UW In Development University of Waterloo Engineers without Borders Spring Term Newsletter
Letter from the President
uwaterloo.ewb.ca
By: Filzah Nasir Incoming B-Stream President
In this Issue:
Last May I attended my first EWB meeting, not really sure what I was getting myself into. Fast forward 3 months and I find myself running for a team lead position. Another 7 months and all of a sudden I am running to be the next chapter President. And before I know it, I blink and here I am. If I had to describe my relationship with EWB in one word, I think intense would be a good one to use. I have spent the past few months adjusting to my new role as EWB Chapter President. In May, Fatin and I attended Presidents’ retreat in Toronto and this was my first opportunity to connect with the EWB network. It was an amazing weekend: I could finally put faces to names that I had been seeing. I also learned of the impact that chapters can have at an organizational level. EWB is a constantly evolving organization and student chapters can play in an important role in shaping the direction – but only if we choose to own that responsibility. As the oldest and one of the organization’s largest student chapters, Waterloo has a long history of being influential to the organization as a whole. We’ve produced and continue to produce members who are leading and shaping national conversations. If I had to pick one goal for my Presidency it would be to continue this tradition and spread it to as many general members as possible. The average student joins EWB in for 1-2 years of their university careers and as a chapter we have the unique opportunity during this period to instil the values of social justice and ensure that they take those values with them into the future. The definition of a successful Presidency for me would be seeing a roster of ex-chapter members combining what they have learned at EWB with their talents to make a positive impact on the world. If you support EWB in any ca-
Waterloo’s Social Change Fellow
Zac from Zambia
National Engineering Month
EWB National Conference
Fairtrade Waterloo Initiatives
Spring term at a glance
Diving into a system at National Conference
pacity —you're helping us get there. It’s not the easiest task to accomplish. But if I have learned anything in the past year, it’s that I should never underestimate this chapter. I am looking forward to —but also terrified of—jumping into things this Fall. Between Gala, Run to End Poverty and trying to recruit as many eager first-years as possible we’re going to have a busy term. But there’s a group of team leads who are already working hard to make sure all of those things are successful. Amy, Gurneet, Vincent, Joseph, Elishua, Angela, Clement, Theo, Rob and Sylvia —the amazing executive team that’s going to make the fall a success. Thank you for continuing to support EWB and our chapter.
Spring 2013
In Developm ent
University of Waterloo Chapter Engineering Student Design Centre, E5 2001, University of Waterloo 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 (519) 888-4567 x33291 • uwaterloo@ewb.ca
Engineers without Borders
1
Waterloo’s Social Change Fellow By: Matt McLean Outgoing B-Stream President broader community. I saw that our ventures were increasingly becoming independent from the rest of the network, when really there should be a symbiotic relationship between the two. The network needs to supply the ventures with innovations, people, and actions. The ventures need to keep the network motivated by providing a venue for these innovations, people, and actions; so the people within the network can develop to be great system change leaders. Meet Matt, our 2013 Social Change Fellow
This summer I am working as a Social Change Fellow at EWB’s Hub in Downtown Toronto. A Social Change Fellow is a 4 month placement, working primarily on the Canadian side of our work. I applied to be a Social Change Fellow with intentions to strengthen our network of 36 chapters and the
My primary project for the summer will be building communities within EWB to strengthen this interaction. My main theory of change revolves around the idea that individual connections build stronger community. I’ll be working on two fronts to improve these individual connections. The first is to look at existing weak connections between our members built through in-person interaction at events, retreats, and conferences. I want to find a way to reconnect these people, and continue their energy from when they first met. The second front of my community building work revolves around our online discus-
sion board, myEWB. I am going to be looking at how people use it, what communities exist currently within it, and how to transform the behaviours that peoples exhibit on it. Though multiple pilots and tests of various behavior change techniques, I hope to strengthen our existing online communities. The work environment at the EWB Toronto Hub is very enabling. I was able to come into the position with an idea, and my manager helped guide me to a project that fit within existing priorities which was relevant to my interests. This aspect of the work is one of my main attractions to working with EWB. I am able to tackle tough problems, while being supported when I need it. Everyone here is also a very capable coach. Even if I do not continue working with EWB after I graduate, I fully expect to have a better idea of what I want to do. Every day there are deep conversations about our work and about ourselves. Working for EWB is a great balance of world impact and personal growth.
