Creating Social Innovation in Indigenous Communities through the RARE Program

Our Remote and Rural Enterprise (RARE) program connects students across the University and offers an opportunity to collaborate on solving real-world problems. Through the BUSS4903 unit: Social Innovation in Indigenous Communities, students partnered with social enterprises to help solve a problem identified by the project partners as crucial to their organisations' or a community's long term sustainability.

Read below to find out how the program has helped students develop their understanding of the Indigenous culture, strengthen their problem-solving skills and prepare them for their future, professional careers.

Christina Liu

When I had applied for the RARE Program for BUSS4903 Social Innovation for Indigenous Communities, I had expected something like what I had encountered at Uni so far - a subject which I could learn and broaden my knowledge. However, after 5 weeks and the completion of the subject, I had gained much more than that.

I was able to gain a better understanding of Indigenous Communities and their deep, rich history around traditional native plant growing processes on Country. The unit involved closely working with Black Duck Foods, an Indigenous Social Enterprise which focusses on traditional food growing processes and the establishment of a Native Grains Industry which will benefit Indigenous People. We were able to learn invaluable real-life skills, communicating directly to the enterprise we were given a brief on.

The RARE program unit staff were heavily engaged and involved with the entire process of our project, from organising speakers to personally giving us feedback at every opportunity. The support of the unit staff as well as working with industry partners and like-minded team members enabled me to walk away from the subject with transferrable industry skills and a more holistic world view.

Christina Liu

Kim Berney

BUSS4903 is hands-down one of the best units I've taken at USYD. I feel very fortunate to have partaken in the unit.

The professors who run this course are extremely knowledgeable in both the theoretical and practical components of the unit. It's very refreshing to experience a course that allows students to interact with 'clients', create works that will be of real/tangible value to others, and enjoy the taste of a 'real-life' practice (rather than being primarily caught up in theory and academia).

Equally, it's quite uncommon to see professors be so generous with their time and helpful with their approach. The professors were unequivocally motivated, in turn successfully sparking curiosity and ambition from students. Collaboration and communication were ubiquitous and enjoyed by all classmates.

This course very positively impacted me as it helped train my ability to handle ambiguity and complexity. I developed a stronger ability to draw data/insights from qualitative interviews and learnt to feel comfortable in a multidisciplinary and multicultural setting.

The course equips students with a more comprehensive and realistic toolkit (than traditional units), better preparing us for our professional careers.

Kim Berney

Vanessa Peiru Li

The RARE program is a synthesis of both learning and practicing. It provides an opportunity for students to develop and apply skills including teamwork, communication, analytical thinking, community engagement, stakeholder management, and the ability to work well under pressure.

The program allows us to explore real-world problems Indigenous social enterprises currently face and gave us enough freedom and flexibility to generate innovative ideas and solutions. These problems were challenging and complex in terms of both social and commercial aspects. During this program, I gradually learned why social enterprises faced these problems, why these problems are difficult to get grips with and why solving these problems is critical.

Beyond learning more about entrepreneurship and management of a remote and rural enterprise, my RARE experience also expanded my knowledge and enhanced my understanding of the Indigenous culture and the socio-cultural differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities which should be recognised, understood and respected.

I would say the best thing about this program is the full support received from the RARE team. The workshops are well organised and cover many topics including social innovation theories and case studies, action research methods, pitching skills etc. that will equip students to succeed in this program as well as future study/work. In addition, our supervisors actively help us identify and reach the resource we need, provide feedback promptly and bridge the gap caused by online studying and remote collaboration.

In general, the RARE program is amazing and unique! With domestic travel resuming, working alongside a remote enterprise, and engaging with the community in person will be possible, I believe future students will have even more memorable experiences.

Vanessa Peiru Li

Learn more about the BUSS4903 unit: Social Innovation in Indigenous Communities, available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Advanced Studies.

Working for social good in Vietnam through the RARE Program

Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Advanced Studies student Peter Trani participated in our Remote and Rural Enterprise (RARE) Program in Vietnam through the International Business Special Project - IBUS3106 unit of study. Peter and his fellow RARE team members were awarded the Richard Seymour Memorial Prize in Social Entrepreneurship in 2019 for their outstanding work in Hanoi.

See what Peter learned by working with Vietnamese social enterprise TASA to improve their marketing and communications.

What is the RARE Program and why did you decide to get involved?

