Charles Darwin University’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) group, which challenges students to apply their studies to make a real difference in their community, is gearing up for the SIFE Australia National Championships in Sydney in July.
This year CDU SIFE will present four projects in Sydney, especially selected for their significant contribution to the NT community.
The projects include awareness campaigns undertaken in conjunction with Arthritis and Osteoporosis NT and Darwin International Airport, and a community garden scheme.
One of the projects is a competition designed especially for NT high school students to come together and present innovative solutions to social issues affecting the community, a challenge entitled Schools for Social Change.
This particular initiative is being headed up by CDU SIFE project coordinator David Heath, who hopes it will generate social consciousness within the young participants.
“This year Schools for Social Change is focusing on the environment and environmental issues affecting the entire global community,” David said.
“We’re inviting high schools from the Top End to provide four to six representatives to make a presentation answering the topic question: What can individuals, schools, business and community do to work together in order to save lives, the environment, and ultimately our future?,” he said.
David said he hoped it would motivate high school students to think about how individuals, schools, communities and businesses could have an impact on the environment and social issues.
CDU SIFE president, Lisa Lock said each of the projects the group was taking to the nationals had been selected to represent the distinctive work CDU SIFE was undertaking in the Top End.
“CDU SIFE is uniquely placed within the national SIFE community as we are primarily social work and humanitarian students instead of being made up of predominantly business and economics students, as many SIFE university groups are,” Lisa said.
“We are encouraging business, marketing and economic students to join, as SIFE will give them an opportunity to use the skills they’re learning at university for the benefit of their local communities,” she said.
CDU SIFE is always on the lookout for new recruits. To be eligible you must be an enrolled student studying either part-time or full-time, externally or on-campus. For more information contact Lisa Lock P: 0416 294 623 or E: lockgirl@bigpond.net.au.