By Noella Ovid
On Wednesday, the DMZ rebranded its Launch Zone into Sandbox—a community centre to support all other zones at Ryerson.
“There are so many other zones at Ryerson…we’re competing [for] too much of the exact same thing on campus,” said Abdullah Snobar, executive director.
The centre will be “focusing on building programs [that will] accelerate people’s professional development and their growth rather than trying to build a company right off the bat,” he said.
There are 11 zones at Ryerson and they specialize in different fields, from fashion to engineering. Each offers work space, resources and mentorship opportunities to people starting their own businesses.
Located in Ryerson’s Student Learning Centre, Sandbox by DMZ will be open to individuals of all ages living in the GTA and reach out to students beyond Ryerson.
Snobar said the centre will to focus its energy on supporting individuals who are underserved by the community including Indigenous people, military veterans and Syrian refugees.
“Sandbox is now a community space that’s promoting zones-to-zone network and promoting the on-beat ideas, bringing people together to collaborate, share ideas and to learn about what’s happening in the innovation world,” he said.
Sandbox by DMZ will provide a collection of free programs focused on technology, business and entrepreneurship.
One program, INK (INnovate with your Kid), aims to bring together parents and their children. Another is a financial literacy program to help Syrian refugees in the GTA.
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