The RARE Program is a rewarding university program that connects students with local communities. It allows students to work in the real world, helping real clients develop real solutions for their real problems. I got involved as I'm passionate about social good, which is all about taking action that serves the purpose of improving the world around you.

How did you apply for the RARE Program?

RARE has quite a thorough application process, which involves written applications whereby students reflect on their past experiences, suitability for the role and, most importantly, their underlying passion for making social impact. 

What did the RARE Program involve?

The RARE Program is a much more 'complete' program than a two-week experience suggests. As a class, we had several pre-program workshops in Sydney that were extremely rewarding – learning about Social Impact concepts, speaking with our Vietnamese partners and getting to know our colleagues. Whilst in Vietnam, students truly have the freedom to approach the tasks how they wish – some focus on collecting primary research, some strategise business plans with their internal entrepreneur, some communicate with external business partners. The beauty of RARE is that each team has a totally different experience based on their own skills, their client’s needs and their ideas on what’s most important for their business. At the end of the program, students are provided an opportunity to reflect on their experience through an enjoyably presentation day, the final business report and independent reflections. 

How do you think the RARE Program has helped your career?

RARE acted as my entry point into the world of Social Impact, and has inspired me to pursue a career where I can improve the lives of individuals, communities and the world as a whole. After finishing the program, I realised there were so many long-term entrepreneurial opportunities whereby I could combine my learned business skill-set with my passion for social good. I’ve also found that RARE provides a distinct point-of-differentiation when talking to interviewers, as it truly is a unique program that only a few students will ever experience.

What was the best part of your experience?

Overall, I’ll be forever thankful for all the opportunities RARE provided, but the most important impact was certainly the most immediate: as a team, we were able to solve a real problem with real solutions for real social entrepreneurs. To me, having a lasting, positive impact on the social enterprise culture within the rapidly emerging Vietnam will always be the most valuable takeaway. The friends you make aren’t bad either – it is a great opportunity to branch out from your traditional Commerce peers and understand the perspectives of other students via RARE's unique inter-disciplinary teams.

Peter Trani

What was the biggest challenge and what did you learn from it?

I think the biggest challenge for all students was adapting to how other cultures conduct business. As USYD students, we are taught theories, concepts and case studies from Western contexts, so having to quickly comprehend how Vietnamese entrepreneurs differ in their approach to market research, bookkeeping and strategic planning can be initially overwhelming! However, it’s well worth it – RARE provides a great opportunity to get outside your comfort zone, experience other cultures and broaden your thinking.  

What advice would you give to other students?

Get outside your comfort zone and embrace the foreign culture! When in Vietnam, our team made a conscious effort to try local foods, meet local people and understand the day-to-day local culture. This allowed us to more holistically understand how Vietnamese people think, act and feel, which in turn helped us develop real-world solutions that were actually practical for our social entrepreneur. Beyond that, RARE and the Australian Government provide students a unique two-week experience in a completely different culture – why not make the most of that and have some fun?

Learn more about the RARE Program and see how you can get involved.

Enactus Sydney

What is the Enactus program?

Enactus Sydney is a student-led organisation that uses entrepreneurial action to create sustainable social enterprises. Our projects aim to tackle important social issues within the community  and are first-class demonstrations of the power of entrepreneurship, enabling progress and enhancing the lives of those we touch. Our organisation consists of 60 students from various faculties and in different stages of their degree progressions. We are part of the global Enactus network spanning across 36 countries, 1730 universities and over 72,000 students.

What projects did you work on as part of the program and present in the Enactus Nationals?

At the Enactus Nationals, we presented three of our current projects:

Culinary Tales provides refugees with employment, a source of income and social connection by empowering them to run their own cooking classes. This provides our refugees not only with economic skills and income, but also a social platform to share their experiences and cultures. We believe food has a powerful ability to forge harmonious connections between people from all different culture and across generations. Culinary Tales started by running classes in the community, open to all members of the public. We have since expanded our reach to high schools, where our classes directly supplement the Food Technology syllabus and enhance students' understanding of multiculturalism. Furthermore, we piloted our first Corporate Class for Culinary Tales in 16/17, representing the launch of our third innovative branch. 