Zac from Zambia: Our Returned JF By: Zac Young Returned Junior Fellow
This past fall, I had the distinct honour of representing the University of Waterloo chapter as a Junior Fellow in Zambia. I was partnered with Kupanga, a Canadian organization investing in technical education in Africa. The mandate of Kupanga is to empower youth with practical and professional skills towards the creation of new businesses and skilled employees, driving a prosperous and locally conscious industry. During my placement, I assisted the facilitation of a national engineering design competition for post-secondary students; organizational and network growth; and consultation with a national entrepreneurship incubator. It was a challenging combination of using past experience and learning new skills in order to offer my best to my Zambian peers.
shared Kupanga’s enthusiasm. I worked alongside a host of bright minds, young and old, from diverse Zambian communities, pushing for new successes from their higher learning institutions. While Kupanga’s work is only a start, it is clear that this trend of growth and optimism runs deep in Zambia. I also had the fortune of living with a Zambian family while overseas. This allowed me to dive into local culture and better understand their communities. My hosts became my new family, and beyond them I developed friendships with Zambians and other EWBers alike. While I am glad to be home and sharing my experience with those here, I do miss the compassionate and motivating people I was surrounded by in Zambia.
If you would like to read more check out my blog at The response from stu- zacinzambia.wordpress.com dents, educators, and industry or send me an email at Meet Zac, one of our 2012 Junior Fellows leaders made it clear that they zacyoung@ewb.ca! Spring 2013
In Developm ent
Engineers without Borders
2
Celebrating National Engineering Month By: Vincent Zhu Professional Engagement Team For the first time, EWB commemorated National Engineering Month by organizing the “Engineering 2.0 Workshop” and the “Design the Future: EWB Speaker Series”. The theme of both events was global engineering which is a concept that embodies the idea of technical thinkers becoming socially minded. The “Engineering 2.0 Workshop”, engaged participants by separating them into groups and asking them to design a lamp. Afterwards there was a presentation on global engineering and the effect that we, as future engineers, can have on society. The winning team was the one who thought beyond the design specifications and understood how their design would affect primary and secondary users. The second event, “Design the Future: EWB Speaker Series”, welcomed two speakers to discuss the evolving role of
The Engineering 2.0 Workshop challenged participants to think beyond the design specifications
engineers. Returned Junior Fellow Zac Young discussed his life and work in Zambia as well as the role that Global Engineering plays in international development. Megan Campbell, a graduate of Waterloo’s Systems Design Engineering, was also invited to speak about her experiences working in Malawi for EWB’s Water and Sanitation team as an African Program Staff. The speaker series gave a refreshing new perspective on what it means to be an engineer and solve problems.
EWB UWaterloo alumni and current chapter members at EWB National Conference 2013
UWaterloo Delegates at National Conference 2013 By: Joseph Ng Professional Engagement Team The twelfth annual EWB National Conference was hosted at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Calgary, Alberta. More than 700 EWB members, African program staff, Kumvana delegates, and academic leaders across Canada were united for one unforgettable weekend full of discussions, workshops and presentations. The theme for Conference 2013 was: “Class of 2036: What’s possible in a generation of systemic change”. The delegates had an opportunity to present their own ideas for systemic change and potentially have EWB ’s National office invest in them.
National Conference was an opportunity for everyone to connect with other EWB members, engage in the projects EWB is currently undertaking, presenting and discussing our own ideas on systemic change. There was always something to do at National Conference whether it be attending a workshop or listening speakers such as The Honourable Alison Redford (Premier of Alberta). The topics discussed during National Conference included the extractive industries, fair trade, global engineering, systemic innovation, current and potential projects Spring 2013
in Africa, among many more. Beyond what was known as Canada’s largest international development conference, the meeting of the entire EWB cultivated a warm and welcoming atmosphere for everyone who attended. A gala was planned along with a wonderful dinner and inspiring speakers which was followed by some dancing celebrating the end of an amazing weekend. Overall, National Conference was a huge success. All of the delegates left with new friendships, fresh ideas to ponder over, and newfound knowledge to share with the rest of their EWB chapter.
In Developm ent
Engineers without Borders
3
Fair Trade Mobs By: Clement Fung Big Events Team
Initiatives
Of all the big events the chapter organized this past term, Fair Trade Mobs was the one I remember the most fondly. After school one afternoon a group of EWBers went into Uptown Waterloo, “mobbing” local coffee shops. This event was a part of our movement towards Fairtrade Waterloo. At each coffee shop, EWBers posed as customers asking for Fairtrade coffee. Some shops did offer Fairtrade products and free advertising material was given to them; we encouraged these local businesses to advertise their Fairtrade more aggressively. For the shops that did not provide Fairtrade coffee, we encouraged them to learn more about the Fairtrade movement in Waterloo and handed them informational brochures describing the movement. Generally, the responses from the local coffee shops were
very positive! I had a great time roaming around Waterloo, talking to all the different businesses about Fairtrade, and seeing the variety of responses that followed. Many of the managers were interested in learning more about what we do and exchanged their contact information with us— which was extremely encouraging. Overall, I believe that this event was a great success towards achieving our goal of a Fairtrade Waterloo; valuable contacts were made and local awareness was raised. This event will certainly be organized again, and I expect it to be of larger magnitude. I would love to see more people participate, more stores being mobbed and more contacts being made. As more local businesses learn about Fairtrade Waterloo, momentum will grow. Things are looking positively for Fairtrade here in Waterloo and events like these are just the beginning of things to come!
