Stories

Joel Brennan grew up paddling and skateboarding in Canada’s Yukon Territory. As a teen, he was active in extreme sports, and went on to compete at the 2011 Whitewater Kayak Freestyle World Championships. Having tried different land paddles, Joel ended up with shoulder pain and believed he could engineer something better. Joel’s unique vision for creating the SUPStick, the ultimate land paddle, was born.

Maayan Ziv of Access Now is creating a more accessible world for people living with disabilities. She created an app that uses crowdsourcing to collect and share information about the accessibility of places around the globe.

The Rankin Rock Hockey Camp added components of literacy, nutrition and personal wellness, and leadership skills training to their hockey camps, as well as local employment for their community.

While in his 20s, Co-founder of Chinova Bioworks, David Brown developed a unique and innovative mushroom-based fiber extract used for the shelf life extension of foods and beverages. This natural ingredient allows food and beverages to be protected from microorganisms including bacteria, yeast and mold and plays an important role in reducing food waste around the world.

In her 20s, Breanne Everett co-founded Orpyx Medical to develop her idea for shoe insoles that prompts patients with diabetic foot conditions to move their feet to improve blood flow. This wearable tech has improved users’ quality of life and reduced health care costs by decreasing the risks of sores, infection and amputation.

Recognizing that not a single indigenous person worked in the healthcare field in Whitehorse, this team started to ask why? They set about a course of action to encourage more northerners to enter the healthcare sector: bringing students to summits profiling different career paths in health care, workshops with professionals and First Aid Certification opportunities.

A student-run organization, is providing 3D-printed face shields for frontline workers. “Our main goal is to provide face shields for workers in long term care facilities because senior citizens are especially vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19.” Their team successfully applied for the #RisingYouth community service grant.