SHAD to foster student innovation
Photo: Governor General David Johnston welcomed SHAD to Ryerson at an event on May 15. Photo credit: Kevin Fung.
Fostering the next generation of innovators, and forming an exciting new experiential learning opportunity, Ryerson University launched its inaugural SHAD enrichment program at a launch event on May 15 at the SLC.
SHAD is a Canadian summer program for high-potential youth interested in innovation and entrepreneurship. Each year, 800 young Canadians take part in a month-long program at a university, where they apply STEAM (science-tech-engineering-arts-math) disciplines to real-life public policy and entrepreneurial challenges. Ryerson is now one of 13 partner campuses with SHAD.
“The SHAD program cultivates in students an entrepreneurial mindset, and helps them discover their ability to solve real-world issues,” said Ryerson President Mohamed Lachemi at the event. “Ryerson values empowering young people in this way. We also specialize in innovation and entrepreneurship, so I know these ambitious students will benefit very much from our training.”
Mitzie Hunter, Ontario’s Minister of Education and the member of provincial parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood, provided keynote remarks, emphasizing the need for youth to learn soft skills including critical thinking and problem solving “We are thrilled to be one of SHAD’s long-standing partners. As Ontario charts a path as an innovation and entrepreneurship leader for Canada and the world, we believe it is crucial that more Ontario high school students can reach their potential in this proven, high-impact enrichment program.”
David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, took part in a discussion on innovation and took questions from SHAD 2017 students, praising SHAD as “an ingenious program that more Canadians need to know about.” When asked about post-secondary education, Johnston said, “I wouldn’t start a university today without experiential learning for every student. The reason is it’s combining theory and practice.
“Theory and practice together make a very good combination. Theory by itself tends to be pretty isolated. Application without thought is pretty narrow. To apply is simply to the what-to-do and maybe a little of the how-to-do, but none of the why-to-do. When you get into the why, you then begin to enhance the how and the what.”
“We are ecstatic to be coming to Ryerson,” said SHAD CEO Tim Jackson in a statement. “So many of our 15,500 Fellows have become high-impact leaders in Canada, in various fields. I’m sure several of the students here today will choose an entrepreneurial and innovative campus like Ryerson to start making their mark.”
The SHAD program at Ryerson is a collaboration of the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, Ted Rogers School of Management, Student Affairs, the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship and Sandbox by DMZ. For more information visit SHAD at Ryerson.