Media releases

  • New Brock course to help community tackle social innovation challenges

    MEDIA RELEASE: 14 February 2023 – R0013

    A new short course being offered at Brock University aims to teach skills needed to help address some of the world’s most pressing problems.

    Delivered over four sessions, Foundations in Social Innovation Skills will offer an introduction to different types of social innovation as well as the skills needed to become a socially innovative thinker.

    The course will focus on how to identify social innovation problems, the skills needed to address those issues and how to handle potential barriers to the social innovation process.

    Social innovation is about “creating solutions that put people and the planet first, and enhancing collaboration across government, business and the non-profit world,” says Wesley Helms, Associate Professor in Strategic Management and Social Innovation at Brock’s Goodman School of Business. “Social innovation is an increasingly relevant topic in our workplaces and communities.”

    Course participants will learn key skills and frameworks needed to identify and tackle social innovation challenges, whether working in government, business or the non-profit sector.

    To provide insight into real-world social innovation challenges, the course will integrate a community partner into the cases, exercises and problems being explored. The course’s first partner will be Goodwill Niagara, with sessions looking at challenges surrounding the charitable donation of goods and thrift stores.

    “A lot of what we’ll be focusing on is how to become a socially innovative changemaker and the skills that are needed to solve the social and environmental challenges that will be confronting us in our workplaces and daily lives,” Helms says.

    In addition to his role at Brock, Helms is also a Research Fellow at the Center for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge, which is a partner in developing the course.

    Foundations in Social Innovation Skills will be offered in four in-person sessions March 21, 23, 28 and 30, each from 4 to 6 p.m. at Brock’s main campus.

    The course is open to Brock students as well as the wider community. Participants who successfully complete all the course requirements will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.

    Registration for Foundations in Social Innovation Skills is open and offered through the Brock LINC. Cost is $49 plus tax for Brock students and $99 plus tax for community members.

    For questions about the course, please contact Brock LINC Program Manager Cassie Conte at cconte@brocku.ca

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209 

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    Categories: Media releases

  • Young women athletes to learn about careers in sport at Brock event

    MEDIA RELEASE: 8 February 2023 – R0011

    The many career paths available to women interested in sport will be highlighted during an event for local teens on Friday, Feb. 10.

    Brock’s Centre for Sport Capacity (CSC) has partnered with the Niagara IceDogs to host the “Women in Sport Leadership” panel, which will welcome more than 60 young women aged 14 to 17 who play for a competitive or recreational team in Niagara and beyond.

    Part of the Lead Like a Girl initiative, the event will take place from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m. at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Lecture Room 156.

    “Lead Like a Girl is an important program for the CSC and this career panel is one of many opportunities we offer throughout the year,” says Centre Director Julie Stevens. “We are excited to continually expand this program with specialized offerings that focus on careers for women in sport.”

    The “Women in Sport Leadership” panel will feature professional women leaders who make strides in their respective sport sectors every day.

    Panellists include Melissa Krist, Executive Director, Brock Sports and Recreation; Victoria Bendus, Lead Sport Performance Coach, Brock University Athletics; Laura Micevic, Director of Operations, Pelino Athletic Performance Centre; and Vittoria Wikston, Director, Marketing and Community Development, 2022 Niagara Canada Summer Games. Also contributing to the event will be Laura Harris, Canadian/Regional Content Contributor at The Gist, a women-led, inclusive sports media brand.

    Panellists will provide insight into their careers and pathways in the areas of marketing and events, administration, training and performance, sport medicine, media and journalism, and more.

    “Partnering with the IceDogs enabled the panel invitation to specifically target girl athletes who already had tickets to the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) game at the Meridian Centre,” says Stevens. “Before Friday’s PWHPA game, panel attendees will gain insights into two kinds of career opportunities: the science, training and sport medicine side and the management/business side. These are career pathways Brock offers through our Kinesiology and Sport Management programs.

    “This is a unique opportunity for girls to learn about potential roles in sport and make connections that can inspire their next steps after high school,” she says.

    Media are invited to attend Friday’s event.

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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    Categories: Media releases