PROGRESS THROUGH ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTION

Transcription

1 PROGRESS THROUGH ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTION Special advertising Section reprinted from the december 3, 2012 issue of

2 Students from Technological University of the Mixteca in Mexico working on their Recycling to Read project (top); Enactus teams celebrate (bottom, left); and Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart International and Enactus worldwide board chairman, welcomes nearly 3,000 attendees at the opening ceremony. PROGRESS THROUGH ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTION ENACTUS ENABLES COLLEGE STUDENTS TO USE THEIR BUSINESS SKILLS TO CREATE A BETTER, MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD. S2 I t s an early OctOber evening, and the energy in the enormous ballroom of the Walter e. Washington convention center in downtown Washington, d.c., is all but palpable. the reason: thousands of students representing colleges and universities from 38 countries around the world are here competing in an event run by enactus. a nonprofit organization started 37 years ago, enactus gives college students the opportunity to use their entrepreneurial skills to create solutions for problems and issues affecting people in their local communities and beyond. the enactus team from each participating college gets the chance to compete in national contests held in their country. the 2012 country winners are gathered here in d.c. to compete in the annual enactus World cup contest. each of the 38 teams competing this year is eager to present the results of its community outreach project. they will do so

3 Inspired action, real results. Enactus taps into a core desire among all of us to do meaningful work: applying our time and energy in ways that bring purpose to our lives and value to the lives of others. Solar cooking helps struggling Mexican communities reduce the financial, health and environmental toll of wood fire cooking. It s one of many ways Enactus university teams bring inspired thinking to real challenges. Across the KPMG global network, we are passionate about helping others achieve their full potential. It s a passion that drives us to cut through a complex world and make a difference to our clients, our people, and our communities. We are proud to sponsor Enactus and their work to empower the leaders of tomorrow who turn ideas into action. kpmg.com Visit enactus.org to learn more KPMG International Cooperative ( KPMG International ). KPMG International provides no client services and is a Swiss entity with which the independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated. The KPMG name, logo and cutting through complexity are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG.

4 The students who participate in Enactus believe in seeing possibilities, taking action, and enabling progress. through a written report and a live presentation. the students will be evaluated on how successful they have been at using business concepts and entrepreneurial skills to improve the quality of life for people in need. our vision is for the enactus World cup to be the premier cross-generational leadership experience, explains doug mcmillon, president and ceo of Walmart international and chairman of the enactus worldwide board of directors. he and other ceos and leaders from multinational organizations like Kpmg, the presenting sponsor of the 2012 enactus World cup, american greetings, and rich products serve as judges and sponsors of the event. the team deemed most successful in achieving its goals will be selected as the 2012 enactus World cup champion. First Things First Students from Egypt making their presentation at World Cup (top); members from India s HR College of Commerce and Economics in the field (bottom left); students from Brazil and Kenya (bottom right). but first there are the semi-finals to get through which explains the rock concert like atmosphere pulsating through the ballroom. the teams and their faculty advisors have gathered here after the first full day of competition, eager to learn which 16 countries will advance to the next round. the students hail from widely different places around the globe, but the music, texting, and picture taking are activities that clearly cross all linguistic and cultural borders. flags representing each country stake out the seats where the students huddle together. every so often a thunderous clap of applause, or some impromptu dancing or singing, will emerge from one of the teams. as prepared, professional, and polished as they are during their presentations, they re college kids with all the enthusiasm and energy their age suggests. finally, the crowd grows quiet as the announcer begins naming the countries that will compete the next day. a mixture of relief and excitement sweeps across the students faces of the 16 teams announced as semifinalists. they ve made it this far. tomorrow they ll have another chance to impress the judges. A New Identity the students who participate in enactus believe in seeing possibilities, taking action, and enabling progress. While that mission remains unchanged, the name did not. at this year s World cup, alvin rohrs, president and ceo of the organization for the past 30 years, unveiled the enactus name for the first time. the change from Students in free enterprise or Sife, as it was generally called was a way to underscore the increasingly global nature of the organization and its unique approach to enabling progress by harnessing the entrepreneurial spirit of its members. When i first heard one of our board members mention enactus in conversation, i thought it sounded just right, rohrs recalls. the projects presented by students at the 2012 World cup make it clear that they don t simply represent skills found in a textbook or, in many cases, even the classroom. these students are identifying social issues in their countries and beyond that need immediate attention clean water, dependable energy, and jobs for

