First off, so sorry we couldn’t put up an article for Day 2

The competition officially kicked off on Sunday, October 10.

Here’s what happened on Day 2:

1) Cultural Fair: The cultural fair was one of the most colourful experiences in my life. There were SIFE members from Puerto Rico to Nigeria to United Kingdom to India. What made the whole experience special was that we instantly went from competitors to accepting each other as a SIFE family. Thirty nine countries became one big family with smiles, laughter and jokes.

2) Opening Ceremony. We all got pumped with the cultural fair but the opening ceremony left us completely speechless! There were more than 2000 people all in one room cheering as loud as we could and dancing like we’ve never danced before. Flags waving with K’naan playing in the background made us feel like we were on “Cloud 9″. In that moment, we felt close, not as SIFE Ryerson, not as SIFE Canada, but as SIFE as a family.

Announced at the opening ceremony were the presentation time for SIFE Canada. With the success of Memorial University being placed in the top 4 in the  2009 SIFE World Cup, SIFE Canada and the other 3 teams were fortunate to choose leagues in advance of the rest of the teams.

We were in League 8. Our competitors were Australia, Kenya, Sweden, Tunisia and Canada. Once leagues were announced, we went off to practice some more with the team, hug them and tell them how AWESOME they are!

*sigh* This was just the opening day of the SIFE World Cup!

Here’s how Day 3 in Anaheim, the second day of the competition unraveled:

1) Watching the success of other SIFE teams. We knew that we presenting at the last spot of the day. We began sitting in presentations from countries from around the world. The cool takeaway for me was that we are all doing similar programs to strive for one goal. Whether that goal is education, creating awareness, motivation, etc.

2) Then, it was our turn. Team Canada presented in  front of a packed room that left the judges overwhelmed. There was a lot of support from Canada as well as other teams we like and trust. The question and answer is a difficult component of the competition. Team Canada was able to beautifully carve answers that not only satisfied judges but also went beyond the question.

3) Time for the results for Semis. We were nervous and excited. A wise man once said, “Always believe that you can win but as soon as you think you won, you lost.” With a few shocking upsets, we anxiously waited for the results. Woohooo!! We advanced to the Semis! Here is the order for the presentation: Canada, Japan, USA and France.

Final Day of Competition

Today is the final day of competition. We are excited to present. Out of 1500 teams, Team Canada is in the top 16; no matter we win or lose, we are proud of our success.

Wish us luck!

PS: Watch the live stream at http://sife.org/worldcup/live

PPS: Here are links to articles for Day 0, Day 1.

Article by Nehal Kazim

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Ryerson were big winners at the 2010 Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) Central Canada Regional Exposition, winning two of three challenges and finishing second in the other. The ACE event is an annual contest for students to develop economic and learning opportunities for target audiences in their community.

SIFE Ryerson went up against 17 university teams from central Ontario to become regional champions in both the HSBC SIFE Financial Education and SIFE Green – Environmental Sustainability contests. The team was the runner-up in the TD SIFE Entrepreneurship challenge.

“It feels great to win. This is the first time SIFE Ryerson participated in three challenges at the regional competitions. Our achievements are a reflection of everything we’ve worked for, on programs that are making a real difference in the community. I’m extremely proud of the team,” said Rohan Sharma, SIFE Ryerson president.

SIFE Ryerson won the inaugural  sustainability challenge for three ideas the team developed: RU Green Challenge, a six-week environmental initiative encouraging individuals to make more environmentally sustainable decisions; Customized Informatics Solutions, a project that helps existing businesses implement environmentally responsible strategies; and the BlackBerry Green App Challenge, an international contest for BlackBerry users to create a concept for an application that solves a common environmental or sustainability issue within a company.

SIFE Ryerson won the HSBC SIFE Financial Education championship title for Start Smart, a program that gives secondary school students the necessary tools to save money for their future. Members of SIFE Ryerson teach students about the importance and value of financial planning.

The SIFE Ryerson team will travel to Calgary in May for the 2010 ACE National Exposition to defend their national championship in financial education. They will also compete against more than 50 teams from across the country for a chance to represent Canada in the 2010 SIFE World Cup in Los Angeles in October. The teams have to develop a 24-minute live presentation, complete with annual report, to convey their overall community impact to panels of business representatives.

If you are a successful entrepreneur attending a Canadian university or college full time, or you know someone who is, be sure to submit your nomination for the 2010 National Student Entrepreneur Competition, operated by ACE and proudly presented by CIBC.

To be eligible for the award, students and their businesses must meet the following criteria:

• Be a full-time undergraduate and/or graduate student at a Canadian university or college for the 2009-2010 academic year
• Be a founder and have at least 50 per cent ownership of the company and be responsible for its operation
• Have been in business for at least the past six months (as of December 4, 2009)
• Have not competed in the final round of the National Student Entrepreneur Competition in past

Award timeline:
Tuesday September 8, 2009: Nominations/self nomination open
Friday December 4, 2009: Nominations/self nominations close
Friday January 8, 2010: Applications due

Visit www.acecanada.ca for more information or contact programs@acecanada.ca