Media releases

• Young entrepreneurs to learn the business of lemonade

  Tuesday, June 12, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 12 June 2018 – R00123

  Everyone knows what to do when life gives you lemons. 

  But a class from Cardinal Newman Catholic Elementary School in Niagara Falls will soon learn how to use those lemons to turn a profit.

  The Grade 4 students will be at Brock University Thursday, June 14 for the annual Goodman Lemonade event, an exercise that uses lemonade stands to teach young entrepreneurs how to build a for-profit business.

  Six teams from the elementary school will test skills at Brock’s Farmers Market learned from Goodman School of Business student leaders over the past month.

  The teams will compete Thursday to make the greatest profit selling the popular summertime drink to the Brock community.

  “We get them thinking about everything involved in building a business,” said Cassie Price, co-ordinator at BioLinc, Brock’s business incubator run by the Goodman School of Business. “It’s getting those Grade 4 students and their parents coming to Brock for a day and encouraging entrepreneurship at a young age.”

  This is the second year the University has hosted Goodman Lemonade. Last year, Grade 4 students from Power Glen School in St. Catharines participated in the initiative run by the Goodman Student Engagement Office and BioLinc. It’s designed to teach elementary students the basics of business and entrepreneurship, and all the work that goes into a one-day sale.

  Students are provided with a $50 budget and spend weeks crafting a business and marketing plan with guidance from Goodman mentors. They consider everything from people’s lemonade preferences to slogans, sales pitches and stand design.

  The team that makes the most money in this friendly competition chooses how to spend the collective profits of all six teams.

  “Surprisingly the students aren’t really competitive. They all want to win but they just come to sell lemonade,” Price said.

  Greater than the glory of victory are the skills the exercise reinforces and nurtures. Goodman Lemonade content aligns with concepts in the Grade 4 curriculum, including volume and measurement.

  Students also collect and synthesize data about whether people like their lemonade plain or flavoured, served with a straw or garnishes. They then use that information to fine-tune their business plan and complete a manufacturing form for their lemonade made by Brock’s food service company, Sodexo. In addition, students learn to work in teams, delegating tasks based on individual strengths.

  “With posters and slogans, a lot of students like being creative and coming up with these things,” Price said. “Some students really like math and look forward to running the cash box. With a lemonade stand, one person can’t do all the jobs so they have to assign jobs. There’s lots of good opportunities working in a team and coming to decisions about what kind of lemonade and garnishes to sell.”

  The experience resonated so much with students last year that it prompted some to set up their own lemonade stands at home on weekends after the Goodman event.

  “That was neat to see as well,” Price said.

  Goodman Lemonade happens Thursday, June 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Brock Farmers Market in Jubilee Court. The event is open to the public.

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688- 5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock biologist named President of Canadian Commission for UNESCO

  Monday, June 11, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 11 June 2018 – R00122

  Liette Vasseur’s passion for the environment knows no borders, whether she’s examining crops in Ecuador, helping an Ontario town deal with shoreline flooding or co-writing the first international guidelines on ecosystems governance.

  The Brock University biologist has headed up dozens of conservation and research projects throughout the years, working with farmers, government ministers, students, presidents of global organizations and many others while doing so.

  Now her leadership in the field has been taken to a new level, with Vasseur being named President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO).

  “Dr. Vasseur’s broad knowledge and experience in such areas as the environment, culture, women and communities here and around the world will be a priceless asset to the Commission, an organization dedicated to building a society of peace, equity and shared knowledge,” Simon Brault, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, said June 6 while announcing the two-year appointment.

  CCUNESCO, operating under the Canada Council for the Arts, seeks to connect Canadians to the broader work of the Paris-based UNESCO, whose work “contributes to a peaceful, equitable and sustainable future that leaves no one behind.”

  UNESCO’s more notable initiatives include designating World Heritage Sites, Geoparks and Biosphere Reserves, engaging with youth, encouraging women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and promoting reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

  “I’m quite humbled,” Vasseur said of her appointment. “It is a genuine honour to have been chosen as the new President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. The Commission does remarkable work in ensuring that UNESCO’s activities have a real impact in Canada and abroad.”

  Vasseur is no stranger to this international stage. In 2014, she was awarded a UNESCO chair for Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, which was renewed this year. 

  Last year, CCUNESCO appointed Vasseur to head up its Sectoral Commission on Natural, Social and Human Sciences, an 11-member group of Canadian scientists, academics and others providing knowledge and expertise on a range of issues. 

  The group is producing reflection papers on topics important to creating a long-range vision of how Canadians and the federal government can implement various actions related to sustainability. These include social and environmental impacts of climate change; conservation of natural heritage and water resources; inclusion of newcomers and vulnerable groups; reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people; youth engagement; and measures to fight discrimination, racism, violence, bullying and radicalization. 

  In her new role as President, a major focus will be the enhancement of Indigenous culture and knowledge in many of CCUNESCO’s activities. Other priorities include advocating for women’s involvement in STEM and engaging youth in UNESCO’s various projects and networks, she said.

  “This appointment demonstrates the high regard in which Professor Vasseur’s research and strong leadership are held, nationally and internationally,” said Brock’s Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon.

  “It is also emblematic of the commitment of Brock University’s researchers to have their expertise make a powerful difference in the world. Scholars, evidence-based policy makers, and citizens from around the globe are fortunate to have Professor Vasseur serving in this influential role under the auspices of the United Nations.”

  Vasseur holds a number of high-profile leadership positions, including Past-President of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology; Vice-Chair (North America and Caribbean) of the Commission for Ecosystem Management of the International Union for Conservation of Nature; and lead of the thematic group on Ecosystem Governance. 

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688- 5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases