Societies at Sheffield – Enactus

Hannah ReaneyHi! I’m Hannah, a BA Business Management student in my second year of study. In this blog, I’m going to talk about something that I’m really passionate about, which is Enactus, a society that you can be a part of at University of Sheffield.

Societies that you can get involved with at university are never ending, and range from sports clubs like cheerleading and football, to groups such as Quidditch and film making. But there’s a society I want to talk about in particular, which is known as Enactus. We are a society that is quite different from others as we’re a stand-alone organisation that doesn’t have to adhere to the usual rules of university societies, as we have our own funding.

So, what is Enactus Sheffield?

Enactus stands for ‘Entrepreneurial, Action, and Us’. It’s a non-profit social enterprise run by students, which runs a range of projects both locally and internationally to benefit communities. Our aim is to provide aid to local and international social issues through the development of new businesses. Each year, Enactus Sheffield takes part in the Enactus National Competition with 55 other teams from all over the UK. We get to present on what impact our enterprises have had over the past year, and each team is judged – in each of the last eight years we have placed in the top four teams! We have also received recognition from the former Prime Minister David Cameron and HRH Prince William, as well as winning several national awards.

Facts about Enactus:maxresdefault

  • Takes place in 36 Countries
  • Over 1,730 universities take part
  • We have 72,000+ student members
  • Our work has impacted 1,300,000+ people

Opportunities at Enactus:

All of the above are obviously great reasons to get involved, however you might be asking what Enactus can do for you? The opportunities that you gain when you take part in this society are huge, and range from meeting and working with a large group of diverse people, to the opportunity to develop and enhance your skills at multiple training days and weekends. You would also have the opportunity to go to Nationals, and if successful compete in The World Cup, which this year is in San Francisco! As well as that, implementing our projects take our members around the world, with members travelling to Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi and Bolivia.

Lastly, we’re part of a global network that supports the amazing work we do, with sponsor companies such as Asda, KPMG, Centrica and Accenture to name just a few. So, if you have your eye on a graduate job (which let’s face it, all of us do) then join Enactus to have access to this network of companies keen to employ you.

Enactus

What is Enactus?

Nathan AllabyBy Nathan Allaby

You probably haven’t heard of Enactus before, and neither had I. Although Enactus is actually an absolutely massive nonprofit social enterprise, operating in 36 different countries and over 1700 universities worldwide. The organisation creates a platform for entrepreneurial students to create community development projects both locally and internationally. In addition to these projects, regional, national and international competitions are run annually, in which Enactus teams from around the world showcase their work to a board of corporate executives. Enactus Sheffield has a fantastic track record in these competitions, taking second place at nationals for the past 9 years and winning in 2010 and 2014.

What you will do in Enactus Sheffield_MG_9854

There are two broad types of projects at Enactus Sheffield. Social Projects are those that aim to improve the lives of those in need in a sustainable and effective way, whilst Commercial Projects are separate businesses run in order to fund the Social Projects. At the moment I am working in a commercial programme called “The One Project,” where we sell mineral water to local cafes and establish marketing campaigns to increase awareness of water sanitation issues in parts of Africa. This involves meeting once a week on Wednesday afternoons, where our team members share their independent progress during the week and also discuss different selling strategy ideas collaboratively.

Outcomes and Skills

This project has significantly developed my confidence and presentation skills as I was given the opportunity to meet with potential clients and pitch our product. In addition to this, it is rare to be able to have full control over the running of a business but to also have a support network available at the same time. At the moment, I am in the sales team of “The One Project”, however there are also great promotion prospects, and starting second year I hope to be leading my own smaller project. There are also many positions available on the committee including roles such as Financial Director and Head of Media Relations. Therefore, whatever your particular skill set is, you’ll be able to find a role that you can enjoy and excel in.