Student Funding Ambassador
Business and Education Partnership of Waterloo Region
July 2023 – July 2024
Worked as a Youth Ambassador for the Business Education Partnership of Waterloo Region with their Youth Creativity Fund branch organization. Collaborated with program managers and other youth leaders to expand the organization and build brand awareness among the youth population. Acting as a youth voice for the organization and investigating ways to further innovation and youth-led change within the region. I have actively participated in community events as a Youth Creativity Fund representative at the 2024 Child Youth Planning Table Belonging Expo, 2024 Hespler Market Community Booth, 2024 BEP Explore Your Future Expo (Kitchener) and various Grade 8 nights at Waterloo Region District School Board high schools.
Shaking the Movers – Youth Facilitator
Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region
Feb 2025 – Apr 2025
Supported the planning, preparation, and successful delivery of Shaking the Movers, a youth engagement event focused on hearing from children ages 6–8 about their experiences within their communities. Collaborated with a team of local leaders and organizers to coordinate logistics, develop activity materials, and create a welcoming, inclusive environment for participants.
During the event, facilitated a group focused on the theme of Allyship within the broader Communities of Care framework. Led interactive, team-based activities that encouraged empathy, communication, and youth voice. Gained valuable experience in community engagement, child-centered facilitation, and collaborative event planning.
More info about the event here
Youth Impact Project “Dragons Den”
Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region
Apr 2024 – Jun 2024
Through mutual connections with local organization, I was chosen to be a participant on the Child and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region’s decision making team for their “Dragon’s Den” project. I worked with a team of like-minded youth to develop and create investment criteria for projects that would be presented to us on our official “pitch day”. On pitch day, students and their backing organizations presented ideas where we as the judges decide which projects were going to be funded. In the end, $70 000 was distributed to various youth-driven ideas around the Waterloo region.
More info on the event can be found here
A video from the event can be found on Instagram here
Project Play
Ripple Effect Education
Aug 2023 – Sept 2024
Coming from a long-time participation in sports, I founded a youth community organization in collaboration with Ripple Effect Education’s Waterloo Peace Innovators Program, the Waterloo Region District School Board and the Youth Creativity Fund that brings sports athletics to underserved communities in the Waterloo region. Being a long-time baseball player at this point, I have had many personal experiences with the financial burden sports can pose on families who are trying to keep their kids involved in athletics. Following the belief that every child deserves to have an athletic experience, I created this project for my teammates and peers who faced these challenges while we were growing up. The organization works with the local school board to identify and distribute gift cards to students to purchase their own sports equipment to allow active participation in school and club athletics. Furthermore, the project includes a graphic that has been shared with families within the region, showing them accessible pathways they can take to get their kids involved in community sports.
More information about my cohort from the Waterloo Peace Innovators Program can be found here
Youth Innovation Lead
Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab
June 2023 – Sept 2023
Worked over the summer in various roles at SWRIL. Participated in a weekly Youth Group where myself and other students from around the region came together to discuss youth outreach in the community. Also presented as a Guest Speaker to share resources and ideas pertaining to mental health accessibility within the Waterloo Region.
More information about my time at SWRIL can be found here
Nolan Phuong 