THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE SIFE – 2011 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!
The University of Melbourne Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team has been crowned the 2011 National Champions at the SIFE Australia National Conference.
The conference, held from the 13th to the 15th of July at the Sydney Hilton, saw 22 SIFE teams from around Australia come together to present their work to a panel of judges and compete for the SIFE Australia title. As the National Champions, the University of Melbourne SIFE team will now travel to Kuala Lumpur to represent Australia at the SIFE World Championships to be held in October. The University of Melbourne SIFE team last competed at the global level in 2007, where they were semi-finalists in the competition.
The National Conference marked the culmination of 12 months of hard work and commitment for the University of Melbourne SIFE team. The judging panel, which consisted of a number of high-profile industry leaders, was impressed by the range of projects the team have undertaken as well as the success and positive change they have achieved.
The five University of Melbourne SIFE projects address a diverse range of issues and are both global and local in reach. The Think.Act.Green project aims to foster environmental awareness in secondary school students and help them to create tangible changes in their schools environmental impact. Switched-On Enterprises assists social enterprises in implementing sustainable business models so they can continue to employ disadvantaged members of the community. The IMPRINT initiative aims to create positive public spaces in suburbs around Melbourne to encourage social interaction, boost small businesses and discourage anti-social behaviour. Nexus Abroad is an international development project that assists community organisations in developing countries, such as Ghana, to become financially independent. The team’s latest project, Street Stories, aims to provide much needed financial assistance to people experiencing homelessness in Melbourne by offering employment while at the same time promoting awareness of the causes of homelessness.
All of these projects demonstrate the University of Melbourne SIFE team’s commitment to continue empowering people and inspiring action.
The University of Melbourne SIFE team is a non-profit student organisation which was formed in 2001 and currently has 78 members from a range of academic backgrounds. The team is dedicated to developing community projects to drive social change by strengthening communities in order to improve the lives of others. SIFE is a global network of over 42,000 students spanning 39 countries, who use classroom knowledge to address socio-economic problems within their communities.
The team would like to extend its thanks to Professor Margaret Abernethy, Dean of the Faculty of Business & Economics, the Faculty of Business & Economics, our Business Advisory Board and each of our partner organisations. We would especially like to acknowledge Ms Suzanne Dixon and Ms Brooke Young, our Faculty Advisors for 2010/2011, for their invaluable mentorship and unwavering belief in our team.
For more information contact Anny Ma, Marketing & Communications Manager of the University of Melbourne SIFE team, at marcom@unimelbsife.org.au
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Posted: 18/07/2011
Author: Anny Ma