I have been amazed over the past few years at the level of commitment to "social good" that local businesses have demonstrated to our work in Haiti.
Clearly, BlackBerry has been a significant contributor by providing 200+ phones and tablets as well as the expertise of Rob McBride, one of its Directors. He has traveled numerous times to provide training sessions and one-on-one support to our partners in Haiti. The fact that he is a Laurier alum and fluent Creole speaker helps foster this partnership!
More recently, Desire2Learn has come on board. This local company is a "mover and shaker" in the on-line learning world. Many universities and school systems use their learning management system for on-line courses. Their platform is used by more than 15 million people world-wide. Their Chief Strategic Officer will be accompanying our team in October to see how D2L may be involved with our work in educational capacity-building in Haiti. Check out their website: brightspace by D2L
Other businesses, as well as Laurier's own Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship, Launchpad, and Enactus student group, are also joining in the conversation.
Businesses might call this a "win-win". They get to explore how their products and services "make sense" in an emerging nation context while at the same time contributing to the ability of principals, teachers, and higher education personnel to develop stronger curricular and teaching abilities. The ultimate beneficiary? Students.
Social good in the business world? Emphatically, yes.
About Me
- Steve Sider
- I have been an elementary and secondary school teacher and administrator. Currently, I am a faculty member in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. My M.Ed. and Ph.D. had a focus on the educational and linguistic experiences of children who moved from other countries to Canada.
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