If you are interested in the environment, sustainability or addressing social problems, then the work of student organisation, Enactus may be worth looking at.
Enactus is a worldwide organisation which uses entrepreneurial knowledge to help empower people to change their livelihoods in a sustainable way. It’s an international non-profit organisation, with over 70,000 students in 36 countries, working on nearly 5000 projects. It is aimed at university students by business leaders, in order to make a difference in the community while helping them develop skills to become socially responsible business leaders.
Enactus Kent is a student led organisation, where students are encouraged to create and run their own volunteer projects.
Enactus Kent aims to create projects that empower communities and improve livelihoods of people in need, such as Dave. Like over a thousand residents of Canterbury today, Dave was also homeless. Dave’s living situation had seriously damaged his job prospects. Although this was a problem, we found that it could also be part of a solution.
Enactus Kent partnered with an NGO called Porchlight which provided Dave with a place to stay. Then, looking at tourism, one of Canterbury’s most successful industries, the Enactus Kent team trained Dave and others like him to be tour guides and launched a tour company called MyStreets.
Both Enactus Kent and Porchlight thought Dave’s story and his experience of the streets of Canterbury could set him apart from every other tour company in the city. And it did. Dave led tours and was then able to get work experience at the Canterbury Council.
Like MyStreets, all Enactus Kent volunteering projects are run like businesses. Enactus is built on the principle of sustainable change, reducing dependence on donations of money and time. That’s why involvement with Enactus offers a large number of opportunities: they are not asking you to donate your time to Enactus, but instead, to invest your time in it. Enactus Kent Vice-President and current MA student, Jack Warner comments:
“As an Enactus volunteer, you can gain a host of skills that add value to your CV. You will build your professional network by meeting entrepreneurs and business owners and have access to exclusive training and networking events. We also attend career fairs with Enactus sponsors such as KPMG, EY, Unilever. All of this and you get to effect real change and address social problems.”
Get involved today! Join Enactus Kent by visiting www.enactuskent.org or find them on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enactuskent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enactus_kent/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/enactuskent