Global Goals Jam Canada Winter 2027
The Global Goals Jam Canada, COIE's most anticipated event every year is back!
One powerful day. In person. Built for impact.
📍 8th Floor, Event Centre (Winter/Fall Room), Progress Campus, Centennial College
📅 Mon., March 1, 2027 | 7:30am–5:30pm
🍽️ Light breakfast, lunch and refreshments provided
Calling developers, designers, engineers, strategists, entrepreneurs, creatives, and changemakers! Join us during Engagement Week at Centennial College for a fun, purposeful and experiential design jam focused on creating impactful solutions to real-world global challenges.
Do you have a passion for solving social issues and improving lives? Want to collaborate with a diverse group of committed individuals to design, validate and develop innovative solutions that help Canada contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
Join the Global Goals Jam Canada – Winter 2027 and collaborate with a diverse, interdisciplinary community to build more equitable communities and a better world — with the chance to win awards totaling $4,500*!
*Awards are generously supported by philanthropist Diane Blake. Prize money is shared amongst winning team members.
About the Global Goals Jam Canada
The Global Goals Jam Canada – Winter 2027 is organized by the SDG Innovation Lab at the Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (COIE), Centennial College, in collaboration with Canadian partners and with support from UNDP and Digital Society School Amsterdam.
This one-day intensive design jam advances the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by bringing together students, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, creative thinkers, and community members to tackle pressing social and business challenges.
Using human-centred design, design thinking, lean methodology, and rapid prototyping, participants will work in interdisciplinary teams to understand real-world problems, identify meaningful opportunities, develop viable solutions, and pitch their ideas to a panel of judges.
🔥 One day. One challenge. One opportunity to create impact.
The Global Goals Jam Canada is designed as a high-energy, one-day intensive experience that brings participants together in person for a focused day of collaboration, creativity, experimentation, and rapid problem-solving.
From problem discovery to opportunity identification, value proposition, business modelling and pitching, teams will move quickly from insight to idea to impact — supported throughout the day by mentors, facilitators and industry experts.
Our previous keynote speaker: Samantha Casey!
Samantha Casey is a changemaker passionate about sustainability education, youth empowerment, and social impact. She has worked at the grassroots, community, and institutional levels to champion youth-led solutions to the polycrisis. She is heavily involved in her local community. She is the co-founder of the Climate Hope Lab and Community Climate Council, two youth-founded climate organizations, and she sits on the board of the Guelph Tool Library, a community-led sharing initiative, and is the vice-president of the Canadian Youth Biodiversity Network, which empowers youth to tackle the biodiversity crisis. For her work, she has been previously named a Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists by The Starfish Canada and a Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leader by Corporate Knights.
Keep posted for our keynote speaker announcement!
Jam Topics
Teams will tackle one of five global challenges aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
Sustainable Transportation & Low-Carbon Mobility 🚙
How might we design transportation systems that are accessible, affordable, and low-carbon, while meeting the needs of diverse communities?
Advances SDG #9, SDG #11 and SDG #13.
Health Equity & Wellbeing 🩺
How might we address systemic barriers that prevent individuals and communities from achieving equitable health outcomes?
Advances SDG #1, SDG #3 and SDG #10.
Sustainability Education & Education for Sustainable Development 👩🏫
How might we integrate sustainability knowledge, skills, and values into education systems so learners are equipped to address environmental, social, and economic challenges?
Advances SDG #4, SDG #12 and SDG #13.
Food Justice & Sustainable Food Systems 🍎
How might we build food systems that are equitable, resilient, and environmentally sustainable?
Advances SDG #2, SDG #10 and SDG #12.
Circular Economy & Responsible Consumption ♻️
How might we shift from a linear “take–make–waste” model to a circular economy that reduces waste and maximizes value?
Advances SDG #12, SDG #9 and SDG #13.