5 the disenfranchised, for example and they re creating solutions infused with entrepreneurial creativity and 21st century innovation. Kpmg, the global network of professional firms providing tax, audit, and advisory services, has been involved with enactus for the past 20 years and supports the organization in more than 30 countries. the firm has been a sponsor of the World cup since the inaugural event in Shaun Kelly, vice chairman-operations for Kpmg in the u.s. and an enactus board member, recalls first seeing students in action during the 2008 World cup competition in Singapore. everyone tells you how impressed you re going to be, but there s always that skepticism about how good these students really are, Kelly recalls. When i actually saw them for myself, i was amazed. they were so composed and confident. it s easy to see these students as the leaders of tomorrow. Silindile mncube, a 23-year-old member of the enactus team from the university of KwaZulu-natal in South africa, is one such student. She helped arrange food cooperatives that enabled farmers to better store the crops they produced. What we re doing makes a difference in the world, and we want other people to get motivated from that, she says. throughout the year, the teams get real-world advice and management feedback from local advisory board members and respresentatives of enactus partner companies such as unilever, campbell Soup co., hershey, and coca-cola, to name a few. but it s the students and their faculty advisors who take the lead in identifying the issues and then developing solutions. the students in enactus are out in the field, finding the answers and doing the work themselves, says rohrs. it s about using entrepreneurial action to change the world. Workers disassembling a mattress (top, left) for the Spring Back project, one of the ventures created by the U.S. team from Belmont University (top, right). Michael Hastings of KPMG interacts with students at the World Cup (bottom). students appear nervous but composed. once the judges are finished, the students begin their presentation. Speaking without a single note card or prompt in front of a standing-room-only crowd, they display a level of energy, professionalism, and confidence that defies their age. but they understand, like all the teams competing today, that results are what counts. Spring back recycling, started by belmont students in 2011, has a fascinating history. it collects used mattresses, and then hires formerly homeless or incarcerated men to disassemble them so the components can be sold to recyclers. andrew bishop, a senior at belmont, explains that the project sought to tackle two issues: finding a way to recycle the 30 million mattresses being dumped into u.s. landfills each year, and helping men who have served time in jail avoid returning there by giving them a chance to get a job. the money generated from the sale of the scrap materials, along with revenues from mattress collection fees, help pay the salaries of the 23 men in nashville who have been hired so far. they are now getting business training and rebuilding their sense of being contributing members of society. daron hall, sheriff of nashville, reports that not a single man employed by the Spring back program has been rearrested. Says he: When inmates see they have a chance to get a job like the ones at Spring back and make some money, it makes a bigger impact on them than anything i can say. the belmont team has been so successful with the nashville venture that it recently started a Spring back project in colorado and plans to expand, via licensing agreements, to five more cities in the u.s. within the next year. Making Their Case that s certainly the message the u.s. team from belmont university in nashville is hoping to convey to the judges as the second day of competition gets under way. Six students from belmont s 40-member enactus team have been chosen to be the presenters at the 2012 World cup. as the judges read through their report, the S5

