We are pleased to announce that last month, four of our executives - Michael (President), Nicole (Human Resources), Claire (Finance) and Brian (Corporate Relations) - competed in the Destination Imagination Global Finals and won 1st place! Over 32 University Level teams competed at the Global Finals representing regions from across 5 different countries and 11 states. The Project Outreach challenge required they present the Trek for Teens Foundation and its business model to a panel of judges, discussing corporate partnerships, financial results and how play was used to encourage interaction among participants. The event also served as a way to raise awareness about youth homelessness, not just in Toronto, but around the world. We caught up with each of them to talk about their highlight of the trip:
“One of my favourite moments was when they announced that we'd received first place in front of over 10,000 people from over 30 different countries! Truly a special moment for the Trek for Teens Foundation and our mission of supporting homeless youth!” - Michael
“One of the highlights, for me at least, was seeing a group of students trying to learn the Trek for Teens hand symbol off one of our banners and then seeing a different group doing it in the audience – this is all the way in Knoxville Tennessee!” - Brian
"The entire experience was amazing but my favourite part of the trip was being up on stage presenting our solution. It was incredibly fun preparing and it was an amazing feeling knowing that all our hard work had led to this one moment. We were finally in Tennessee spreading awareness about an important cause, and to top it all off it was really fun!" - Nicole
“My favourite part about presenting in DI global finals was also the audience's spontaneous display of the Trek for Teens hand symbol and the opportunity to raise awareness about homeless youth. Aside from that, I really enjoyed exploring University of Tennessee's hilly, lush green campus decorated with beautiful fountains” - Claire