Dorin Adenekan has gained extensive experience in Humanitarian services through organizing several community and family oriented programs that helped her community achieve self-sufficiency while in Nigeria. This included the formation of CarePoint Foundation, a non-governmental organization that delivers Women Empowerment Programs, offers material and financial support to families with children, and helps alleviate poverty in Nigeria, West Africa. Dorin earned her first Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Mathematics, at Delta State University, Nigeria. Having arrived Canada in 2013, her passion for humanitarian services drew her focus to earn her second degree in Social Work at the University of Manitoba, Canada. With her strong desire to help her community, she applies a strength-based approach to working with vulnerable population like indigenous women, new immigrants and refugees, in the areas of community-based incentive programs, program-planning, implementation and evaluation. Her social enterprise, Reg-Style, focuses primarily on supporting Newcomer minority women who are experiencing difficulties integrating into the Canadian society,through the local production and sales of Hand-made clothing, jewelleries and accessories. As a strategy to promote more sustainable and inclusive economy, Reg-Style seeks to promote their work through social media and community events; and portions of proceeds made from these sales are invested in developing the program by empowering more women in minority communities towards gaining self sufficiency, resiliency and financial sustainability.
We had a chance to have a quick catch up with Dorin to get to know what she had been up to:
Q: What has happened since the day of the Summit?
It was indeed a privilege to be 1 of the 15 young Canadian Innovators that were carefully selected to attend the Active Citizen Social Enterprise (ACSE) Youth Innovation Summit at the Parliament Hill in Ottawa, which was organized and hosted by the United Nations Association of Canada and British Council Canada in support of the United Nations.With the opportunity to pitch my idea at the Parliament of Canada, the first thing I did when I came back from the Summit, was to register as a legal entity in Manitoba – so far, I have been able to register the idea which was pitched to the at the Summit as an official social enterprise in Manitoba. My experience with ACSE has also moved me forward in my career, and actually made me a better person. I was doing my practicum for my second degree in Social Work when I came to Ottawa for the Summit, and since then I have completed my second degree in Social Work where I graduated with honours. Furthermore, I worked as a Program Assistant and presently hired as the Coordinator for the Neighbourhood Immigrant Settlement Worker program, with Immigrant Centre here in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Indeed, through the knowledge gained from the ACSE leadership training, especially in the area of inter-cultural dialogue, I have been able to collaborate with some Canadian Indigenous Elders in community delivered programs through my work/community engagements and have gotten the opportunity of meeting with Brain Bowman, who is also known as the first Indigenous Mayor in the history of Winnipeg.
As for Reg-Style Social Enterprise, I am still looking for funding to buy the sewing machines and supplies. I am also in touch with the women from the pilot project. There is a plan to connect with local vendors to see how we can expand and showcase the products made by these women. Unfortunately, getting funding has been an issue. For example, I needed 6 sewing machines and I have only been able to get one.
Q: What do you want to achieve in the next year?
The first goal for me in the next year is to be able to go out in the media and let everyone know what I’m doing with my social enterprise because I have been working hard behind the scenes to make it happen. Secondly, through the social enterprise in support of United Nations 2030 Agenda I want to be able to promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3 - Good Health and Well-being, SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG9 - No Poverty by promoting strengths, diversity and inclusion. Which is why in the interim, I started a YouTube channel Reg-Style Media that is presently creating YouTube contents in line with my social work goals, and its activities focus on fostering cultural awareness and social-economic inclusion, while applying environmental context for vulnerable population within minority groups in Canada and Nigeria.
Q: What are your motivations to continue to develop your social enterprise?
Having been exposed to vulnerable situations, my motivation is my passion as a socially responsible youth and continuous desire to work with and support for positive mental health and well-being by promoting sustainable livelihood for vulnerable population and minority communities.
My experience with ACSE has really helped and inspired me and once Reg-Style kicks off fully, you are going to be hearing about me, that is for sure! I have been doing a lot of groundwork, which I believe is really important and the platform the ACSE team has provided has helped me gain a global perspective. Reg-Style is really a passion of mine and I’m taking it one step at a time.