The CommUNITY Pitch is a six-month civic innovation program for post-secondary students in Ottawa. Inspired by the Shark Tank model, it empowers students to identify and solve real-world community issues in partnership with local communities. The program aims to build youth leadership, civic literacy, and community engagement skills.
Over three phases, students participate in training and workshops, immerse themselves in local challenges with mentorship from community leaders and councillors, and then develop and pitch actionable solutions. The program culminates in a final pitch event where winning teams can receive seed funding and support to implement their ideas locally. This initiative, organized by the Intercultural Dialogue Institute Ottawa, prepares young leaders to become active citizens and contribute to local decision-making and social innovation.
The program is specifically designed to build capacity in youth leadership, civic literacy, and community engagement. Participants will develop stronger social, emotional, and leadership skills, and receive skill-based civic training. They will also build skills in teamwork, communication, and community-based problem solving.
Students will gain experience with civic tools and open data and learn how to analyze local challenges and engage diverse stakeholders. The program offers direct mentorship from local organizations and councilors, who provide guidance on municipal priorities and policy considerations.
Participants address real-world community issues and have the opportunity to test solutions in a real pitch environment. The program prepares young leaders to contribute to local decision-making and social innovation and helps them understand how to participate in democratic processes such as budget consultations and public planning.
This phase focuses on recruiting post-secondary students from Ottawa and providing initial training. Activities include hosting orientation and soft skill development workshops, delivering civic literacy and open data training, and establishing program infrastructure like a core team, advisory team, website, and application forms. Students will also participate in a boot camp to understand the program, learn to use relevant tools, and complete worksheets
During this phase, student teams are assigned to community leaders and local areas to identify social issues. Activities involve conducting site visits, interviews, and participatory research, alongside mentorship check-ins and development workshops with guidance from community leaders and councilors. Research and development of ideas continue, complemented by seminars from community leaders.
The final phase is dedicated to refining solutions and presenting them. Teams will refine their project ideas with mentor guidance before hosting a final pitch competition at Carleton University’s Nicol Building. Winning teams will be awarded seed funding for implementation, and the event includes presentations, audience voting, general gifts, and Certificates of Completion.
