Meet four inspiring young Canadian entrepreneurs making a difference.
The Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation (IEF-FIE) is proud to announce that Kehkashan Basu, Cheyenne Sundance, Anjali Dhaliwal and Warren Deitrich are this year’s finalists for the Youth Impact Award, a prize recognizing and celebrating young and upcoming business leaders from across Canada.
This prize is awarded to youth demonstrating their leadership through entrepreneurship.
“We cannot afford to underestimate or fail to support the next generation of entrepreneurs,” said Kayla Isabelle, Board Chair of the IEF-FIE and CEO of Startup Canada. “We need to create opportunity, reward initiative and elevate our young people in their successes today as part of the investment into our future.The innovation, strength and ability we found throughout the many applicants for this category has been completely inspiring.”
Recognizing excellence in Canadian entrepreneurship and underscoring the crucial role that this ecosystem plays in the country’s economy, The CANIE Awards are proud to support young people who are creating a positive impact and contributing to the nation’s well-being and prosperity.
Individual Youth Impact Award semi-finalist profile videos will roll out on the IEF-FIE website from the 4th August until the 12th of August 2021 in the order laid out below:
Meet the 2021 Youth Impact Award finalists:
Kehkashan Basu
Green Hope Foundation
DATE: 4th August
Location Toronto Ontario
Kehkashan Basu is the Founder/President of global social innovation enterprise Green Hope Foundation, which works at a grassroots level in 25 countries to empower all sectors of civil society, especially its young people. She is the 2016’s International Children’s Peace Prize winner, a Forbes 30 under 30 For Education, a United Nations Human Rights Champion, a National Geographic Young Explorer, a UN Habitat Young City Champion and the youngest ever Global Coordinator for the UN Environment Program’s Major Group for Children & Youth. Kehkashan is also one of Canada’s Top 25 Women of Influence, a member of the World Humanitarian Forum Youth Council and UN
Women’s Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Justice, and she has tirelessly worked to amplify the voices of young people, especially women and girls, in decision-making processes. She founded Green Hope in 2012, when she was 12 years old. Under Kehkashan’s strategic leadership, Green Hope has evolved into an international changemaking platform that has directly impacted 142,000+ people. Her book Tree of Hope launched at the 2015 United Nations Children’s Summit in New York City. Learn more: greenhopefoundation.com
Cheyenne Sundance, ON
Sundance Harvest Farm
DATE: 5th August
Location: Toronto, ON
Cheyenne Sundance is the owner and Farm Director of Sundance Harvest, a year-round 1/3 acre vegetable farm and rooftop flower farm in Toronto, Ontario, that’s rooted in food justice and eradicating systemic racism in the food system. Sundance Harvest grows a variety of produce and runs a free not-profit educational program called Growing in the Margins for low-income youth who are a part of a marginalized group (BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+ and youth with disabilities). In 2022, Sundance Harvest will be greatly expanding, starting an incubator farm for other Black farmers who have faced similar barriers within agriculture that Cheyenne faced when she started her farm. Sundance Harvest sells primarily through the “Sundance Box” which is a food box featuring fish, meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and more from BIPOC producers across Ontario. Learn more: sundanceharvestfarm.com
Anjali Dhaliwal, BC
Youth Helping Youth
DATE: 10th August
Location: Surrey, BC
Anjali Dhaliwal is an award-winning changemaker who champions equitable opportunity for youth. She has been named an International Reebok Human Rights Award Finalist, SBOT Top 25 Under 25, and this October will be the youngest to represent Canadian youth at the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance. As a social entrepreneur, Anjali founded one of North America’s fastest-growing youth-led nonprofits called Youth Helping Youth (YHY) when she was 16 years old. Every year, YHY serves more than nine million young people as an accessible, youth-centric platform for discovering opportunities to further personal and professional development. Anjali has spoken at more than 300 conferences across Canada, USA, Europe, APAC and Latin America. Today, she is a full-ride student at Simon Fraser University. In her first year, she became the youngest to represent her school at the national JDCW competition and won the BASS Pitch-Off Competition for first-years. She hopes to continue her work as a social changemaker on the global stage. Learn more: linkedin.com/in/anjalidhaliwal
Warren Dietrich
Earthli
DATE: 12th August
Location: Halifax, NS
In April 2017, Warren Dietrich was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer. After a two-year battle, he successfully entered remission and has since become a prominent volunteer and spokesperson for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. Cancer is also what inspired Warren to co-found Earthli, a socially conscious, value-based Canadian company focused on plant-based superfoods and environmentally friendly practices that promote bodily health and overall wellness. Learn more: https://earthli.ca
About The CANIE Awards:
Celebrating Innovators and Entrepreneurs with seven award categories in five regions across Canada. The finalists will be announced later this summer and a grand finale will be held in October 2021 to further celebrate the winners where they will receive up to $10,000 in prizes. #CANIEAwards
FOR MEDIA REQUESTS, CONTACT:
awards@ief-fie.ca
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