On Wednesday, January 27th, Market Economics Project Manager Christian Talbott and a team of SIFE members went to play the newly designed Bulls and Bears board game with a group of at-risk youth at MIKA Community Development Corporation. This game teaches kids about the fluctuating stock market through interactive methods. Since sharing the secrets of saving money with these students last November through Budgetball, the youth at MIKA were sharp, using their new found financial knowledge to excel at this game. Watching the expressions of these kids as they began to understand financial and economic concepts was truly priceless. Christian and his team will continue to visit the kids at MIKA in order to foster relationships with this wonderful organization and its even more wonderful students.

On Friday, January 29th, the second annual Environmental Sustainability Conference was held at Newport Mesa Church on Vanguard University’s campus. This event was extremely successful in the past and was definitely a challenge for Environmental Sustainability Project Manager Lisa Casimiro to top. Through her immense dedication and the combined efforts of the entire SIFE team, this year’s event was an even bigger success. Keynote speaker Martin Diedrich of Kéan Coffee gave an inspiring presentation on environmental innovation and creativity in small business. Attendees enjoyed various breakout sessions and a low-carbon catered lunch by Bon Appétit, followed by an interactive panel discussion, led by Jamie Welsh of 10% Solution. The response was overwhelmingly positive, as participants left with the skills and knowledge to create a more sustainable future.