Keynote Speakers
Gareth Lewis |
BioGareth Lewis is the Senior Advisor for International Government Relations and Above Ground Risk for Nexen. As Nexen’s geopolitical expert, Gareth manages political, regulatory, macroeconomic and legislative risk throughout Nexen’s global operations. He is a frontline negotiator and lobbyist with government officials on energy policy, regulatory frameworks and fiscal terms in countries as diverse as Poland, Colombia and Nigeria. Gareth’s other cross-functional experience includes business development, corporate social responsibility, human rights and security. Prior to Nexen, Gareth worked at TransCanada pipelines in Alaska, Mexico and the Midwestern U.S. and was in the Global Management Program for InBev Breweries, prior to entering the energy industry.
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Gareth is the Honorary Consul-General for the Kingdom of Morocco and was recently awarded Top 40 Under 40 for 2012. Gareth holds a board position on the Canadian Association of the World Petroleum Council Youth Committee and is the Sponsorship Lead for the 4th World Petroleum Congress Young Professional Forum, held in Calgary in October 2013. He is also an active volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Response Team, the United Way and the University of Calgary’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy program.
Gareth is a graduate of Western Canada High School (Class of 2012) and holds a degrees in International Relations and Trade, and Film Production from the University of British Columbia. |
Amanda Lindhout |
Bio.Amanda Lindhout is an internationally recognized humanitarian, public speaker, writer and activist, as well as the Founder and Executive Director of The Global Enrichment Foundation (GEF). Amanda’s experience as a hostage in war-torn Somalia, her courage and resolve in the face of adversity, and her achievements as an advocate for Somalia’s most vulnerable inspire audiences throughout Canada and around the world. Earlier this year, former President Bill Clinton invited Amanda to share her message of forgiveness and compassion at the Clinton Global Initiative and the Women’s Executive Network nominated her as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Her memoir, A House in the Sky, will be published across North America by Simon and Schuster in 2013.A former freelance journalist, Amanda’s concern for the crisis in Somalia brought her to the capital city, Mogadishu, in August 2008. Three days after her arrival she was kidnapped by teenage criminals and held hostage for 460 days. Following her release in 2009, Amanda became an unlikely and passionate advocate for the Somali people and in May 2010, established The Global Enrichment Foundation (GEF), a non-profit organization dedicated to igniting leadership through educational and community-based empowerment programs.
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Amanda returned to Somalia in 2011, propelling GEF onto the world stage after leading famine relief efforts and raising millions of dollars to aid and support over 200,000 people. She regularly speaks to students, teachers, policy-makers and business leaders about the interconnected issues of poverty and violence against women, and the role education can play in countering the radicalization of youth. Her steadfast commitment to positive and sustainable change has garnered partnerships with Google, the United Nations Association, The Nobel Women’s Initiative, Gloria Steinem’s Women Under Siege, Somali human rights activist Fartuun Adan and 2012 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Hawa Abdi.
Amanda has recently been featured in The Globe and Mail and has appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, The Today Show, CBC’s The National, Strombo and CTV Morning Live Calgary. |
Technology Sessions
Thursday April 18
Dr. Alec Couros |
Dr. Alec Couros is a professor of educational technology & media at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina.
He has given hundreds of keynote presentations and workshops, nationally and internationally, on topics related to social networking, digital identity, citizenship, and connected literacies. Alec has worked with tens of thousands of students on creating positive digital identities, developing web literacies, and using today’s tools of connectivity to find voice and make a difference in the lives of others. Creating Positive Digital Identities This session will look at the importance of understanding digital footprint and developing a positive digital identity. Through shared tools, rich examples, and inspirational stories, Alec will work to empower students with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive and succeed in today’s complex social and connected environments. |
Mike Scullion |
Mike Scullion has over 20 years of experience in the fields of writing, production, and editing for film and television.
He is also a professional musician/engineer and composer for A&M Records. An Apple Distinguished Educator, Michael is currently teaching music recording and video production skills to elementary school students for the Calgary Board of Education. |
Chris Southworth |
Chris Southworth has been a teacher with the Calgary Board of Education for the past seven years.
