Sustainable Development Goals
Concordia at the World's Challenge Challenge (WCC)
CONCORDIA'S WORLD WORLD CHALLENGE
Are you passionate about changing the world with sustainable solutions? Concordia's World Challenge Challenge competition may interest you.
Background
Concordia University has been invited to Western University’s World’s Challenge Challenge where teams of students pick one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and propose a solution. The WCC is open to teams of two to four members, ideally from different disciplines or faculties. Teams are encouraged to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds or areas of study.
Initially, there will be an internal WCC competition at Concordia University. The winners will represent Concordia at the WCC Finals that will take place at Western University in June 2023. The WCC is an exciting way to engage in discussion and debate about world issues related to the SDGs, and to bring ideas from many different perspectives to the table. The challenge strives to bring together individuals with a broad worldview, seeking to study, influence and lead in the international community: to create global citizens who think creatively, and critically, about significant issues that affect us all. It starts with one idea, one discussion.
Application deadline
November 4, 2022, at 12 p.m. (EST)
Description & eligibility
For Concordia’s internal competition, the WCC is open to teams of two to six members, ideally from different disciplines or faculties. We encourage your team to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds or areas of study. To be an eligible team member, you must be a Concordia University student, full or part-time by May 2023. Engineering students interested in participating must already be enrolled in the ENGR 490 course. All other students from the pre-selected teams will need to register for winter/2023 term of LOYC 420, which will help them develop their idea and prepare for the semi-final's competition. As part of these courses, the selected teams will present their solutions to a panel of judges at the WCC Concordia internal competition on March 2023 (exact date TBD).
The first-place winner from the WCC Concordia’s internal competition will be sent to the Global Finals at Western University in June 2023 for the chance to win $30,000!
How it works
Choose a global challenge: Students are encouraged to identify issues that affect people’s lives and that are related to a subject they are passionate about. Faculty members at Concordia University have suggested challenges that you can find below. Alternatively, you can check some of the most pressing global issues to get inspired.
Students become part of a team: Concordia’s WCC internal competition is open to teams of two to six students, ideally from different disciplines or faculties. To be an eligible team member, you must be a current Concordia University student, full or part-time by May 2023.
Student teams apply: Teams submit an application (found below) with basic information about the challenge and a solution that they would like to develop by November 4, 2022 at 12 p.m. (EST).
Selection of proposals: A committee will select proposals, which will be announced on November 18, 2022. See the scoring rubric.
Elective course registration: Students who are in engineering must already be registered for ENGR 490 (in fall 2022). All other students from the pre-selected teams will register for the winter/2023 term of LOYC 420, which will help them develop their idea and prepare for the semi-final's competition. Please register for this class as soon as possible to secure a spot.
Note: If you have trouble registering for LOYC 420, please email rebecca.tittler@concordia.ca. If some or all of your team members are unable to register for either LOYC 420 or ENGR 490, please email johanna.beck@concordia.ca.
Mentorship: Each of the selected teams will be paired with a mentor. The teams will work with their mentors to further develop their proposal and prepare for the competition.
Concordia WCC Final Competition: As part of the LOYC 420 and ENGR 490, the selected teams present their solutions to a panel of judges at the Concordia WCC Final Competition in March 2023 (exact date TBD). Teams that have been selected will make a presentation of 5–7 minutes on their proposed solution, followed by a brief Q&A session.
Global Finals: The first-place winner from the Concordia WCC Final Competition will be sent to the Global Finals at Western University in June 2023 for the chance to win $30,000! Concordia University will cover the travel expenses. To be eligible to participate at the Global Final in June 2023, teams must have a minimum of two members and a maximum of four present in person at the Global Final competition.
How to apply
Complete the online application including basic information about your team, challenge, and proposed solution and submit by November 4, 2022 at 12 p.m. (EST).
See what the previous team had to say!
Selection criteria
| Selection criteria | Priority level |
| The project aligns with a course at Concordia and at least one team member can enroll in the course | Essential |
| The project is clearly linked to at least one specific SDG and proposes measurable outcome | Essential |
| Based on the subject of the project, there are potential mentors at Concordia | Critical |
| The team has members from multiple disciplines | Nice to have |
Suggested challenges
| # | Suggested Challenge | Related SDGs |
| 1 | A key challenge is to make transportation sustainable and inclusive. How can we disrupt the growing automobile dependence in the megacities of the global South? Could something like car pooling be a solution? |
SDG 11: To make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. |
| 2 | 1 in 3 people in the world lack access to clean water (WHO, 2021), including many First Nations communities. How can we improve water management and treatment in benefit of the underprivileged? | SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation |
| 3 | 940 million (13% of the world) do not have access to electricity and 3 billion people (40% of the world) do not have access to clean fuels for cooking (Our World in Data, 2021). Would it be possible to come up with solutions for local green energy production? | SDG 7: Affordable & clean energy |
| 4 | “In a world where we produce enough food to feed everyone, 821 million people — one in nine — still go to bed on an empty stomach each night. Even more — one in three — suffer from some form of malnutrition” (Food Aid Foundation, 2021). Can we come up with solutions to reduce food waste or to better connect small farmers with needy consumers? | SDG 2: Zero hunger |
| 5 | Plastic and e-waste are one of the main environmental challenges of our time. It is estimated that 60% of the plastic produced ends up in the ecosystem (LRS, 2021). Can we find ways to reduce the use of plastic in basic human activity, such as picking up pet waste in urban areas? | SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production |
Key dates
| N | Action | Deadline/key date |
| 1 | Find or create a team | As soon as possible |
| 2 | Complete registration form | November 4, 2022 |
| 3 | Proposal selections | November 18, 2022 |
| 4 | Register for LOYC 420 | As soon as possible, if your team is selected |
| 5 | Concordia Internal Competition | March 2023 (Exact Date TBD) |
| 6 | Global Finals at Western University | June 2023 (Exact Date TBD) |
Useful contacts
- Sustainability Ecosystem
- Johanna Beck, johanna.beck@concordia.ca
- Concordia International
- Maral Abajian, maral.abajian@concordia.ca
WCC Concordia Presentation
What is WCC and how can I find team members?
Come to our infosession on September 27, 2022 from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at the John Molson Building, Room MB 14.250, to connect with peers and learn more about the World’s Challenge Challenge!
Register here!
