Fleming College

Peterborough ON – April 13, 2021

Enactus Fleming College has been on a roll the past two years and has been representing Fleming with distinction on the regional, national and global stages.

Enactus is a student-led volunteer group that develops entrepreneurial projects to help communities achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). Students devise and execute social enterprises, present their projects in high level competitions, and have travelled to the Enactus World Cup in California twice as part of team Canada. 

Some of the current projects address financial literacy, stress management, health and wellness, making the UNSDG a part of the Ontario school curriculum, helping farmers in India reduce their environmental footprint while making extra income, and making reusable products from recycled paper.

Last fall, Enactus Fleming projects were recipients of four grants to add to their list of achievements:

• Paper Planet was awarded a $2,500 grant as part of the Scotiabank Climate Action Project Accelerator
• Paddy Waste to Income was awarded a $2,500 grant as part of The Jeanne Sauvé Global Project Accelerator
• Keys To Me was awarded a $2,500 grant as part of the Co-operators Accelerator 
• A $1,500 Faculty Support grant was awarded to support and encourage the team

Enactus Fleming is poised to launch its first commercially viable social enterprise born from the Paper Planet project. They have two product lines: one directed at teachers to be used in the classroom and one directed to home users. Their research shows there is a strong market for these products. However, a major constraint is manufacturing and they are actively looking for a new location since production at the Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre is currently not possible. Limited production is being done at student’s homes for the time being.

When the pandemic hit, Enactus students were getting ready to go into their first season of commercial sales with the school kits. When schools were initially closed during the pandemic restrictions, Enactus students came up with a kit targeted to children and parents who were confined to their homes. Sales were a small fraction of the original projections and as a result, they now have two product lines to hit the market within 2021.

If you’re looking for an example of how students can pivot during COVID-19 with resilience and innovation, this is it. Enactus Fleming adds value to the student experience and enhances the College’s reputation in the community. To learn more, please visit: https://enactusfleming.ca/.