Today@Dal

Congratulations to Anamika Ahmed and Anik Ahmed for winning first place at the World's Challenge Challenge global finals. As Dal's team in the competition, they presented their idea "Mitro" — a digital safety application to fight against intimate partner violence — and won $30,000!

Team Mitro competed against 16 teams from around the globe in a competition that asked teams to come up with innovative ideas that could advance the United Nations's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Dalhousie's local World's Challenge Challenge events are hosted by the Minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Learn more about the WCC and other innovation programs at https://www.dal.ca/faculty/management/minor-entrepreneurship-innovation.html

Team Mitro, Dalhousie University

One-stop solution for safety, security and emergency situations. The app itself is camouflaged as a recipe application so that the abusers will not know that the victim is seeking services with Mitro. It is easy to switch back and forth between the Mitro interface and the recipe interface ensuring user safety and security, while also providing a feature for emergencies. Using the emergency button feature while in the application, a message and GPS location of the user is sent to a list of pre-selected contacts so that friends and family are alerted to the emergency. The app also asks users about their relationship to assess the safety of the user in their relationship as well as providing a safety plan in the event of an emergency. Resources and support services can also be accessed through the 24/7 automated chat bot. This app aims to provide resources to empower women regardless of their situation and make it possible for them to seek help safely.

About the Worlds Challenge Challenge:

Since 2017, Western University has invited some of the world's best universities to compete in the World's Challenge Challenge Global Final.

Students from participating partner universities from around the world form diverse teams of two to four students, develop big ideas to address a global issue and then present their unique solution to a panel of academic and community leaders at their own institution. The top team from each World's Challenge Challenge partner is invited to a week-long conference and Global Final competition hosted annually by Western.

During the Global Final, in addition to competing for a top prize of $30,000, finalists have an opportunity to network with some of the best and brightest students from around the world, participate in virtual academic events, generate further discussion around global issues, and experience a taste of Canadian hospitality.

Inspiration for the competition comes from the UN’s SDGs. Western University cites a quote by David Johnston (former Governor-General of Canada) to describe the foundations of the competition:

“It is perhaps the defining question of our time: How to tackle the complex, interrelated challenges of the 21st century in a coherent and effective way? The answer, I am convinced, lies in what I call the diplomacy of knowledge, defined as our ability and willingness to work together and share our learning across disciplines and borders. When people achieve the right mixture of creativity, communication and co-operation, remarkable things can happen.” Original Column from The Right Honorable David Johnston, Governor-General of Canada