Sparking brain waves of change

The idea train made its way through the McInnes Room on Saturday, Jan. 28.

That's not a figure of speech – the train, made out of boxes from the Creative Station, was there to spark the creative ideas within students and alumni.

Students, staff, alumni and community workers found new ideas in the second annual Brains 4 Change conference. Hosted by the Dalhousie Student Union (DSU), the event showcased the collective power of engaged students in brainstorming new ideas.

The event gave about 100 students the opportunity to engage with student leaders and create action plans for making change on campus.

Aaron Belae, a fourth-year International development studies/sociology student, said that he feels the DSU needs to do more to engage with students, which is why he appreciated the event. “This is a good step forward.”

Building engagement

The one-day brainfest began with a morning creative session. After going through the icebreaker exercise, students discussed their ideas in a speed sharing exercise. Students switched tables every 20 minutes to chat with various community groups looking for new ideas. Different campus groups such as SustainDal and the Dalhousie Bike Centre were taking ideas along with off-campus groups like the United Way.

“We’re here to create little pockets of utopia that will spread across campus,” says Jamie Arron, DSU vice-president of student life.

Students tackled systemic problems on campus such as sustainability issues and voter apathy. “Voter turnout in our DSU elections is one symbol of the lack of engagement,” says Mr. Belae. “People don’t know what the DSU is for and what the do. This is a chance for us to figure out how to make things happen.”

The ideas came pouring in quickly. Perhaps the most popular idea came from Sagar Jha. He suggested that Dalhousie create idea boxes to foster innovation. “It would work as a matchmaking service,” says Mr. Jha. “People would be matched up with other people on campus to talk about their idea.”

The event also exposed students to new initiatives in the community. Jeff Turbert shared  his plans for expanding Musicians for Farmers. The organization sells locally-sourced food from Nova Scotia farms while giving customers a taste of local musical talent. Other students were working on ideas to create a bike share program, creating a campaign about fair trade products and starting a platform for spoken word contests on campus.

“I learned about so many different things,” says Madeline Leon, a third-year international development studies and Spanish major. “I want to help improve Halifax as a community.”

Sustainability and activism

One of the major themes throughout the day was sustainability and activism. Many of the ideas dealt with the environmental movement. There were discussions about renewable energy on campus, creating a green wall in the Student Union Building and spreading the word about window farming. Chloe Leonard, a third-year marine biology major, suggested that student funding could help retrofit the campus into a sustainable campus.

“We would have a referendum where we pay $1 a year so that could help make the process go faster,” says Ms. Leonard. “There are different ways to get it done.”

Of course there are the out-of-the-box ideas. For increased voter turnout, Mr. Belae suggested a referendum on making Dalhousie University alcohol-free. “At least people would know what to vote for.”