Kick-Starting our Universities Programe at Unilever HQ
Last Monday marked the start of the Enactus UK & Ireland universities programme. This fantastic launch took place at the London Headquarters of our partner, Unilever, which brought together 45 students from over 15 universities across the UK & Ireland. Here, we hosted our Kick-Off session, where we introduced students to what is Enactus, our mission, values and the opportunities that lie ahead for the upcoming year. Our aim was to empower our new committees and students with the essential tools, confidence and vision required to lead their teams and come up with impactful plans for the future.
Every year, as part of our mission to foster the next generation of responsible leaders through project-based learning, we kick-off our universitates program by bringing together previous and new student committees to start thinking about ideas, skills, and the upcoming opportunities. This year was no different: before the session, students were looking forward to participating in sessions focused on team recruitment and leadership, networking with with peers and the Unilever team, and learn more about Enactus and future opportunities. With this in mind, our Kick-Off session was carefully designed to meet the needs of our future changemakers.
At the start of the session, students were introduced to our core values of responsible leadership, innovation and sustainability. In line with our philosophy, student’s were then exposed to the PIE model, to allow them to use this framework to develop their projects and record impact using measurable outcomes. Additionally, workshops covering topics on leveraging support networks, engaging and retaining team members and progressing projects, enabled students to address specific needs according to their individual teams. Part of the session was also dedicated for students to meet and talk to the Unilever team, providing further insights and information about future opportunities, career paths and the company’s culture.
Our Kick-Off session sparked a powerful sense of community and collaboration among our students and committees. Upon reflection, one of our students raised that ‘’Enactus is about empowering each other‘’, accurately representing the our spirit of mutual support and shared purpose at Enactus UK & Ireland. Furthermore, students highlighted the opportunity to “network with other committee members” as a key benefit of the day, reflecting the importance of building strong connections.
This year, 100% of our students claimed that they would recommend this session to their colleagues. Students also responded positively to all workshops and networking activities, suggesting that more time should be allocated to these in the future. The Kick-Off was a great way to bring brilliant students together and take their first step towards our mission to foster the next generation of responsible and sustainable leaders.
We loved seeing students energised and confident, already developing the skills they need to be strong leaders today and into the future. We look forward to all the innovative ideas our new students and committees come up with this year. A big thank you to @Unilever, whose support helps us in our mission to shape the next generation of responsible leaders.
