SIFE IMPERIAL: Opportunities

SIFE is short for Students in Free Enterprise which is a non-profit organisation active in over 1,500 universities around the globe.

SIFE IMPERIAL at Imperial College last year consisted of 60 active members and 24 business advisors from a range of disciplines. Together, we initiated and developed social and business projects, creating economic opportunities for others and helping others to realise their potentials. Passionate students had the opportunity to run projects both locally and internationally ranging from empowering single mothers in starting their own businesses to aiding a school in a financially disadvantaged and HIV/ AIDS prevalent community in Tanzania. We believe and focus on teaching others the sustainable skills needed to create opportunity for all. Last year, we directly and indirectly influenced 300 people through all our projects making an impact in their lives.

These projects are then presented at the annual SIFE UK national competition, giving the winning team the opportunity to globally showcase their hard work and enthusiasm to audience of CEO's of major companies such as ASDA, HSBC, L'Oreal, & KPMG. SIFE Imperial has been finalists in the past years.

WHY JOIN?

• CV: The wonderful thing about SIFE is it simultaneously allows you and others to realise your potentials. In CV and job application forms, how would you feel to be able to show off your involvement for example in developing a business plan in a team which is then implemented for a single mothers' business, or for a school in Tanzania in helping them to improve their cash flow through the sales of their students' artworks? Also, what about the opportunity to present your projects' results to a panel of judges from sponsors like HSBC, Proctor & Gamble, KPMG, L'Oreal and Maersk, to mention a few? To see how great way to beneficial SIFE can be when applying for a graduate job visit look at HSBC: www.hsbc.com/1/2/sife.
  
  
• Leadership and Management Opportunities: Through SIFE Imperial, it gives you a sense of working in a strong team towards an overall goal, reflect the results and develop the projects further. You will be working with a wide range of people ranging from single mothers to young people, with the support from business advisors from HSBC, Deloitte, City and many more. You will have the opportunity to put your business and personal success skills into practice whether it is through leading, managing or working closely alongside a particular project. It is the perfect place where you can develop and polish your interpersonal, team working, presentational and business skills, with a touch of humanity since you will also be transforming the lives of others at the same time.
  
  
• Networking: SIFE is a great way to meet recruiters, expanding your network, either through our sponsor such as Deloitte or the over 400 major global sponsors of SIFE UK including Proctor and Gamble, Coca Cola and Wal-Mart. We also work very closely with representatives from HSBC, Commercial Advantage and coaches from for example George Seago Association and X-traordinary Life.
  
  
• Chance to Travel: One of our projects, Tekua is based in Tanzania. Students will get the opportunity to organise and arrange for trips to travel and volunteer in the school in Tanzania, which is another achievement that you can show off in your CV or job application!

For the coming academic year, SIFE Imperial's portfolio of projects will be expanding significantly. Our projects for 08-09 are:

1. Shining Your Life - empowers single mothers to become more financially independent
2. Insight Into Business - provides young people with financial literacy and transferable skills so that they are more employable when they leave school
3. Science Entrepreneurship - raises the awareness of the link between science and entrepreneurship amongst young students
4. Tekua - with the planning of a trip to Tanzania, aids the Tekua School in Tanzania to finance their operations and helping the school to become more self-sustainable
5. Environmental Sustainability - this is in line with the new SIFE criteria for this year, where we aim to develop a project that both encourages protection of the environment whilst at the same time creating economic opportunity for others
6. Future Foundations: Third Sector Edge - this is a new opportunity to work in collaboration with Future Foundations and NESTA, where SIFE members will be trained to become mentors for sixth form students to pass on the skills to allow them to help consult and improve a Third Sector Organisation
7. Entrepreneurial and Fundraising Ventures - this is a chance for members to get creative with innovative and entrepreneurial ideas to generate money to help fund the other projects. The main aim of this project is to ensure the sustainability of SIFE Imperial as a whole, so that we can become more self-sufficient and less reliant on grants and sponsorships year upon year.

If you have any innovative idea and would like to start up a new project that fits the SIFE criteria of MARKET ECONOMICS, FINANCIAL LITERACY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, PERSONAL SUCCESS SKILLS, BUSINESS ETHICS, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, please feel free to let us know, and we will help you to set your project up!

For more information please see www.union.ic.ac.uk/scc/sife and our latest newsletter.

As a result of our rapid expansion, we now have a number of vacancies open for 08-09. These are as follows:

• Project Manager: Insight into Business
• Project Manager: Third Sector Edge
• Project Manager: Environmental Sustainability 
• Project Manager: Entrepreneurial and Fundraising Ventures
• Team Financial Director
• Team Secretary
• IT and Media Director 

For more information on roles and what we look for, please refer to this document entitled "SIFE Imperial Committee Vacancies". If you are interested in these positions, please send your CV to sifeimperial@gmail.com or SIFE@imperial.ac.uk with a brief outline (200 words) explaining why you would like to take that particular role. 

In order to drive our projects further, we need more enthusiastic, passionate and committed students who genuinely have the passion to make a difference! We are looking for a diverse team at Imperial College. So, if you want to be part of SIFE Imperial and would like to set yourself up for a challenging and rewarding experience, email your interest to sife@imperial.ac.uk.

By joining SIFE Imperial, you are helping others and yourself at the same time, by developing personal growth, improving CV and expanding your network, enhancing your job prospects for a flourishing future!