#EMPOWER18 participants were tasked to select a local problem they're passionate about & come up with a solution in teams within 12-hours! Students proposed apps, campaigns, events, programs & services (& more) & in the process learned so much about themselves & their community!
A sincere thank you to @judithrudoler & our Sponsor, @NiagaraKids - without your support this event would not have taken place! We applaud you for empowering youth in our community & thank you for helping turn our Empowerment Matters vision into a reality! #EMPOWER18✨
We are so grateful for our volunteer mentors & speakers, the day would not have been possible without their support! Thank you all for sharing your time, experience & empowering our participants! #EMPOWER18✨
Our judges were tasked with a tough job when they were asked to select Top Three Teams based on problem/solution correlation, creativity, viability & pitch length. The Top Three teams focused on: Environment(🥇=🐝Humane) , Arts, Culture & Heritage and Transportation & Mobility!
Participants spent the afternoon working on their prototypes & preparing their pitch presentations! We're so impressed with the courage, creativity, public speaking skills & innovative solutions displayed during the Pitch Showcase! Some great teamwork took place at #EMPOWER18! ✨
Thank you to our #EMPOWER18 Student Panel speakers for sharing your stories & encouraging students to get involved in the community & volunteer! "Seek out organizations that service an area you're interested in. You have nothing to loose, you gain so much from volunteering!"
We had an informative session with #kcmedia about #PR & personal branding! Thank you, @katecarnegie for sharing your journey & advice with us!
🔹Start volunteering in areas of interest
🔹Network!
🔹Start building your personal brand NOW!
#EMPOWER18
Lunch & Learn (Podcast) with the Wolf of Lock Street! Some words of wisdom for #EMPOWER18 participants:
▫️Volunteering is a great first step to find something new. Start today!
▫️It's up to you to create opportunities & changes for yourself!
Thank you, @WolfgangGuembel!
#EMPOWER18 participants tackled problems within the following areas (re: 2017 Living in #Niagara Report):
Environment
Work & Employment
Housing & Shelter
Arts, Culture & Heritage
Health & Wellness
Transportation & Mobility
Crime Safety & Security
Community Belonging
The #EMPOWER18 sticky note wall that encouraged students to reflect on their experience!
▫️"Empowerment Matters to me because.."
▫️"Something that inspires me is..."
▫️"I'm going to make a difference in my community by.."
▫️"Something I learned about myself today is..."
"You all have the power within YOU! Our sincere thanks to Jenn, @cheekbonebeauty, for opening up #EMPOWER18✨! We were blown away by your inspirational journey & you left us feeling truly empowered!
Our Keynote Speaker, Jenn Harper, @cheekbonebeauty kicked the day off with a truly inspirational Keynote & empowering advice!
🔹Reframe how you look at mistakes
🔹Ask as many questions as you possibly can
🔹Don't let anything stop you from doing something you're passionate about
We were so busy being blown away our amazing students & yesterday that we didn't even get a chance to live tweet - so we're going to recap what happened during our 12-hour #SocialInnovation hackathon now!💥 #EMPOWER18
With help from our fabulous event Sponsor @NiagaraKids, #EMPOWER18 has SOLD OUT & kicks off TOMORROW! We can't wait to see all of our participants bright & early tomorrow morning! ☀️
"Meet the Founder of a Beauty Line That's Helping Indigenous Kids" - Check out this @FLAREfashion article featuring our inspiring Keynote Speaker, Jenn Harper of @cheekbonebeauty! #TBT#EMPOWER18 ✨ https://t.co/pJB1qf9lDy