NUI Galway Enactus was launched recently, with the NUI Galway team planning to provide healthy packed lunches for schools. Sarah-Jane Smith reports…
Enactus NUIG was formally launched on Wednesday 13 March in the president’s drawing room in the quadrangle on campus.
There was a very momentous atmosphere in the room with students, academics and corporate sponsors present for the occasion.
This is the second year of the competition and NUI Galway are competing in it once again. Many at the launch were certain that Enactus will continue on for many years and that NUI Galway will have a place among the competitors and hopefully the winners.
Enactus are a worldwide organization that consists of student, academic and business leaders who are working together to create sustainable and empowering opportunities for many people.
Enactus, formally known as SIFE, rebranded to represent the worldwide community in a more comprehensive and translatable way; Enactus can be said in any country and the meaning will be understood without explanation.
An Enactus idea is one which can be carried on even after the founders have left; an idea which continues to empower people throughout its running.
NUI Galway’s’s team, which consists of Stephen Duff as team leader, MJ Carroll as corporate liaison and 35 other members among the student body, have come up with the idea to provide healthy packed lunches to primary schools in the local community and they also endeavor to employ those with depression for their idea.
The team always had the focus of mental health and depression because they were aware of the extent of the problem among their fellow students and each member of the team knew of someone who suffered from this illness.
They also acknowledged the problem of obesity among the young children of our society and decided to combine these two issues to create their Enactus idea. They came up with the healthy lunches campaign on a night out in Carbon and have just rolled with it ever since.
Once the concept of fighting depression and mental health issues was conceived the NUI Galway team decided to involve Pieta house as their charity.
Although Enactus is a charity itself, the team believed they needed a more recognizable name. The involvement of Pieta House would hopefully inspire more people to become part of their idea but also provide the team with the proper resources so they could employ those best suited and capable for the job and those who would benefit most from the work.
NUI Galway’s team aimed to build confidence among those with depression and empower them so they could fight their illness, grow stronger and return to life as before.
The team has already linked with two schools in the local area to begin their healthy eating campaign. Although they were much later starting in comparison to other universities, they are now only two weeks behind Trinity College and are therefore well on their to winning this year’s competition.
