On Thursday 23rd March 2017, the Social Impact Lab, with the support of the Faculty International Partnership Office, celebrated the excellent contributions of student social enterprise at the University of Southampton. This one-day networking event, funded by the British Council and supported by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), showcased the current curricular and extra-curricular activities of the Lab, together with the outstanding work by our students.
Recognising our talent
The diversity of projects and students at the University produces a variety of impact in different sectors and even countries.
Curious? Contact usFormer and current students Katie O’Sullivan ( Blupoint , Geography graduate), Andreas Ostrovsky Pereira ( Sagar Energy Solutions , Politics & International Relations graduate), Jake Davies and Matt Norman ( Enactus Southampton , current student), Adam Boxer and Bradley Heslop, ( Wessex Social Ventures , Engineering graduates), and Maria Dutton ( Ethico , current student) presented their on going projects in the area of student enterprise.
A case study in effective student action
EthiCo is a student run business set up to tackle plastic waste and other environmental issues in our society. We believe that many people care about these issues but don't have the time to research their product’s origin. At EthiCo, we stand for ethical company, our ethos is to make every aspect of our company ethically and sustainably sound. We actively promote our products to raise awareness of and help solve these environmental issues. We currently sell reusable coffee cups and a ‘one stop shop’ solution with the EthiCo Essentials Kit. Working in partnership with the University, customers receive discounts on hot drinks by using the reusable coffee cup, incentivising disuse of disposable cups.
An international audience for international projects
The University also welcomed international guests from the prestigious IIT Madras (India) as well as representatives from the British Consulate and the CII. The event concluded with the announcement of the winners of the UK-India Social Innovation Challenge 2017, which supported innovative and sustainable solutions that provide clean water and sanitation. The University of Southampton submission by JuaMaji was awarded with the second prize of this important award.
More information about the UK-India Social Innovation Challenge 2017 here .
