Our first event with Apar Initiative was a meet and greet social with our 2020/2021 STEM & Leadership cohort, followed by an invitation to a The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) round table. During the UNESCO event, virtual focus groups were hosted with the topic of how innovative approaches must be explored to improve education by 2050.  We started this program by thinking big, defining a better tomorrow, and talking about the United Nations’ Social Development Goals (SDG’s). 

To begin, our social meet and greet involved each of the girls coming to our office (sponsored by FRACMOD) to meet our team and do mini interviews so we could get to know each participant.  Questions included whats your favourite subject in school, what do you like to do for fun, what are you looking forward to in this program and more.  We also provided each of the girls with resources for the year including notebooks, worksheets, a t-shirt, and other fun goodies that they can utilize throughout the program.  This was possible due to the #RisingYouth grant and also the Culbert Family Award for Philanthropy by the United Way Calgary in Area. 

Then, we had the opportunity to present our organization and the goals we have for 2020/2021 and beyond. Thanks to the collaborative and open concept this event had, we received meaningful and constructive feedback which we will be implementing to the best of our ability. Apar was able to grow our network and connect with many impressive organizations that are setting examples for groups around the world. Through osmosis of ideas and knowledge sharing from several parts of the world, APAR’s growth and improvement mindset allows us to not only listen and learn, but to implement and use connections made through events such as this one. Participation in this event is a direct example of how we leverage connections in order to scale impact and awareness. We are dedicated to growing our own network to expand the tools and resources for our cohorts.