Session

Over two academic years, students from eight programs at Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario built a podcast from the ground up – a podcast aimed at inspiring and empowering young people to see entrepreneurship as a path to self-determination. ‘Founders Drive’ is a podcast aimed at leading to systems change at home and globally through the stories of entrepreneurship in under-represented communities.Season 1 explored the challenges, barriers and successes to entrepreneurship to demonstrate that anyone can be an entrepreneur – regardless of gender, income, race, disability, etc. Season 2 focused specifically on young Indigenous entrepreneurs. It saw students take an activist journalistic approach to co-create episodes with the input and involvement of Indigenous youth.Students created eight episodes, built a website, developed a branding package, created an in-house PR and marketing agency, and integrated the skills of photography, video and music business students to enhance this work.

“Founders Drive” has allowed students, especially those who from low-income or marginalized communities themselves, to develop their C.V.s and enhance their portfolios with a paid work-integrated learning opportunity that might otherwise be unavailable to them.

This multidisciplinary project supports Goals 8, 10 and 17 through its focus on inspiring and reducing barriers to entrepreneurship, and through building partnerships with under-represented communities.Following an overview, audience members will be led through a creative problem-solving exercise to ideate and develop ideas for their own multi-disciplinary project. They will be encouraged to identify opportunities that have the potential to build global citizenry while expanding students’ employability skills.