratulations to groups 4 and 5 for being the 2022 C4C winners!
After winners were announced, co-chairs Megan and Kirsten kicked off closing ceremonies, which included awards for most valuable delegates and those who completed the bingo card, as well as many thanks to the event’s sponsors and delegates. In all, W4SI was a phenomenal weekend filled with inspiring keynotes, educational opportunities and outstanding presentations. From all of us at QSIA, this event was a blast to plan and execute, and we are so excited to do it again next year!