How you can change the world

At ANU you will be empowered to achieve your best and be equipped with tools to excel, but what will you do with those tools to make a difference in the world?

Three leading young social entrepreneurs are returning to campus to participate in a panel discussion to speak about their passion, ideas, and commitment to changing the world through philanthropy.

Register here

Panellists include:

Nipuni Wijewickrema, National Finalist Young Australian of the Year 2016

Ben Duggan BA ’14, Founder Raising Hope Education Foundation

Sam Cheah BEng (Hons) ‘15, co-founder of the Engage outreach program

The discussion will be followed by Q&A with the panel. You can also find out how to crowdfund using the USEED@ANU student crowdfunding platform.

You will have the chance to meet some of University’s most inspirational young alumni and build your personal and professional networks. Light refreshments will be provided after the event in the Australian Centre on China in the World Auditorium foyer.

About the Speakers

Nipuni Wijewickrema, Social entrepreneur and National Finalist Young Australian of the Year 2016
A young woman trying to change the world “one flower at a time”, Nipuni Wijewickrema runs a floristry business designed to create employment opportunities for people with special needs.

Nip, as she is affectionately known, first established GG’s Florist with her family to ensure her 16 year old younger sister Gayana would have fulfilling work after graduating from high school. Gayana, who has was born with Down syndrome, is now famous around Canberra for her floral deliveries that always come with a big hug. From a backyard garden shed, Nip has shown other local organisations how to create safe working environments for people with disabilities.

As well as working full-time and managing the family floristry business, Nip is a volunteer counsellor with Lifeline and contributes regularly to community initiatives, assisting many young people through her work with the ACT Youth Advisory Council.

Passionate, dedicated, driven and incredibly sleep deprived, Nip has developed a socially sustainable business model which is changing the way Canberrans think about inclusion.

Ben Duggan (BA ’14), Founder Raising Hope Education Foundation, 2015 ANU Alumni Award Recipient (Undergraduate Student of the Year)

In 2011, Ben created the Raising Hope Education Foundation, aiming to convince his fellow ANU students to volunteer in local schools. Ben wanted to encourage school students to follow their dreams by supporting them to believe in themselves.
He formally established Raising Hope in 2012, supported by local principals and business leaders. Over the past few years, hundreds of ANU students have volunteered for Raising Hope, going into schools and helping through mentoring, tutoring and other roles. The foundation has received over $100,000 in funding.

In 2014, Ben was selected by the US Ambassador to participate in a prestigious three-week leadership exchange, the International Visitor Leadership Program. The program saw Ben visit schools, universities and businesses in America with the US Department of State.

Ben has volunteered with a number of other organisations, including White Ribbon, Movember, the National Student Leadership Forum, YMCA and Oaktree Foundation. He has also spent two years on the board of directors of Bendigo Community Banks in Canberra.

Ben built Raising Hope to become a sustainable organisation and he handed it over to another ANU student at the end of 2014 when he completed his studies. He is now a local teacher at Melrose High School through the Teach for Australia program.

Sam Cheah BEng (Hons) ’15, co-founder Engage

In 2015 Sam Cheah was awarded the Tillyard Prize, the most prestigious award prize for undergraduate students at ANU.

Whilst studying at ANU, Sam co-founded the university outreach program Engage, a Canberra-based not for profit which gives high school students in regional areas the chance to meet university students and take part in hands-on workshops relevant to university topics.

Engage, has partnered three different outreach organisations to visit 626 students at 15 different schools in New South Wales and ACT.

Sam has big plans to grow Engage beyond a voluntary organisation following her graduation in December 2015.