Desjardins Cooperathon: Innovation tackling social issues head on

Guy Cormier and Chris Hadfield to attend kick-off at Montreal's Olympic Stadium on October 2

MONTREAL, Aug. 29, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Desjardins announced the fourth edition of the Cooperathon will kick off on October 2 from Montreal's Olympic Stadium. The event is designed to bring hundreds of changemakers together to workshop entrepreneurial projects with strong potential for social impact. 

Kick-off (October 2)

Day one of the event is open to the general public and features internationally-renowned speakers addressing the themes of innovation, entrepreneurship and social impact. 

"I'm very proud of the program we've put together. It relates directly to Desjardins's values of engagement, intercooperation and community solidarity. I'm honoured to be welcoming Chris Hadfield and to have the opportunity to speak with the world's youngest cooperative banker!" said Guy Cormier, President and CEO of Desjardins.

Kick-off activities include: 

• A discussion between Guy Cormier and José Adolfo Quisocala Condori
• An address by Chris Hadfield, first Canadian astronaut to walk in space
• An address by Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva, a leading P2P micro-credit website, and Chief Impact Officer at Aspiration Bank
• An address by Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of Wired
• The North American premier of Demain est à nous, a documentary by Gilles de Maistre

Competition (October 2 to November 20)

Backed by almost 100 partners, the Cooperathon is a platform for project sponsors and teams to create positive social impact in their communities. Partners include Deloitte, an official partner for the fourth edition, the City of Montreal, Sollio Agriculture, Hydro-Québec and Prompt, all of whom will be challenging changemakers in Quebec and Ontario. Students, professionals, entrepreneurs and the socially-conscious are welcome to bring ideas to the competition and create innovative solutions to a series of challenges affecting society at large. The challenges have been created by experts in their respective fields and are based on six tracks: finances, the environment, agriculture, energy, health and education.

Once the challenges are announced and ideas are submitted, Desjardins and Cooperathon partners will monitor and support the semi-finalists for 28 days. Valued at $5,000, the personalized support includes project meetings, workshops and training with a variety of accredited experts.

The competition will wrap up on November 20 with the grand finale at L'Olympia de Montréal. The winners will receive grants and funding totalling over $100,000.

Financial health – A priority for Desjardins

The 2019 edition of the Cooperathon will take a new approach as Canadian socio-economic leader Desjardins invites participants to consider the following problem: How do you get people interested enough to buy into their financial health?

Many studies show that Canadians rank money as their greatest source of stress. The Stanford Social Innovation Review recently noted a correlation between financial precarity and poorer personal health. Guy Cormier addresses Desjardins's challenge specifically: "Financial literacy and education translate into good financial health. It's essential to take action on this front and that's why I'm challenging changemakers. I want them to come together to reflect and propose innovative solutions that will make a real difference in people's lives. I'm excited to see the results!''

For more details about the Cooperathon or to reserve a seat for the kick-off on October 2, go to www.cooperathon.ca.

About Desjardins Group
Desjardins Group is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and the fifth largest cooperative financial group in the world, with assets of $310.9 billion. It has been rated one of Canada's Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp. To meet the diverse needs of its members and clients, Desjardins offers a full range of products and services to individuals and businesses through its extensive distribution network, online platforms and subsidiaries across Canada. Ranked among the World's Strongest Banks according to The Banker magazine, Desjardins has one of the highest capital ratios and credit ratings in the industry.

About the Cooperathon
The Cooperathon is the largest Open Innovation Challenge focused on Social Impact in the world. With events in Canada, France, Belgium and Chile, the international competition connects the socially conscious, communities, entrepreneurs, researchers, academics and institutional stakeholders to build a sustainable future, together.

About the Cooperathon in Canada
By the numbers, the Canadian edition of the Cooperathon will have more than 2,800 participants, more than 300 mentors and volunteers, more than 260 engaging stories and over 10 million people reached through traditional and social media platforms. The six Cooperathon tracks this year will help move the needle on several United Nations Sustainable Development goals to save the world.

SOURCE Desjardins Group

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