The Sunday Mail
Bryan Zhawi, NUST – ENACTUS Zimbabwe Social Media Ambassador —
Last week I wrote an article about an upcoming exciting competition called the Enactus National Competition which will be held July 14th, 2017.
While the competition is exciting and leads to an opportunity for national recognition and international exposure for the winning team (2017 London, England- United Kingdom; 2018 San Jose, California-United States of America) I did not mention the grit and the tenacity that is required for the young people to participate in this great program.
Enactus Zimbabwe works with 12 university institution in partnership with Institutional Management, Youth in the Institutions, Private Sector and is managed by Boost Fellowship Zimbabwe which is the country office for Enactus Zimbabwe. Enactus itself is part of global network of 36 countries, 10 of which are located in Africa. These parties work together every year towards the National Competition which is held annually in July.
What is Enactus?
Enactus is a club at 12 universities in Zimbabwe, on each campus the Enactus Team has a Faculty Advisor, Enactus Executive Team and Enactus Team members. Most institutions have approximately 40 students or more who are part of this team. They go through various exciting training programs which include but are not limited to Leadership Training, Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship Skills Training, Work Readiness Training (CV Writing and Interview Skills), Presentation Skills, Project Management and Planning, Grooming and Etiquette. All these programs train youth to be servant leaders and help prepare young people to be employable as well as run or manage their own businesses. The Enactus Alumni (graduates) are among the most coveted graduates around the world for the unique set of skills and expertise they gain during their university years.
Enactus Students make a difference in their communities in and around Zimbabwe. These servant leaders have an opportunity to impact on the community using entrepreneurial action to change livelihoods. They are guided by this criteria in their project work: “which team most effectively used entrepreneurial action to empower people to improve their livelihoods in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way?”
Key areas that they focus on are solving problems in the community by building business solutions that are economically viable. The students have to also incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). The program sounds like a lot of work, which it is, but it is extremely rewarding. There have been many successful projects and businesses that have been started through the Enactus team that have solved real problems in Zimbabwe.
As youth in Zimbabwe, we are proud to be part of the solution, and not the problem. We are at the forefront of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and have seen lives change in our communities. We are focusing our time and energy on becoming leaders who care about the development of our country, the environment and economic livelihoods. As young people we are proud to be associated with a strong brand that has been at the forefront of youth development in Zimbabwe. With less than 4 weeks left to the event that is one of the most coveted invitations to judge or observe as well as the highlight of the innovation calendar in Zimbabwe.
What is the most unique part of the Enactus Model- it brings together government, private sector, civil society and youth stakeholders in solidarity for youth and community development and the National Competition is an event that every organization wants to be associated with. Stay tuned for more highlights next week as we look at some of the exciting success stories that the Boost Enactus Program has produced.
Meanwhile, National University of Science and Technology made it in the world’s top 12 teams for 1Race2EndWaste competition which won them an automatic invitation to ENACTUS WORLD CUP London, England.
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