MCXI Overview (1)
- 1. MCXI, A Junior Achievement Social Enterprise was founded by young entrepreneurs to start a movement: We are youth helping youth create a stronger community. We believe that connections and community are built upon a foundation. It is through the people we know and the friends and co-workers we socialize with. Using connection as our prime value we have established two supporting pillars, Arts and Sports, acting as platforms for universal interaction regardless of language, gender, race or other barriers. We embody this in our motto + = Arts Sports Community MCXI
- 2. IT STARTS WITH ONE We represent a new type of business. We don’t define success in profits and returns, but rather the number of lives we have connected through sports and arts and the positive social impact we have make in our community. Unlike traditional charities, which ask for either money or time MCXI empowers our customers to make a difference through their consumer choices and actions. As a social enterprise, our model is to use the profits from our two products as the funds to make direct social impact through our organized community events and employee volunteer hours. IF IT HAS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME
- 3. All you need is ONE individual with a brilliant IDEA As a youth social enterprise we realized that there is a huge problem in our community: We live in a world where we focus on what sets us apart rather than what brings us together. So 23 students across the GTA came together to include others,to motivate others, to build a community through sports and arts. #the1movement We started the #the1movement with the belief in the power of one. It only takes one person to make a difference. Starting with one individual we have grown and connected worldwide from Toronto - to Sri Lanka, the Bahamas, Singapore, Australia, and the Cayman Islands - building an international community.
- 4. ✦ Create a successful Social Enterprise, which could be adapted to any global market ✦ Create social media campaigns that had participation from people across the globe ✦ Connect students through the power of arts & sports ✦ Educate students on the potential business opportunities in the arts & sports world ✦ Create the #ChallengetoConnect campaign which promoted building positive connections in our community ✦ Have the first ever student company run networking event for JACO ✦ Have the first ever student run fundraising event for the MLSE Foundation ✦ Secure in-kind donation of venue as a result of the support offered from the Mayor’s Office ✦ Receive 3 of the 6 group awards from over 40 companies ✦ Volunteer Advising Team of the Year ✦ The Gary & Joanne Reamy Family ROI Award ✦ Company of the Year And from one idea we were able to:
- 5. 23 students 8 advisors 360 products sold $4256.52 in revenue (in under 18 weeks) 100% ROI $3000 in donations (to the MLSE foundation) OUR IMPACT
- 6. OUR LEARNINGS ✦ Learned project planning - not taught at school but needed for most leadership roles (if not for the actual role, then an understanding of project planning is definitely required to effectively guide and coach teams in your area) in the outside world and a 4 year course at college/university ✦ Social enterprises are fairly new. This gave the students an opportunity to research and learn about social enterprises and what makes them different from just any regular company. For example, Free the Children realized that donations dry up and there are only so many benefactors, which is the reason they started MetoWe their own charitable initiative with products sold by Free the Children being their main source of funding. Additionally, this sends out a very powerful message to their customers that they are not just buying a product but also effecting change. Many people get fed up being asked for donations all the time. However, they are more than willing to buy a product that supports a charitable initiative. Example Dove, people were using the soap anyway but sales went up dramatically once people saw where part of the proceeds were going
- 7. OUR LEARNINGS ✦ Communications is key in every walk of life. Many pay huge dollars to attend Carnegie. Here the students got on-the-job training in communicating with politicians, entrepreneurs, Olympians, TV producers. They learned the art of effective communication and the importance of speaking to the heart of the matter to generate positive responses which is the reason their panel did not have just anyone off the street but a Canadian Olympian, Producer of W Network, Owner of Scarborough Snapd and the award winning top sales person from the largest bank in Canada, RBC. ✦ We talk about all the problems with mental illness and youth unrest and crime, that has been shown to start with youth having low self-esteem and self-confidence. These students were all about youth helping youth address this huge problem - not by throwing money at it or by engaging more security and increasing the police force but by youth helping themselves. Just like one of the JACO honourees from the 2015 Bold Thinkers Inspiring Leaders Event Sunny Verma, it is all about connecting youth with mentors. It starts with one, and the student’s #1movement addresses this huge problem plaguing our politicians and community with what is often seen as no resolution in sight.
- 8. OUR LEARNINGS ✦ There is an old saying: 'if you give a man to fish you feed him for a day, if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime'. The #1movement is proof of this. It is not about a hand out but a hand up and that is something that will benefit not only our youth but will have a ripple effect through the community as thru mentorship these youth become effective members rather than a burden on society. As they grow into the next generation they will also ensure that their children get the same help and start out with a hand up, not a hand out thus setting them up for success. This cannot be learned in school or university or collect or thru any business course. ✦ The great philosopher, Plato, once said: 'do not train a child to learn by force or harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.' These students realized (something that is not taught in schools) that youth connect thru arts and sports and therefore their slogan was Arts + Sports = Community as they realized the truth in Plato's saying and approached this problem from a very unique standpoint using Plato's wisdom to approach youth thru arts and sports. This #1movement can be (if given the air time) the beginning of the end of youth crime as well as perhaps also youth mental illness.
- 9. MCXI is determined that their #1movement does not die with the end of the company program so we are actively approaching media around the world to garner support for this movement. The Exchange has the unique opportunity to be at the forefront of this movement and we hope you take this opportunity to start the ball rolling on what will surely soon be a worldwide movement. . #the1movement