6 A Modest Beginning to understand how enactus has grown into a global organization of 62,000 students at 1,600 universities worldwide, it helps to know a little more about its humble roots. the nonprofit organization was started in 1975 as a way to counter a decidedly anti-business mood that was then simmering on many college campuses. enactus ceo rohrs was among those disenchanted youths. as a political science major at Southwest baptist university in bolivar, mo., he says he thought that business was the biggest problem we had in the world. a college professor sugthe team from gested to rohrs that he consider taking Zimbabwe huddles some business classes in case his theory up before their presentation (left); about the evils of capitalism wasn t quite right, rohrs says with a hearty laugh. When he did, he discovered that contrary to what he had believed, business, when done right, could be a source of good in the world and an engine for growth. he eventually wound up starting an enactus team at his school. after graduating with a law degree from the university of missouri in 1982, he became president and ceo of the fledgling organization. his charge: expand it beyond the 18 u.s. colleges then participating. i thought at the time that if we can someday get this thing to 300 universities, that would be success, rohrs recalls. getting support from local businesses seemed like a good idea, so rohrs reached out to Wal-mart. in 1983, Jack Shewmaker, then vice chairman of the retailer, joined enactus as chairman of its board. that collabora- Enactus CEO, Alvin Rohrs (right). Rich s is proud to support Enactus As a family-owned food company with close to 10,000 associates across the world, we look to reach beyond our own homes and offices to better our communities where we live and work. Rich s is proud to support Enactus and congratulates not only this year s Enactus World Cup finalists, but every Enactus team member in the world our next generation of leaders! Learn more about Rich s at: Facebook:

7 Entrepreneurial action not words or handouts is what s needed to help create opportunities for people anywhere in the world. tion, recalls rohrs, allowed him to expand his vision of the organization and enabled it to attract the more than 400 corporate partners enactus has today. Kpmg s Kelly says that one of the most attractive aspects of enactus alumni and a significant reason why the company likes to hire them, he adds is their ability to deal with and adapt to the changes and curveballs that occur as they re working on their projects. that skill is proving to be valuable now and it will be even more so as these students move through their careers, he says. lord michael hastings cbe, global head of corporate citizenship for Kpmg international, points out that the students who participate in enactus are driven to serve first and acquire later. they know their opportunties in life will come, but as students they are all about using their skills to make a difference in the world now. this passion, he believes, is evident with every team, even those from countries in the midst of utter social and political turmoil. A World View that certainly applies to the teams from egypt, india, and Zimbabwe. they, along with the u.s. team, just learned they ve made it to the final round of competition. later in the day, one of the four will be named the 2012 World cup champion but first they have to make their presentations to an even bigger panel of judges. although it will be the third time in two days that the students present the outcomes of their projects, there s little sense that anyone s relaxed or ready to go on autopilot. the egyptian team hails from the french university, near cairo. more than 120 students have been working on a variety of projects that have at their core the idea of empowerment. the six presenters at the World cup take the judges through the origins, implementation, and outcomes of ventures that deal with sustainable fishing, effective waste management, and reliable energy supplies. the team from Zimbabwe comes from midlands State university. like those from egypt and india, the students from this southern african country have concentrated their efforts on looking for solutions to tackle basic human needs: clean water, financial literacy, and food security. projects that center on reading and writing are particularly successful in Zimbabwe, the students tell the judges, since they provide the local population with the skills needed to start simple agricultural businesses. project aasha, from the students at india s hr college of commerce and economics, seeks to empower women living in urban slums. by selling simple beauty products and services such as manicures, the women are able to earn their own money. in the process, they begin to understand the basics of financial management. the students proudly inform the judges that the women participating in project aasha are now able to provide better living conditions for their families and have access to schooling for their children. At the Finish Line When all the presentations are complete, the teams wait for the judges to compile their scores. they don t need to wait long. as theatrical background music booms through the ballroom, the announcer lets the now-hushed crowd know that egypt has taken second place. then, with a dramatic pause worthy of an academy awards ceremony, the announcer proclaims that the 2012 enactus World cup champion is the team from the u.s. the belmont students and their faculty advisors erupt into wild cheering and high-fives, hugging, and fist pumping as they make their way to collect their trophy. a year of hard work and long hours, as well as some inevitable disappointment and frustration, has culminated in this moment. but right now, all you can see are smiles. in the weeks following the World cup, rohrs has a chance to reflect on where the organization is today and why he feels its path is well defined. these students take business-based ideas and turn them into real solutions that affect real people, he says. they re showing that entrepreneurial action not words or handouts is what s needed to help create opportunities for people anywhere in the world. Susan Caminiti Walmart is a proud supporter of the Enactus World Cup.

8 enactus World headquarters 1959 east Kerr Street Springfield, missouri, usa