Have you ever been inspired to create social or environmental change? If so, the GreenHouse at United College provides funding to launch the creation of student-led social change initiatives. At the end of every term, the GreenHouse hosts the Social Impact Showcase to celebrate the accomplishments of students. The 32nd edition of the event was held on Nov. 20 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at United College (Alumni Hall). 

The event provided students with the opportunity to compete for two $3,000 and two $1,500 grants to grow their social and/or environmental initiatives. Some of the initiatives included the KW Youth Climate Council, the Inspired Work In Progress (IWIP) Program, and Impactfy. 

The KW Youth Climate Council, discovered by Isaac Zepeda, is a youth-led initiative and campaign that repurposes material collected from community clean-ups into public art installations. The aim of the campaign is to turn ugly litter into something thought provoking and inspiring. The campaign also aims to host regular community clean ups and build partnerships with other organizations. Zepeda said, “We aim to create an annual student exhibition to keep the KW YCC an active and engaging program. This will allow us to do more installations for upcoming generations of young people to be inspired to take action against climate issues through the arts and to think innovatively when doing so.” The KW YCC will be competing for the $1,500 grant. 

The IWIP Program and Impactfy will be competing for the $3,000 grants. The IWIP, created by Darren Baine, is a program aimed to empower young people with the mindset and leadership qualities needed to build resilient businesses and impactful careers. Baine stated, “Our holistic approach intends to ensure that the personalized group workshops develop essential leadership skills and enhance the experience through AI augmentation for all our participants. We are currently finalizing our survey data and preparing to launch in 2024.” 

Impactfy, created by Kai Yang, uses AI to match individuals with global volunteer opportunities that fit their interests. Yang said that, “Our AI-powered platform connects volunteers with over 10,000 opportunities tailored to their interests and skills, while helping NOGs to find the perfect match for their needs. Whether it’s local or global impact, we empower communities and create real change together.”