Students from The University of Queensland Ipswich Campus are preparing to welcome their interstate rivals to Brisbane next month for the annual SIFE competition.
The Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) competition brings together university students from around Australia to battle for the national title in a competition that is played on an international scale.
SIFE teams around the world are changing the world by making a difference in their local communities. SIFE students invent new futures for themselves and for others through entrepreneurial educational outreach projects.
The 2006 winner of the national SIFE competition will represent Australia at the SIFE World Cup to be held in Paris in September.
And the SIFE team from The University of Queensland Ipswich Campus is setting its sights on Paris in preparation for the national competition, to be held at the Brisbane Hilton Hotel from July 6 – 8.
The team will present an annual report and deliver an oral presentation to summarise their community activities for the past 12 months, which has seen them involved in teaching enterprise education to primary school students, to assisting senior citizens sharpen their internet skills.
The team’s presentation will follow on from its success at the 2005 SIFE national competition, where team members were placed second in their league to former Australian champions Melbourne University.
SIFE UQ Chief Executive Officer Angela Ruhland said the team was confident their initiatives and programs were sure to impress the competition judges, who represent some of the top companies in Australia.
“This year we have refined our activities to focus on expanding horizons of youth in the region by giving them access to enterprise education, peer mentoring and life skills,” Ms Ruhland said.
“It’s about giving something back to the community, and for us students to put the theory learnt at uni into practice to help others.”
SIFE UQ Faculty Advisor Dr Marie Kavanagh said she was proud of the hard work and dedication of the team, many of whom balance SIFE involvement with full-time study and part-time employment.
She said a 15-strong team, supported by a group of UQ staff, will attend the upcoming competition and be ready to compete on “home turf”.
“Those who won’t be presenting will be there to provide moral support, back-up and a cheer squad for the team,” she said.
“The competition attracts entrants from 28 universities from around the country, bringing together hundreds of students, business leaders and industry representatives.
“We are proud to be involved and represent The University of Queensland in such a high-profile event.”
Some of the 2006 SIFE UQ projects include organisation of the recent Buzz With Business Conference, at which over 300 Year 10 students from around the region learned about the excitement and challenges of the business world,. They are also co-ordinating an upcoming Engaging Business Conference which is open to Year 12 students; training and tutoring with the Senior Net program, peer mentoring in schools; and operating the second-hand bookshop at the Ipswich Campus.
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