A team of five students from Assiniboine Community College’s School of Business is competing in the Royal Roads Design Thinking Challenge this week.
The challenge put in front of teams this year is ‘how might non-profit clothing thrift stores become places that further bolster inclusivity and community?’
The Challenge aims to test students’ problem-solving skills as they work with civic leaders to address real-world challenges and help create positive changes in the community.
Students John Olson, Brittany Blair, Ariel Cummer, Josh Hardy, and Elizabeth Taylor worked together under the guidance of a leadership coach, Leanne Zamrykut. The Assiniboine team is the only team from Manitoba competing in this year’s competition.
The team has done extensive research with observations, focus groups, and surveys in preparation for the challenge. The live competition started on Feb. 15 and will run until Feb. 18 when the group will present the research they have done along with their proposed solutions. A panel of judges will provide feedback on each round they complete.
“So far, the Challenge has been eye opening for me and has challenged my way of thinking. Typically, when companies, businesses, and other entities require support to attain attention and growth in their communities, I almost always immediately think social media is the answer. However, this Challenge helped me understand that there will be times and places that don’t require social media and money to be at the forefront of the conversation,” said Josh Hardy, a second year Business Administration student in the Marketing specialization. “I’m super excited about the event, and I cannot wait to see what our team and those we are competing against create as strategies. It should be fun!”
Four college and university teams from across Canada, one team from the USA, and one from Europe are
participating across three rounds and are expected to leverage design thinking methods to develop a solution.
This is the third year that Assiniboine has had a team participate in the Royal Roads Design Thinking Challenge.
"This is a great opportunity for students to learn about the design thinking process and practice. It takes the skills and knowledge they’ve been developing in class and applies it to a real-world application,” said Leanne Zamrykut. “The students have been working very hard, and it’s been fun to watch them work through the live competition.”
ABOUT Royal Roads University
Royal Roads University is a publicly funded, applied research university that has focused on lifelong education since 1995. Royal Roads is located in Victoria, B.C.
ABOUT Assiniboine Community College
Assiniboine Community College in Brandon has been educating students for 60-plus years, for the Manitoba labour market. Following the philosophy of “learn by doing,” programs combine theory with hands-on learning inside classrooms, labs, kitchens, shops, fields, and the college’s Sustainable Greenhouse.
Assiniboine offers more than 60 certificate, diploma, and post-graduate programs including culinary arts and hospitality, business, agriculture and environment, health and human services, and trades and technology. The college also delivers apprenticeship programming in a range of skilled trades disciplines.
The college welcomed more than 3,700 full-time and 6,000 part-time students last year with campuses in Brandon, Dauphin, Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie.
