Solutions for high-priced housing, food and textbooks take top prizes at first RBC Solve It, Pitch It and Win It! Challenge
The next generation of young working professionals tackled availability of affordable housing and food/clothing, working integrated learning, entrepreneurial space and career employment opportunities.
In February, Kelowna was ranked 14th on the 2018 Youthful Cities Canadian Urban Work Index – with Calgary 13th and Vancouver 15th. Funded by RBC Future Launch, the Index is designed to help cities create a strong infrastructure for youth to work and to inspire urban innovation.
To stimulate leadership and action, e@UBCO has organized the first RBC Solve it, Pitch it, Win it! competition at the Kelowna Innovation Centre. Over seven hours each team worked on one of this region’s biggest challenges impacting youth, while demonstrating creative thinking, teamwork and pitch skills. Sponsors RBC and PushorMitchell and business leaders from across the community coached the teams.
Winning team pictured with organizers. Back row (left to right): Brian Stephenson, Pushor Mitchell; Courtney Hesse, RBC; students Trevor Jmaeff and Felix Jing; Camille Saltman and Sarah Sutherland, e@UBCO; and Robert Barnard, YouthfulCities. Front row (left to right): students Hanzhen Xu, Susan Blackmore and Wenting Luo. Photo credit: Solid Rock Video.
“Employers are in a heated international race to attract top talent. Our e@UBCO RBC Solve it, Pitch it, and Win it! challenge is a opportunity to engage the next generation of soon-to-be working professionals in developing creative ideas to attract, retain and inspire young talent for jobs of the future.”
Camille Saltman, Managing Director, e@UBCO
Judges included Robert Barnard, co-founder, YouthfulCities, Grant Lawrence, President, Valhalla Angels, Courtney Hesse, Regional Manager, RBC and Brian Stephenson, attorney and Director of Business Development, Pushor Mitchell.
First prize winner, MeEe, which stands for Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, worked to solve affordable housing. Team members Susan Blackmore, Trevor Jmaeff, Felix Jing, Hanzhen Xu and Wenting Luo won $1,250.
Second Prize team BookFX tackled the very high investment students make in books – $800 per course for intensive courses. Winners George Nasrallah and Viswanath Javvaji took home $750.
Third prize winners Arpan Kandola, Brodie Couch and Brendan Cailan from Proximy took home $500 after banding together to solve the cost of food for young and low income people in the region. The team members were participants in e@UBCO’s Lean LaunchPad Accelerator Program last fall.
YouthfulCities
Funded by RBC Future Launch, YouthfulCities has released its inaugural Canadian Urban Work Index – the first public comparable urban index measuring 121 indicators spanning 48 urban work indicators. The data is meant to provide credible data for decision-makers to create a strong infrastructure for youth to work as well as inspiration for urban innovation efforts. Indicators include Education (affordability, access and work integrated learning experiences), Entrepreneurship (spirit, spaces, programming), Affordability (housing, utilities, transportation, food/clothing, Leisure, health) and Employment (basic, career-oriented, city economic profile, programs).
In particular Kelowna was negatively impacted by availability of affordable housing and food/clothing, working integrated learning, entrepreneurial space and career employment opportunities and programs, and city economic profile. The City’s assets include access to education, government attitude towards entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial spirit and summer jobs for students.
RBC Future Launch
RBC, as part of its Future Launch campaign, partners with YouthfulCities to create the Urban Work Index and prepare Canada’s cities for the changing world of work. RBC uses the Urban Work Index help cities across Canada to attract and retain youth and as a guide to help direct community level investments.
Second Prize Team: Viswanath Javvaji and George Nasrallah
Third Prize Team: Arpan Kandola, Brodie Couch, Brendan Cailan