Fair Trade Stopwatch Event By: Chen Lei Youth Engagement Team The Fair Trade stopwatch event was held at the end of January 2013 in various places throughout Waterloo. Engineers Without Borders (EWB) held this for the first time to promote Fair Trade products and raise awareness about Fair Trade to the public. “How can we support Fair Trade products if there is such a limited selection of them?” Armed with a stopwatch and sometimes dressed in a banana suits, EWB volunteers provided a short 30 second spiel to university students and the public about Fair Trade products, the Fair Trade logo and why EWB supports Fair Trade. Many of the people EWB talked to showed great interest in Fair Trade and even provid-
ed some of their own insight about their knowledge of the subject. They also asked many challenging questions that had our EWBers stumped but curious to learn even more about Fair Trade. Some of the questions that came up included “Where can we source Fair Trade products?” and “How we can support Fair Trade products if there is such a limited selection of them?” Overall, the Stopwatch Event was a fun and successful event for both the EWBers and the people they talked to. Fair Trade is only gaining more awareness in Waterloo with events like these and there can only be more to come. As for the Stopwatch Event, there’s no doubt it will be bigger and better next year.
Spring 2013
In Developm ent
Engineers without Borders
4
Spring Term at a Glance: By: Fatin Chowdhury A Stream President As our member appreciation dinner took place recently, I came to realize how truly passionate our EWB community is watching all of our members engaged in highly spirited conversations. As the President, I am driven to lead our chapter most of all by the self-motivated, inspiring leaders who continue to bring new ideas to the table, challenge our assumptions, and redefine the metrics we use for success. This summer, the Big Events team led the KivaKulamela Soccer Tournament and our first Amazing race. With all events, learning objectives were embedded, so that people can take something away from the event. These strong learning components provided by our Research and Youth Engagement team enable these events to add a lot more value and intentionality. In regards to our fundraising objectives, we raised $300 for both Kulamela Investments and Kiva which will contribute to micro financing businesses and individuals to develop their projects. Our chapter also donated $3500 this year to the wider organization for our Canadian and African ventures. In addition, we have been develop our corporate sponsorship portfolio to engage businesses in the community to support our efforts.
The Big Events team working hard to prepare for the KIVA cup
community which I am thrilled to be a part of. From elementary school students learning about water resource challenges to engaging YMCA adults in fair trade roundtables, we are expanding our demographic to have a greater impact. While our term has been active on the ground, our counterpart team leads have been planning rigorously for the Fall term so stay tuned for that! Finally, our Junior Fellows Rob and Sylvia have done an amazing job keeping us connected with their work in Ghana through in-depth blog posts and chapter calls. I continue to be reaffirmed by George’s framework for EWB and how strong ideas accompanied by driven leaders and a spirit of collaboration can mobilize our chapter and organization to new heights!
The EWB Speaker Series, where we highlighted experts working on interdisciplinary problems in their respective fields, was piloted this term. Derek Satnik from Mindscape Innovations gave insight into the social challenges related to green energy infrastructure while Luna Khirfan took us on a journey from the Middle East to the Caribbean discussing her work with climate change adaptation. Our latest speaker Nandita Basu spoke about rainwater harvesting and how she seeks to utilize water as a critical means of poverty alleviation. We look forward to continuing these seminars in the future. This term was the culmination of 4-months of planning in the winter and the collective effort from all our team leads and members. We have held socials and outreach events in an effort to foster an open inclusive EWB
Dr. Nandita Basu was invited to speak about rainwater harvesting
Coming up in the Fall... Last year, our chapter organized Waterloo’s very own Run 2 End Poverty (R2EP). It was a great success, with 51 runners who raised over $4200. Help us make the run this year an even bigger success, by supporting our runners or entering the run yourself! For questions, concerns or inquiries, please contact our chapter at bigevents@uwaterloo.ewb.ca. Also, the Waterloo Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) hosts an annual Professional Gala event, this year called Tidzima! Tidzima is a Ghanaian phrases meaning “You’re invited” - you’re invited to help us do better work, to share your opinions, to ask absolutely any question and to share a meal with us. Last year, Waterloo hosted its first Run 2 End Poverty (R2EP)
For questions, concerns or inquiries about Tidzima, do not hesitate to contact us at professional@uwaterloo.ewb.ca Spring 2013
In Developm ent
Engineers without Borders
5