Good 2 Go: Social Innovation Proposal Wins Business Competition at Trent University Durham-GTA
School of Business students impress judges panel with mobile social service concept
Social Innovation is thriving in the School of Business at Trent University Durham – GTA with the addition of the new Social Enterprise and Social Innovation class, which culminated in a social innovation pitch competition on April 7, where three groups of students were challenged to identify tangible, local gaps and opportunities in downtown Oshawa, and develop innovative solutions in collaboration with their professor, peers and local community partners.
The social enterprise projects included the Oshawa Experience Fork: a key-shaped care which grants the holder access to various discounts and deals for restaurants in downtown Oshawa; Metro Connex: a proposal to connect post-secondary students at Trent University Durham, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Durham College with the downtown core in Oshawa; and Good to Go - the winning pitch - that sees a mobile service that will travel around Oshawa, providing social services such as haircuts, showers and professional attire to those in need of assistance who are seeking employment opportunities and preparing for interviews.
“I started my business degree with the idea of being a social innovator in mind,” noted third-year Business Administration student and the executive director of the Good 2 Go group Natasha Monk. “I love the idea of an organization with a main goal to help its community, but unlike a charity, become self-sustaining by generating its own revenue.”
The judge’s panel, which included a representative from Oshawa Business Improvement Area, a delegate from e-campus and a senior staff member from Trent, provided some constructive feedback to the group and challenged the group to continue to develop their ideas and research their business model.
“I think the idea needs more work and research, but it is certainly attainable,” continued Ms. Monk. “My team and I are still in the middle of school at the moment, and we all want to concentrate on that, so we won't be able to actually make it happen at this point in our lives. My hope is that, when the time is right, we'll find a way to get the Good 2 Go van out on the streets.”