How two York grads turned a student project into a civic movement
Experience Ventures helped them transform from learners to leaders — and business partners
When Dael Vasquez and Anjelica Ramsewack signed up for York University’s Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom (C4) in 2021, they had no idea they’d return just a few years later as mentors.
The pair met while studying communications as undergraduates at the Glendon campus. They shared an interest in social issues and a desire to apply their studies to real-world challenges. C4, a program that brings students from across disciplines together to solve problems in collaboration with external partners, offered them that opportunity.
Vasquez focused on AI and public policy. Ramsewack worked on a project with the Markham Arts Council, helping local artists showcase their work. Both experiences left a lasting impression.
“I wish I’d known about C4 earlier,” Ramsewack says. “It was one of the first times I felt like I was doing something truly impactful.”
After graduation, the two co-founded Engage Foundation, a nonprofit focused on civic education and policy innovation. Dael leads Policy & Governmental Affairs while Ramsewack heads up Marketing & Communications. While Ontario moved toward privatized healthcare, Engage worked alongside communities — particularly youth — to advance equitable policies and defend essential public services.
Their scope has since expanded to include other pressing issues, such as affordable housing, public education, and youth-centered innovation policy. The organization provides free civic education and partners with local stakeholders to train the next generation of changemakers.
Soon, Vasquez and Ramsewack returned to C4, this time as a venture partner through Experience Ventures — a program powered by the Hunter Hub of Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary and funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative (I-WIL). The program’s goal is to enable college and university students to practice entrepreneurial thinking alongside real-world innovators.
“Experience Ventures gave us a way to mentor students the same way we were mentored,” says Vasquez. “Only now we are bringing real community issues to the table.”
In their first year as partners, the Engage team asked students to explore how artificial intelligence could be used to make policy more accessible to youth. The result was a chatbot, built and hosted through York systems, that helps high school students navigate the complex world of school board policy.
The second year, they pivoted to one of Toronto’s most urgent challenges: housing. Their student team built a digital portal highlighting affordable rental options in the Jane and Finch community. The portal featured an interactive map, nearby amenities, and a chatbot that answers tenant rights and housing law questions.
“They really ran with it,” Ramsewack says. “We had originally thought about a mock-up or prototype. They built a working tool that we can actually share with families.”
Vasquez and Ramsewack attribute much of the project’s success to how invested the students became.
“They weren’t just ticking boxes for a grade,” says Vasquez. “They cared about the outcomes. They wanted the work to matter.”
Both years, the teams walked away with awards, real-world experience, and a stronger sense of purpose. And in some cases, a deeper appreciation for what entrepreneurial thinking can look like.
“For us, it’s not about pitching a product or turning a profit,” says Vasquez. “It’s about solving problems, especially in areas where there isn’t already a clear path.”
That approach shaped how they mentored, too. Instead of assigning roles or tasks, they encouraged students to ask their own questions, pursue their own ideas, and shape the project through collaboration.
“We were there more to support and guide,” says Ramsewack. “We’d ask things like, ‘What do you think this community needs?’ or ‘What would you look for in this situation?’ And they’d take it from there.”
Some students have even stayed in touch, looking for ways to continue working with Engage.
“It’s exciting to see them thinking long-term,” says Ramsewack. “I think they saw that social impact work can be its own kind of venture. It’s about community, collaboration, and trying things that might not have been done before.”
With plans already underway for a third year of mentorship, Vasquez and Ramsewack are excited to continue the work, and to keep building that bridge between education and community action.
“We’ve been on both sides of this program now,” says Vasquez. “First as students, then as partners. And each time, it’s reminded us that good ideas don’t just come from institutions. They come from people willing to try, listen, and build something together.”