The Pop Up Project aims to empower disadvantaged youths with business, hospitality and customer service skills to increase their chances of employment and cultivate a stronger sense of independence and self-determination. Through, partnerships with Glebe Youth Services, we are currently delivering a 'Three-Day program' involving a one day barista course, a business skills training day and one day real life experiences running a Pop-Up coffee and waffle stall on campus. in 16/17, we have also expanded the program by delivering a paid cafe internship program for two of our students. We hope to continue our partnership with local cafes and organisations to empower disadvantaged youths to seek future education and employment. 

Flashback is a creative writing program that aims to provide a platform for socially isolated senior citizens to share their experiences and explore their creativity. Our workshops are facilitated by students from University of Sydney and aims to provide an avenue for social interaction and inter-generational understanding. This project was started in February from our Enactus Summer Internship program and had its first pilot program in May 2017. We hope to continue expanding the project across retirement villages and publish their stories in the future. 

How did you implement entrepreneurial thinking and action to address the social causes/groups behind these projects?

One of the biggest tools that we utilise at Enactus Sydney is the design thinking methodology that allows us to go deeper beneath the surface of a problem to truly empathise and understand what needs to be solved. This involves needs assessments and a lot of critical preliminary research. Ultimately, this allows our ideas and solutions to be truly impactful when we pilot and launch them. Furthermore, we often employ business tools and frameworks that we've learnt during our University studies to ensure our projects are as strong as possible. 

What was your key takeaway from the experience of the Enactus Nationals?

Enactus Nationals was truly an amazing experience. For our team, the ability to see the amazing projects of other universities was a key learning experience. We really appreciated the opportunity to hear about the social impact being made around Australia and it inspires us to continue working hard on our projects to ensure targeted, effective empowerment for the disadvantaged communities in Australia. At the end of the day, we are all tackling similar social issues in the community and we hope to foster a sense of partnership with other universities. By working together, we will be able to create solutions that will ultimately be most beneficial and empowering for the community.

What was it like interacting with other Enactus teams and presenting in front of industry professionals?

(From the presenters themselves):

Matthew: 

Interacting with other Enactus teams and hearing about their projects with such passion was inspirational, truly highlighting the power that student volunteers have in creating social impact. Similarly, the opportunity to present to a panel of industry professionals who wanted to listen and learn about what we had achieved over the past year was invaluable, providing us with insight and advice that we can apply moving forward.

Lisa:

At first, presenting in front of the industry professionals was pretty nerve wracking, but the judges would smile which made me feel a lot more comfortable presenting. 

Meeting Enactus teams from other universities was also really great because we got to see what their Enactus culture was like and the different projects they were involved in.

Monique: 

Watching other teams' presentations was highly inspiring and refreshing when reflecting on the future direction of our teams' projects. 

I certainly underestimated the formality of the competition, which was immensely pleasing, as it showed the support, time and efforts industry professionals were willing to offer to the Enactus teams and their projects. 

How did you feel when it was announced Enactus Sydney were first place winners?

Speaking on behalf of the group, I think it is fair to say that when we were announced as winners, it was a moment of pure shock and joy. At the start of the year, Enactus Nationals was not on our radar: we were driven and focused on improving our projects to empower as many members of the community as we could. Hearing that we won was a great validation for us as a team because the results of our projects spoke for themselves and it simply reflected the hard work each and everyone of our members had put in. 

What are you looking forward to the most about participating in the upcoming Enactus World Cup in London?

As a team, we are excited to witness what other universities have accomplished in a multitude of countries. Furthermore, it will be an amazing cultural experience as we are able to network with students and business professionals from 36 other countries. Finally, as university students, we are simply excited to be able to travel to London and we are proud to represent Australia, and showcase our projects on the world stage. 

What are your expectations from the World Cup?

Going to the World Cup, we have not set any expectations on ourselves. Similar to the Enactus Nationals, we plan to let the results of our projects speak for themselves. However, we also expect this will be great learning experience as we hear about the various methodologies other universities utilise and their strategies towards delivering sustainable social impact in the community. 

Key people from the Nationals experience:

• Our core executive team: Jonathon Tan (Chief Executive Officer), Alexander Chye (Chief Operating Officer), Sharon Yin (Chief Marketing Officer) and Carl Lesmana (Head of Project Development)
• Our faculty advisors: Andrew Lee and James Meade
• Our presenters: Matthew Youie, Lisa Gong, Monique Andreatta 

By Enactus Sydney, first place winners of Enactus Nationals.