Organization:Enactus (formerly SIFE)

Overview

Enactus (previously known as Student In Free Enterprise - SIFE) is an international non-profit organization that begun in 1975. They are essentially a network of student, academic and business leaders that are committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better more sustainable world.

Students form teams on their university campus under guidance of a faculty advisor and business experts. They plan and work on socio-economic outreach projects while gaining important perspective and leadership skills. 

Enactus holds annual regional, national and global competitions which proveds a forum for team to present their projects to peers, other facutly leaders, and business leaders. 

Enactus helps businesses by seeking out the best talent for their corporation. Faculty leaders are able to meet and colloborate with other faculty leaders in order to increase entrepreneurship at their university.Student leaders are able to talk and meet with like-minded peers. They are also able to showcase their skills to potential recruiters.

Purpose

"To enable progress through entrepreneurial action."

Distinct Differences From Other Offerings

There are absolutely no dues or fees involved for participation. They only require a faculty advisor and students can start their own team. There is no specific requirement to have only engineering or technology major students. The teams can be as big or as small as the students want, and can be as different as their project requires. 

Access to global resources and business partners from different industries. Students get a chance to talk and relate with business tycoons, which can one day turn into recruitment opportunities. 

Partners and Donors

Some of Enactus' partner and donors include:

KPMG, Walmart, Sam's Club, Unilever, Dell, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Harmony, Campbell's, Hershey's, HSBC, Johnson and Johnson, The  Home Depot, etc. 

World Cup

Teams from different schools compete nationally. They are judged by business leaders/sponsors who judge the teams on the impact that their projects have. The judging criteria is summarized in "Considering the relevant economic, social and environment factors, which Enactus team most effectivey empowered people in need by applying businss and economic concepts and an entrepreneurial approaco to improve their quality of life and standard of living."

The team that wins the national championship is invited to compete globally in the Enactus World Cup. The World Cup is held annually in many different countries of the world. 

Past Winners of the World Cup:

2001 Drury University

2002 La Sierra University

2003 Drury University

2004 Curtin University of Technology

2005 University of Zimbabwe

2006 Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade

2007 La Sierra University

2008 Memorial University of Newfoundland

2009 French University in Egypt (UFE)

2010 French University in Egypt (UFE)

2011 University of Regensburg

2012Belmont University

2013 Technical University Munich

Scholarship/Grants

Enactus also allows the collaboration between businesses and students. Businesses are able to fund or sponsor a specific project (not competing in the Enactus World Cup) that the students are asked to solve and work on. 

Impact Achieved For Students and Campus

Student Impacts:

          Development of leadership skills

          Building a strong network

          Gain real world experience

          Experience in problem solving

          Opportunity to make a meaningful difference in communities

          Publicity for students and University if teams go far in competition

Campus and Community Impacts:

          Projects can potentially help any part of the campus or community

          Support given to those in need

          Benefit in terms of environment improvement, economic improvement, or social improvement

Outreach

There are 37 countries involved with 1,600 universities. 62,000 students have volunteered over 7,300,000 hours working on projects. 

Steps Required To Bring Resource to Campus

An enquiry must be send to Enactus. They will respond to the enquiry by following up with a faculty member or a university member. After which, the university will be asked to register on a website. Once the registration is done, the students will think up project ideas, decide on a particular project, and then start working on it. 

Contact Information

To create a team:

www.enactusunitedstates.org

www.enactus.org

Teams@enactus.org

____________________________

Enactus World Headquarters:

1959 East Kerr Street

Springfield, Missouri USA 65803

417-831-9505

contact@enactus.org