UNSW student Denny Dien and Engineering Scientia Experience Manager Selena Griffith will travel to Toronto next month for the Enactus World Cup, a meeting of 3,500 social entrepreneurs and innovators.

The Enactus World Cup will see student teams from around the globe gather to present their social entrepreneurship projects, and Dien and Griffith are hoping to bring back ideas and inspiration for the UNSW Enactus group.

The pair head to Toronto having won awards at the recent Enactus National Conference and Championships.

Dien, who is Vice President of Projects at UNSW Enactus, received the Most Outstanding Student award for his role in guiding two social entrepreneurship projects, as well as supporting the research and development teams.

Griffith received the Most Outstanding Faculty Adviser award for her leadership and mentorship of UNSW Enactus, which is currently the largest branch in Australia with more than 60 members.

Currently studying a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Computer Science, Dien says the first social enterprise project he looked after was ‘The Bean Community’.

“The problem they are trying to address is the difficulty asylum seekers face finding jobs without local work experience,” he says. 

Through a partnership between the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown and a café in Macquarie Bank, the project is helping asylum seekers build hospitality and barista skills. It has already helped one participant gain employment.

The other project Dien helped develop is ‘Fortunate Food Co.’, which tackles the issue of food waste by looking at produce that has been rejected because it is “off spec” – different shapes, sizes and small blemishes.

“We take that waste and convert it into things like chutney, juices and fruit salads. We then sell those at market stalls and work with the long-term unemployed to give them some experience so that they can transition back into the workforce.”

Dien says when he finished high school he wanted to study a course where he could “make a difference” however he felt his options were limited to health and medicine.

“Eventually I discovered the idea of social entrepreneurship – being able to combine business with social impact. I really liked that and Enactus was perfect to learn more about this field,” he says.

 “I’ve been exposed to a lot of different tools like design thinking and how we can go about understanding different problems and finding solutions to them. I’ve met really amazing people as well.”

In his current role Dien has had the opportunity to work with the Enactus Business Advisory Board members – business professionals who have volunteered to mentor Enactus students.

“I have gained a lot in the way of personal development from being part of Enactus because I have had a lot of opportunities to develop skills and build connections with the business community.

“As a project leader I have learnt how to develop and manage a team and how to guide, support and mentor participants including developing a team culture.”

Dien also emphasises that the projects they are developing are not just “case studies” but actual businesses, which he says is what differentiates Enactus from many other societies and organisations.

“I would really recommend students to join Enactus because on the one hand it is really great for personal development, but it’s also a place where you can also make real social impact and see the impact you are making.”