For Gurkirat Singh, participating in the Experience Ventures program was the gateway to realizing an unexpected passion for the not-for-profit space.
As a fourth-year accounting major at the University of Calgary, taking part in the program was a step outside his comfort zone, which he asserts was the main draw. “It was something I had never done before — I didn’t know what to expect,” he says.
Experience Ventures, powered by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking and funded by the Government of Canada, enables post-secondary students to make an impact alongside real-world innovators through entrepreneurial thinking placements.
For Singh, whose placement saw him working with Master of Arts student Emmanuel Amaechi, co-founder of Street2School, his experience with Experience Ventures helped him broaden his horizons and realize the impact of mentorship.
Bringing accessible education to Nigeria with Street2School
Amaechi, along with two overseas colleagues, started Street2School back in February 2021. With mobile learning platforms, Street2School provides free and flexible education to underprivileged children in Nigeria.
Through his participation in Hunter Hub program Launchpad and, subsequently, the e2i mentorship program, Amaechi and his team brought Street2School to life.
Amaechi learned about Experience Ventures through his involvement with e2i. “As someone who has worked with various mentors, I liked the idea of becoming a mentor myself," he says. "Programs like these are beneficial because you get to learn by doing and put ideas into action while working alongside a student.”
During his collaboration with Singh, Amaechi travelled to Nigeria to oversee the project, while back home Singh documented research on current projects, existing gaps and opportunities, as well as recommendations to tackle future plans as the organization scales.
A mutually beneficial collaboration between students and ventures
Experience Ventures offers five different types of placements. Singh participated in the project placement, which requires 80 hours of time investment, with an honorarium at the end.
For Singh, the placement allowed him to further develop his professional skills, while also helping him to broaden his professional network. “This placement really prepared me for future endeavours,” he says.
Beyond the practical skills he gained, Singh says he appreciated the opportunity to learn something new about himself.
“When I saw the passion that Emmanuel had for contributing to the community, that really awakened my interest. Going forward in my professional journey, there is this new facet of myself that I can explore,” he says. “Like, how can I use my skills in accounting to provide more opportunities to those in the community?”
As beneficial as the program is for participating students, it's equally valuable for ventures participating as experience hosts.
“Working with Gurkirat propelled the growth of Street2School and propelled my growth as a mentor,” Amaechi says.
The collaboration enabled the two to create an ongoing dialogue, which Amaechi notes as a key takeaway from the experience. “In addition to helping me with my time management skills, I got the chance to strengthen my active listening skills and learn from the ongoing conversation of our collaboration,” he says. “We found a way to build synergy.”
Further, the two walked away with more than professional achievement; they also walked away with a lifelong friendship.
“Gurkirat are I are best friends now, and, to this day, are working on sustainable development projects because we share the same goal of advancing quality education. It’s something we celebrate,” Amaechi says.
Singh echoes the same sentiment. “The zeal that Emmanuel has when it comes to impacting other people's lives, that is what I’m looking forward to doing in the future," he says. "Also, Emmanuel and I are now dear friends. He was the perfect mentor for what I wanted from a mentor.”
Facilitating learning opportunities outside the classroom
A trademark pillar to the Experience Ventures program is how it enables students to build entrepreneurial thinking skills outside the context of a classroom.
“Entrepreneurial thinking is a door that leads to many opportunities. It gives you the chance to make an impact on other people's lives,” Singh says. “Life is not just about your own achievements, but also about what you contribute to the community. If you develop entrepreneurial thinking, you are one step closer to doing something unique in the world.”
Amaechi has a similar mindset. “Entrepreneurial thinking makes you look at a project and think about the return on investment, which could be many different things,” says Amaechi, who plans to move on to a PhD after completing his master's. “Return on investment is not always a financial reward. It could be giving someone a chance, it could be providing that quality education to someone, it could be just being involved in a project that gives you joy, it could simply be personal fulfilment.
"Entreprenurial thinking pertains to the context you choose to look at something and why you choose to look at it that way.”
This sentiment certainly rings true for Singh as he muses on his next steps following the placement.
“Going forward, I won’t limit myself, and that would be the advice I give to everyone,” he says. “Never limit yourself to one skill or field of study — explore new options because you never know what might resonate with you. You might end up doing that for the rest of your life.”
Learn more about Experience Ventures via its website and social media.
