Students organize "Dance for a Wish"

Algonquin’s event management students have donated over $300,000 to the children’s wish foundation over the past four years, all through events they setup with no budget.

Students who enroll in the program must organize one major event in their second term—based on what they learn in class—to raise as much money as possible for charity.

“It’s hard because people want to help by waiving venue fees, but that still leaves us with costs for equipment,” said Sonya D’Silva, who is currently in the flurry of organizing everything with her team.

D’Silva and her five classmates are putting on an urban hip-hop showcase, which will host dance troupes such as Culture Shock Ottawa, Driven, Thrive, and Hype, to name a few.

“We’re performing a very high-energy set that will get people up and having fun,” said Nicolas Najm, artistic director of Ottawa's Culture Shock troupe.

He explained that donating to causes like the Children’s Wish Foundation is exactly what his troupe stands for. It’s a non-profit organization that prioritizes giving back to the community. More specifically, youth at risk.

“Youth outreach is our mandate,” he explained.

The entire setup must be complete by January so that the group can begin putting up posters and selling tickets. Again, these steps aren’t covered by any budget, although the college does lend each group $100. It’s the students’ job to find a company interested in the cause that is willing to help.

In the end, they must raise a minimum of $1,000 and entertain one silent auction. The minimum can be achieved by selling food during the intermissions, searching for sponsors, independent donations, etc.

“You can’t do it if you’re not organized. You need to have time management skills and work well as a team, because you rarely ever work alone in this industry,” said D’Silva.

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TEDxOttawa connects with Algonquin college

Ottawa’s first ever TEDx event took place in the new ACCE building with volunteer support from 43 of the college’s students and alumni. 

The not-for-profit event took place on Saturday, Oct. 22, thanks to a team composed of social media volunteers, public relations representatives, photographers, marketing agents, sponsors, etc. Sarah Ormon, who was the lead organizer, graduated in business-marketing at Algonquin. 

“We thought we could really leverage what the programs have to offer,” said Ormon. She is well aware of Algonquin’s broad range of media- and business-related programs, and she jumped at the opportunity to take advantage of this.

TEDxOttawa was themed “creative actions”. It hosted close to a dozen speakers who took the stage for up to 18 minutes each. The lineup included popular figures such as Nigel Beale, Nicholas Charney and Stephen “Buddha” Leafloor—who all gave riveting speeches.

Although TED (technology, entertainment, design) events generally suggest an “ideas worth spreading” platform, independent events—where x=independent—can incorporate a theme that will ensure a more narrow focus from the speakers.

“The rule of TED is that you can’t promote yourself or your company. You have to promote your idea,” explained Amy Chamberlain, marketing manager of TEDxOttawa. Chamberlain is also a business-marketing alumnus from Algonquin.

TED is based in the U.S. but holds events across the globe. They also provide the opportunity for entrepreneurs to apply for a TEDx license, where as long as the applicant follows the rules and guidelines of TED, they can organize their own independent event once a year in any city.

The events always include a wide diversity of speakers and topics, as long as they can get the message across in less than 18 minutes and it’s of an innovative or inspiring nature. 

The process for attending a TED(x) event starts with an allotment of number of seats, which is set by TED and dictated by the organizers’ abilities and experience. TEDxOttawa seated 100 guests and has the potential to double at next year’s event.

Once the number is set, organizers provide an application form. They then sort through the pile—which was well over 300 applicants for Ormon and Chamberlain—and choose the best-suited personalities for the occasion in question. “It’s nice because you could be seated between a CEO and a farmer,” said Ormon.

The TEDxOttawa team was proud to say that all their speakers are local. They hope to capitalize on the once-a-year appropriation set by TED for our city.

“Ottawa’s cool but just doesn’t know it yet,” says Ormon.

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