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Student teams crowned winners at global Western-led summit this June

Three teams with big ideas to address issues in health and mental health care were named as the top winners at the 2023 World’s Challenge Challenge Global Final, hosted June 5 to 8 by Western.

The University of British Columbia students Piper Scott-Fiddler and Samantha Martin-Ferristook home the top prize of $30,000 for their project, the Lifegiver Box, a complementary, interdisciplinary, and culturally inclusive program that supports Indigenous people’s rights to health by choosing their own needs for their sexual health journey.

Coming in second place was a team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong – Bobo Shing, Marco Au Yong and Japan Cheng – with their project, Care for the Carers, an integrated platform designed to support caregivers' mental health and well-being.

In third place was a duo from the University of Alberta, Deem and Ghalia Aamer and their project, TalkMaze, a program aimed at empowering children by boosting their confidence through engaging public speaking and debate training.

The World’s Challenge Challenge began at Western in 2013 and expanded to include a global competition in 2017. The Challenge asks students at participating universities from around the world to form diverse teams to propose solutions based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and pitch their ideas to a panel of judges at their own campuses. The winning teams at each university are then invited to participate in a four-day summit hosted by Western.

In addition to the pitch competition and question and answer session with a panel of judges, this year’s Global Final featured a number of keynote speakers, including award-winning broadcaster and author Ziya Tong and Western grad and personal branding expert Phil Pallen, as well as mentoring and networking opportunities for the participating teams.

“We were thrilled to welcome 13 incredible teams from around the world to this year’s hybrid World’s Challenge Challenge Global Final," said Lise Laport, senior director at Western International. "Every year, I am impressed by the student participants and their creativity, ingenuity and desire to solve some of our world’s most pressing issues."