Overview
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shift to remote/virtual learning many student organizations at Universities across Canada lost much of their audience and engagement. This has been felt close to home within the club’s community here at the Sprott School of Business. Hit particularly hard was an academic case competition club known as JDCC Sprott. Delegates from Sprott would attend the annual JDCC competition engaging in academic cases competitions and debates amongst the many prestigious member schools.
When education shifted online, so did the annual competition that so many students loved. Many students disliked their education being online and this echoed into their feelings towards the competition being hosted virtually. With this occurring, the strong foundation of the club collapsed and the club went dormant due to the lack of interest.
This past September of 2022 Students returned to Carleton University on a full time basis. As students returned, many have expressed interest in getting involved in extracurricular activities. The network of clubs at the Sprott School of Business has numerous clubs, typically concentration or social initiative based. This has left a gap in offerings as there is a lack of an academic based group for Sprott students to participate.
Many Sprott students study in the undergraduate resource room located on the ground floor of the Nicol Building which features a trophy case full of awards previous JDCC teams have won. This led some students to question why we do not currently have a team and have expressed great interest in reviving the club. This has led to a group of dedicated students led by Roy Beroff to hire a team of volunteers to recruit the next JDCC team from Sprott!
The Background
By fundraising for the JDCC Sprott team you are encouraging the growth of school culture, experiential learning, school representation, and academic excellence. An important aspect of being included in a community is by developing a strong culture of inclusivity and community engagement. A large component of the JDCC competition actually takes place before the event as teams are required to complete volunteer service. This adds a unique component to the competition as it helps promote the school within the Ottawa community while encouraging students to make a positive impact in the community.
Students will also have the opportunity to gain valuable experiential learning throughout their participation in JDCC. The event encourages students to develop solutions to real world business problems in a short time frame. This experience is highly valuable for students to further develop and apply skills learned in the classroom while gaining skills which could help with their future professional careers. This once in a lifetime experience does not only help develop vital business skills as it is also a huge networking experience with other students from across the country.
The Rollout
The funds raised from donors will be strategically put to use in order to ensure our initiative is successful. The allocated funds will be put in place to reduce the costs for students to attend. By doing this we are making the participation in JDCC accessible to all students within the Sprott School of Business. Inclusivity and accessibility is our priority and the use of the funds will help us reach that goal. This approach helps us revive the club and create a thriving academic environment we can celebrate.
The Impact
Carleton University is known for the diversity of clubs around campus. While this project is aimed at Sprott students, it will benefit all Sprott students to have a chance to interact and develop themselves academically in a competitive environment. JDCC encourages students to increase efforts into their academics, resulting in a more fulfilling university academic experience. As for existing students, utilizing their existing knowledge to solve problems can provide necessary skills and experience to enter the workfield. Overall, this project will greatly benefit Sprott students academic careers, nurture necessary skills for developing their future careers.
A core value of the JDCC event is the community service requirement for each delegate to attend. This will benefit both the Carleton and greater Ottawa communities as Sprott students will showcase their leadership across the city while delivering a positive impact across the city.
Other Comments
Is it possible to remove the previous JDCC campaign listed? That campaign was created by a previous team and our new application is in partnership with this years team.