What to Expect
Collaborative, interdisciplinary teamwork
Hands-on problem-solving using human-centred design and design thinking
Expert mentor support throughout the Jam
Empathy mapping and opportunity identification
Value proposition and business model development
Rapid solution development and validation
Storytelling, pitch and presentation development
Dedicated pitch practice and mentor feedback
Access to the COIE VR Pitching Lab
Final presentations and pitches to a panel of judges
A chance to win $4,500 in awards
Participants will work together throughout the day to transform a real-world challenge into a compelling, viable solution and pitch their idea for a chance to win awards totaling $4,500.
Global Goals Jam Canada Winter 2027 Agenda
7:45–8:00 | Pre-Event Networking & Settle In
8:00–8:20 | Breakfast & Meet Your Team
8:20–8:30 | Land Acknowledgement, Welcome & Opening Remarks
8:30–8:45 | The Global Goals Jam: SDGs, Challenges & How It Works
8:45–9:00 | Team-Building & Challenge Selection
9:00–9:05 | Refreshment Break
9:05–9:30 | Keynote: TBD
9:30–9:50 | Fireside Chat / Changemakers Panel
9:50–10:20 | Problem Identification & Challenge Framing
Mentors available10:20–11:05 | Empathy Mapping & “How Might We” Opportunities
Mentors available11:05–11:35 | Lunch & Learn: SDGs + Innovation in Action
11:35–12:05 | Value Proposition + Comparator Research Exercise
12:05–12:15 | 30-second pitches
12:15–2:00 | Revenue-Model Exercise
Mentors available2:00–3:15 | Story/pitch/slides development
3:15–4:00 | Practice, practice, practice
4:00–5:45 | Pitch Presentations, 3-min pitch + 5 min Q&A
5:45–6:00 | Awards Ceremony and Closing
Our Mentors
At every Jam, we are proud and grateful to have the support of a diverse network of ecosystem and industry experts to serve as Mentors throughout the Jam. Keep connected for this years mentors, posting soon!
Here’s our current list of mentors. We’ll continue to add more over time:
Jin Li — Professor, Centennial College
Vicky Huang — Communication Specialist (Employee & Innovation Communications), Centennial College
Olga Gagarina — International Student Advisor, Centennial College
Our Previous Judges
Our esteemed panel of judges will be evaluating our teams' solutions and pitches to decide our Jam winners. Stay connected for this year's judges, posting soon! We were honoured to have our judging panel with:
Jonathan Hack, Dean, Centennial Innovates - Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Centennial College
David Ip Yam, Associate Vice-President, Student Experience, Centennial College
Damian Goulbourne, Dean, Faculty of Global Business and Creative Industries, Centennial College
Veronique Henry, Dean, Faculty of Integrated Health and Community Care, Centennial College
Meera Mather, Dean, Faculty of Lifelong Learning and Industry Training, Centennial College
Clarence Cheung, Chair, Sustainable Design & Renewable Energy (SDRE), Centennial College
Courtney Cole, Director, Innovation and Industry Partnerships, York University
Samantha Casey, Co-Founder, Climate Hope Lab & Community Climate Council
Who can join?
The Global Goals Jam Canada is open to all! Spots are limited so register early — should seats fill up, priority will be given to Centennial students, alumni, staff and faculty members.
You may register as a single participant or as a team, if you already have a group of 4-10 people in mind. People who register as individuals will be placed into a team based on their preferred challenge theme.
💡 Why join Global Goals Jam?
Build hands-on innovation and problem-solving skills for complex challenges
Learn leading-edge entrepreneurial methodologies such as design thinking
Practice pitching, teamwork, and collaborative changemaking
Strengthen your resume and LinkedIn profile
Compete for awards, recognition, and prizes
🌱 What happens after the event?
Receive ongoing mentorship from COIE
Refine your idea into a real venture
Access COIE Demo Day Winter 2027 and other pitch competitions
Explore pathways to funding, incubation, and startup support
To create meaningful change, collaboration must go beyond conversation. The Global Goals Jam creates a space where people from all backgrounds can contribute local knowledge and lived experience, fostering a bottom-up, grassroots approach to innovation.