[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he DCU Enactus team represented Ireland in the semi-final of the Enactus World Cup in London last week. They placed third overall with India and Canada placing first and second respectively.
Enactus is a non-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging students to take entrepreneurial action to help improve the lives of others. There are over 1700 Enactus teams around the world and only the National Champions get the opportunity to compete in the World Cup.
Enactus DCU consists of 88 students studying a variety of courses who have invested more than 10,000 volunteer hours, this year alone.
The projects presented by DCU include their ‘Well on the Way’ project, a social enterprise which aims to fund and build wells in the Republic of Congo and the ‘HeadstARTS’ project, their longest running project which provides an outlet to people with intellectual disabilities through the arts.
Another project presented by the team was called ‘Second Scoop’, where they worked with Ben and Jerrys and their charity partners ‘Care after Prison’. They ran soft skill workshops with ex-prisoners, who then worked with DCU Enactus at corporate events selling ice cream.
Deirbhile Ní Chathaill, a member of the DCU Enatcus team said, “My experience of the Enactus World Cup was more than I could have imagined it to be. It was inspiring to hear about the projects from around the world and to learn about difficulties and needs that aren’t met in countries that young people are helping to fight against or work towards.”
Amy Murphy