Youth Engagement
The Youth Engagement portfolio hosts workshops for high school and elementary school students interested in STEM and EWB’s mission. Workshops are held online or in person, in compliance with public health regulations. Previous workshops include Water for the World (in person), Intro to AutoCAD (online), and Sustainability Initiatives (online). Stay tuned for upcoming workshop content and be sure to follow us on Instagram @ewbyouthengagementuw2021
Podcasts
In a fast-paced academic environment like the University of Waterloo, it is often taxing to commit more brainpower to Member Learning after a long day of classes. Designed to innovate the way Member Learning is facilitated, the “Ideas Without Borders UW” podcast was created to make member learning more accessible. Ideas Without Borders UW takes Member Learning to a non-physical medium and seeks to reach audiences beyond our chapter. Featuring our very own members and guest speakers, podcast episodes explore a variety of areas ranging from life lessons to research-based insights on world issues. Through Ideas Without Borders, EWB hopes to foster both intellectual and emotional understandings among listeners to provide a meaningful learning experience. Check out our published episodes on our SoundCloud.
To have a more comprehensive understanding of our podcast, check out our website.
Design
The Design portfolio at the University of Waterloo’s Engineer Without Border Chapter focuses on multiple initiatives each term, with some spanning over a period of multiple terms. Our main objective is to provide Waterloo’s students with unique opportunities to leverage their engineering and development skills in order to contribute to a positive social cause. This is achieved through multiple different projects and activities that raise awareness of EWB’s values and pillars. We are always looking for new members to join our Design portfolio and collaborate on all of our initiatives! Throughout the past term, the Design portfolio had the chance to work with EWB Talent Exchange Program. Specifically, we have partnered with Wazi, a start-up based in Nairobi, Kenya. Wazi is a mental health technology platform that provides digital tools for counselors, counseling groups, NGOs and governments.
We had the amazing opportunity to recruit a team of talented students to develop a new mobile application for Wazi, and we will be continuing the collaboration!
Advocacy
The Advocacy Portfolio works closely with EWB’s National Office to conduct campaigns that focus on raising the Federal Government’s Official development assistance (ODA) spending. Canada committed to raising ODA spending to 0.7 of gross national income but currently only spends 0.3%.
In the past Advocacy has worked to advocate for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on a international and national scale and will continue to push for political literacy and engagement amongst Canadian youth.
Education
The education portfolio at the University of Waterloo’s Engineer Without
Border Chapter focuses on various projects throughout each term
oftentimes carrying over multiple terms. Our objective is to help
educate various groups of people through projects like course
partnerships and events to promote and raise awareness within the
scope of EWB’s values and pillars. Always looking for new members
to join the education portfolio and collaborate on all of our current
projects!
Current Projects:
- Course Partnerships
- Remote Desktop Project
- Alt Protein Project
Fundraising
In previous terms, the fund mining supported investments towards African social ventures that partner up with EWB. In recent terms, some of the initiatives support local community organizations. The portfolio also collaborates with other portfolios in the chapter to plan outreach or advocacy activities that reach a wider community outside of University of Waterloo.
