When 12 School of Business and Entrepreneurship students agreed to help start a new club at Saskatchewan Polytechnic last year, they didn’t realize just how transformative an experience it would be. Along with faculty, the students launched a chapter of Enactus, a global network of students, academics and business leaders with the mandate to use entrepreneurial action to create positive social and environmental action.
Instructors Sundeep Sandhu and Joshua Glew had a vision for Enactus at Sask Polytech, believing the hands-on opportunities it would afford would positively impact student learning. “Explaining Enactus, its scope and potential, took some time,” says Sandhu. “Ultimately the students just had to dive in to see what it was all about.”
Typically, Enactus chapters take on innovative projects that provide a platform for students to connect with peers and mentors while developing solutions to challenges. “The challenges Enactus tackles can be small-scale and local or larger global problems,” says Glew.
Post-secondary institutions need instructor support to help students formally organize a chapter. Sandhu and Glew began recruiting students in summer 2024, soon filling the first executive. “We helped bring the students together and supported their brainstorming for a project,” says Sandhu. “Faculty guide and support Enactus but it’s important for students to drive activities.”
The group conducted initial research and decided to focus on a common challenge faced by students, especially international students. “Life in Canada in the winter is very different,” says Neha Saxena, a student from India who completed a post-graduate certificate in business management in April. “We surveyed students and learned that 80 per cent of respondents have trouble purchasing affordable winter clothing. We also learned about the environmental impact of textile waste and the opportunity in Saskatchewan to reduce that while helping students in need. That motivated us to start a project to prepare international students for winter.”
The group, which soon grew to 26 students, organized two pop-up used winter clothing sales in Prince Albert and Moose Jaw. Their goal for year one was to gauge international student perception of the idea through proof-of-concept events.
Success in business often comes down to numbers, and numbers, says Sandhu, are perhaps the best way to describe this first Enactus group’s outcomes. The students visited more than 400 homes with donation bags and provided pick-up, collecting 88 bags totalling 1.397 tonnes of clothing.
“Through their three-day sales on the two campuses in January, Enactus raised over $700 in revenue and directly impacted over 500 students and their family members,” he says. “Diverting that much clothing from the landfill represents 34.925 tonnes of C02 reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.”
“The project was really successful,” says Saxena, “so much so that we plan to expand to two sales per year and will run them in all four campus cities.” Saxena’s role in the first Enactus group was vice-president human resources. “We did a lot of recruitment, she says. “An initiative this big takes a lot of people to get involved and help out.”
Aidan Cutts, a recent business marketing graduate who served as Enactus president this past year says he and others discovered over time that their project was much more than an academic exercise. “It was kind of like managing a micro-business,” he says. “As it grew, we started to realize the depth of what we were doing. Enactus isn’t just a student club, it’s an organization that takes on real projects. We had to make decisions and do the work. I was able to apply what I learned in my program to my work with Enactus and that was rewarding.”
Beyond projects, Enactus chapters have opportunities to compete against other teams and present their work. This, says Glew, is one of the organization’s biggest benefits as it helps students develop presentation skills and gives them a chance to network far beyond their institution and city.
“We told the students how big an organization Enactus is across Canada. Until they prepared and competed at regional and national competitions, though, they didn’t truly have a sense just how big a deal Enactus is.”
Cutts says the competition aspect added to their experience. “It was eye opening,” he says. “We thought Sundeep was exaggerating but it really is huge across Canada. We went to Edmonton for regionals, nationals were in Calgary, and they were 10 times bigger than regionals!
“We learned how important it is to be well prepared as presenters,” says Saxena. “There were seven judges at regionals and 14 at nationals—the vibe and crazy atmosphere is amazing.”
Ayush Mandowara, a graduate of two Sask Polytech post-graduate certificates, says the Enactus experience increased his confidence. “My biggest takeaway was tackling fear,” he says. “I had a chance to speak at nationals, a chance to be a leader, and that was huge for me.”
The outgoing vice-president of finance plans to return to Sask Polytech to mentor the new group of students who will carry Enactus into its second year. “If I can give something to the community, my time, what I’ve learned, I’ll be happy to contribute,” says Mandowara.
As an alumnus, Cutts will also continue his connection to Enactus at Sask Polytech post-graduation. “Enactus improved my student experience,” he says. “I’ll be back to check in on the new executive, especially the new vice-president of marketing as that’s my area of expertise.”
Sask Polytech’s first Enactus group came in fourth place at regionals and were awarded top rookie team at nationals, accomplishments Glew and Sandhu say should make the students very proud. “Going from not having heard of Enactus to winning accolades at their first competitions is quite an accomplishment,” says Sandhu, who, along with Glew, was made a fellow by Enactus Canada for his work and mentorship. Like the winter-clothing sale project, Sask Polytech’s Enactus chapter itself was a proof of concept that has now proven a resounding success.
Learn more at saskpolytech.ca/business.
