If you're thinking, "I need to get more involved at school" or "I want to make a positive difference", here's your chance to do so in a way that helps the Guelph community, and will help at-risk youth in the future through Project Flourish.
What is Flourish?
Flourish was started by students at the University of Guelph for the school's Enactus chapter. As Enactus is an international organization that helps entrepreneurial leaders come together to start businesses that address social issues, Flourish's end goal is to be fully sustainable – and this is done through the project's main task; taking what would otherwise be wasted spent grain, and turning it into nutritionally dense flour.
So exactly how is Flourish sustainable? Being that the brewing industry produces 85% of waste in the form of spent grain, Flourish is trying to take the 15,600 kilograms of it that usually ends up in landfills each year (from just one local brewery) and is turning it into flour. This flour is being sold to Guelph's bakeries and restaurants, like PJ's Restaurant in the Atrium, who, by purchasing it, further help the community improve its sustainability. What's especially great about this project is that it's striving to provide at-risk youth with jobs by creating part-time employment, but your help is needed to do so!
Why and how YOU can get involved
Flourish recently competed at Enactus Canada's central regional competition and was one of 3 winners in the Scotiabank Environmental Challenge. Flourish has been an ongoing project for 3 years and its success is the result of a hardworking team. As an already well-established project, it needs the help of Guelph's current students to grow so that it can continue to impact the community.
Here's where you come in. Your contributions are needed in helping Flourish reach its goal of diverting 34,000+ pounds of waste from landfills and you can help by transforming spent grain into flour, contacting local bakeries, and further developing the project in every way possible. Not only will this help the community, but it will also help you develop into a value-driven student while contributing to the growth of your leadership skills... and if that's not enough, you get to join a dedicated and like-minded group of Guelph students in doing so!
No matter what you're studying, you can apply for Enactus Guelph and join 72,000 students from 36 countries across the globe in making an impact. Not only do you get the opportunity to work on this project, but you can also contribute to Open Arms, which focuses on marginalized youth and other youth initiatives in Guelph, and Make $ense, which teaches young adults how to successfully manage money through a financial literacy program.
What are you waiting for? Learn more about Enactus Guelph and start helping the community in a variety of ways now!