ACE Memorial, a group of young entrepreneurs on campus, have earned the privilege to represent Canada in the SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) World Cup. Fifteen members of the ACE Memorial team will be in Paris, France this week to compete against teams from 48 other countries.

This world-class event brings together teams of university students from around the globe to showcase their outreach projects and the impact they have had on their communities. More than 1,000 people will attend the competition hosted by SIFE, a global non-profit organization that mobilizes university students to create economic opportunity for others while discovering their own potential.

Since it's inception in 1992, ACE Memorial has grown to be one of the strongest teams involved in the ACE (Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship) organization. In May, a team of Canadian business leaders acting as judges at the ACE National Exposition decided that ACE Memorial was “the most enterprising campus in Canada” and the best choice to represent Canada at the SIFE World Cup.

The ACE Memorial team has been prepping extensively for their trip. In addition to their regular meetings and ongoing projects, the presentation team has spent months fine-tuning their presentation. Andrew Crocker, a member of the ACE Memorial executive team who will be competing in the World Cup said, “A few years ago you could ad lib your presentation like you would in class, but it takes more to win these days. Presentations are scripted and there are a lot of visual features like video introductions and testimonials.”

SIFE has specific criteria that the projects will be judged against, but essentially the teams are judged on the difference they are making in their community. As Mr. Crocker explained, “the main focus of SIFE is to help communities find entrepreneurial answers to social problems and issues.” Business executives from 30 countries, including some of the world's top CEOs, will judge the competition in Paris.

As the students prepare for the competition, their pride is evident. “We're all excited to be going to the World Cup, but beyond that we are proud of the success we have had with our programs. We are looking forward to getting on stage and talking about what we have accomplished for our community.”

ACE Memorial has over 60 active members who have contributed 4,397 volunteer hours to 21 different projects in the past year. Their projects have helped elementary, high school, and post secondary students, new Canadians, at-risk youth and small business owners.

Dr. Gary Gorman, dean of the Faculty of Business, and Prof. Lynn Morrissey, faculty advisor for ACE Memorial, will be accompanying the team to the World Cup. Dr. Gorman is enthusiastic about the students' opportunity. “These students have created and delivered truly innovative programs and I'm extremely proud to see their achievements recognized at this level,” he said. “They have the support of the entire Memorial community and I'm confident they will represent Canada well on the world stage”

You can watch the competition online via a webcast. The champion will be named on September 13.