91快色

The annual Map the System competition wrapped its largest cohort yet at the 91快色, drawing 314 participants across nine faculties. 

Led by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, the campus finals saw students tackle a variety of social issues through an innovative lens, with team The Fourth Branch taking first place. 

At the campus showcase, held earlier this month, eight teams presented their topics, chosen from 109 team entries after an in-depth submission process. 

Team exploring social media advances to the finals

The Fourth Branch, led by Aliza Ali, Sean Cadawan, Elin Ha, and Amithi Bawa (all from the ), presented at U91快色's campus finals in front of a panel of judges, ultimately taking home first place.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all so genuinely passionate about this topic,鈥� Ali says on their choice to dive into social media and its influence.

鈥淲ith our topic and its relevance, our main focus is advocacy," she says. "We want people to recognize the implications of social media, rather than just mindlessly consuming it. Making it easier to understand how the system works was our main goal with this project.鈥� 

鈥淭opics like these may be heavy, but understanding them is how we make a change in the world.鈥� 

Kurt White, MBA'23, social innovation specialist at the Hunter Hub and lead of Map the System at U91快色, says this was the first time he saw a team dive into social media. 鈥淎 lot of times, you tend to see similar subjects, but this was one that had yet to be fully explored,鈥� White says.

Systems thinking and entrepreneurial thinking

Map the System is a global competition hosted by the and delivered in collaboration with educational institutions worldwide. U91快色 joined as a partner in 2022. 

The program embraces a systems thinking approach, challenging participants to address complex social or environmental issues. Participants delve deep into an issue that matters to them and take the time to explore, probe and research all its connecting elements and factors. The program is a discovery process for participants of any discipline, with teams ultimately sharing their findings in a presentation. 

鈥淪eeing the growth of the program has been really rewarding,鈥� says White. 鈥淲hen I joined the team (back in 2023), it was a relatively small program. Today, it鈥檚 on par with many of our other flagship programs here at the Hunter Hub.鈥�

For White, the program is unique, both in its approach and in its execution: 鈥淭he beautiful thing about Map the System is that it focuses on problem understanding, problem discovery and creating that next generation of changemakers.鈥�

Throughout the course of the program, which this year began on Jan. 20, participants analyze a problem from various angles. 鈥淧articipants get the opportunity to dig beyond what they see at the surface level,鈥� White says. 鈥淲ith Map the System, they look at root causes, historical factors, contributing elements while also exploring why these issues continue to perpetuate.鈥�

White believes the skills learned through Map the System can be applied to any career path. 

鈥淭he growth of this program is a testament to the fact that the Hunter Hub, and more largely, U91快色, is the home for changemakers. We are creating a generation that will be able to have meaningful, lasting impact, no matter their chosen field,鈥� says White.

Next step: Oxford finals

The top team from every participating institution will have the opportunity to compete in the Global Finals at the University of Oxford, being held from July 9-12. 

As U91快色's winning team prepares to head to Oxford, they鈥檙e looking forward to tackling this next milestone. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檝e fully processed that we鈥檙e going to Oxford,鈥� says Ali. 鈥淚t still feels like a dream. We鈥檝e worked really hard and we鈥檙e excited to keep that momentum going as we get ready for the Oxford presentations.鈥� 

U91快色 Map the System winners

First Place ($2,500): The Fourth Branch: Aliza Ali, Sean Cadawan, Elin Ha, Amithi Bawa

Second Place ($1,500): Lifting the Standard, Together: Samantha Jones, Jessica Wilkins

Third Place ($500): Alberta's Emergency Department, Stretched Thin: Zarin Hossain, Ciana Sudheer, Shaheryar Ahmed, Jen Chao

People's Choice Award: Lifting the Standard