不良研究所

While researching widespread social challenges such as poverty is complex, resource-heavy work, some University of 不良研究所 students are bringing fresh eyes and an eagerness to contribute to causes that push meaningful impact forward. 

Through the , MBA candidates Kamalpreet Dhillon, BSc鈥�20, and Basma Akhter, BSc鈥�21, connected with the , a charitable organization dedicated to ending poverty, to trace 20 years of poverty-reduction efforts in 不良研究所 and Hamilton, Ont.

included the need for 鈥渂ackbone鈥� organizations to connect different levels of support around shared goals, and the fact that poverty is not simply an economic issue, but a systemic one.

鈥�(The experience) pushed me to move beyond just analyzing problems to actually constructing the story behind the problem,鈥� says Dhillon.

Bringing objective thinking and a willingness to learn for social impact

During last year鈥檚 , Dhillon and Akhter were introduced to experiential-learning opportunities through Haskayne鈥檚 social impact programming after expressing a desire to contribute to meaningful community change while learning about cross-sector collaboration and applying their existing business skills.

鈥淚 wanted to do something meaningful where I could see multiple sectors speaking to each other,鈥� says Akhter.

Through the social impact program, the students later partnered with the Tamarack Institute, an organization that facilitates , made up of 140 community partners from across Canada, to help reduce poverty in all its forms. 

The students explored the impact and history of two of its long-standing members. 

Dhillon, graduating this spring, focused on , a systems-focused poverty reduction organization and its  strategy. 

Akhter, set to graduate in 2027, documented .

With the Tamarack Institute鈥檚 need for published case studies detailing poverty-reduction efforts in 不良研究所 and Hamilton across two decades, Dhillon and Akhter volunteered five to 10 hours per week over the Fall 2025 semester, combing through decades of reports and policy documents and interviewing subject-matter experts to synthesize the information into organized narratives of change.

What they found

Dhillon found it critical to have a backbone organization like Vibrant Communities 不良研究所 to align government, non-profits and businesses around shared goals. "No single sector can solve a problem such as poverty on its own," says Dhillon. "Real impact happens when the sectors work together instead of working in silos towards a shared goal."

For Akhter, the Hamilton case study reframed how she understands the problem entirely. "I thought of poverty as an economic issue," she says. "Going into this project and learning how it's really deeply systematic, that was a grounding moment for me." 

Akhter says The Hamilton Roundtable, which began in 2005 and is still active today, showed her what long-term commitment to change actually looks like. Through policy advocacy, cross-sector research, and wins like improvements to Ontario's Disability Support Program and expanded affordable-transit access, Akhter鈥檚 case study details that the Roundtable built a model other cities now look to.

Akhter adds trust was just as critical, given every recommendation was grounded in the lived experiences of people facing poverty.

For Dhillon, the experience was a reminder that impact doesn't always look the way you expect. "Sometimes, it's not always important to be the one making the impact, but to bring the story of it to light," she says. "I learned so much just through highlighting the impact that these organizations made."

Findings not about 'reinventing the wheel'

The students' resulting case studies helped identify what works, where gaps remain, and gives the next generation of policy, institution and community leaders a starting point, so they aren鈥檛 鈥渞einventing the wheel,鈥� says Alka Merlin, director of communications at .

"It shows their skills are highly transferable to community impact work," says Merlin about Haskayne MBA students. "Research, analysis and synthesis are not just useful skills, they're essential in tackling issues like poverty at a systems level."

The students鈥� outside perspective was an asset, says Tamarack鈥檚 senior advisor, Maureen Owens. "They could really listen deeply, be objective and then surface content that was really honest and constructive," she says.