He is an Apple Distinguished Educator with interests in mobile technology, video production, Web 2.0 and building digital citizenship in students of all ages. Creating Videos for Social Change Student-created videos can be a powerful tool for promoting social change. During this hands-on session, students will gain both the skills and confidence to enable them to create and produce their own video. Working with a variety of tools and technologies, students will gain experience in camera work, storytelling and audio/video editing. |
Session Friday April 19
Julia Price &
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The Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC) is a coalition of Alberta non-profit organizations working locally and globally to promote sustainable human development. ACGC is committed to international cooperation that is people-centered, democratic, just, inclusive and respectful of the environment and indigenous cultures. One of ACGC’s main focuses is to work with Alberta classrooms through a variety of interactive programs to support connections between classrooms and Alberta NGOs.
Youth Mobilization Through Social Media This session will explore how youth can utilize social media as a tool to mobilize for action. Current events in which citizens successfully affected change across the globe using social media will be presented and discussed. Using these examples as a guide, students will have the opportunity to create their own plans of action. |
Debbie McNaughton |
Amnesty International is a worldwide organization dedicated to ensuring “Justice for all, No Exceptions”.
A global movement of over three million supporters, members and activists, Amnesty International operates in over 150 countries and territories worldwide. Debbie MacNaughton taught high school Social Studies and French for Blackgold Regional School Division and the Calgary Board of Education. She has volunteered with the Amnesty International organization both as a private citizen and as a teacher-advisor for Amnesty Youth Clubs in Devon and Calgary.
Human Rights for All: The Power of One This session will examine some of the human rights campaigns undertaken by Amnesty International, both nationally and internationally. In particular, the session will focus on the “power of one”, and how youth can make a difference in ensuring that those rights set out in the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights are guaranteed to all. |
Christina Carrick |
CAUSE Canada is a non-profit relief and development organization that assists rural communities in the developing world.
The daughter of the founders of CAUSE Canada, Christina Carrick, recently decided to give up her real estate career and move back to Canmore to work as the Director of Development. She is passionate about the power of education and is on a mission to crowd-fund 1000 scholarships for kids is West Africa. She truly believes everyone has the power to be the change they want to see in the world!
Social Media and Online Philanthropy Online fundraising truly has the ability to change the world. Looking at examples of peer-to-peer sites, crowdfunding sites, and examining how social media can be used to encourage mass collaboration for good, we will see that it is easier than ever before to develop a successful fundraising campaign and create change from the comfort of your home with friends and family. |
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Kids Go Global is a partnership between schools,
Non-Governmental Organizations and Canada’s Trickster Theatre. It supports K-12 schools in exploring global issues, taking action, and inspiring others to do the same. David Chantler is the founder and Producing Director of Trickster Theatre, as well as the Executive Director of Kids Go Global. David studied clowning in Canada and Mexico, improv in San Francisco, and then directing and actor process in Denmark. When not working on theatre projects, David can be found paddling a kayak on the west coast.
Personalizing the Tools of Kids Go Global This session will show participants how to use the Kids Go Global platform to support projects, share work and ideas and, best of all, get SEED funding for your fundraising initiatives. You can then share your project with social media tools, project pages and blogs. |
CAWST |
CAWST, the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology, is a non-profit organization that provides training and consulting to organizations that work directly with populations in developing countries who lack access to clean water and basic sanitation. CAWST’s Youth Wavemakers is a unique water education program that informs, engages, encourages action, and celebrates the impact that youth are having on local and global water and sanitation issues.
Water & Global Responsibility: How to Take Action and Make it Count Going beyond the problems, this interactive workshop will provide you with tools and ideas to get you started toward active and effective global citizenship. Participants of this workshop may also consider implementing a water action project and applying for CAWST’s Youth Wavemakers $500 Action Grant next fall. |
Canadian Hunger FoundationCanadian Hunger Foundation (CHF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to enabling poor rural communities in developing countries to attain sustainable livelihoods. The sustainable livelihoods approach offers a way of analyzing rural poverty that respects and empowers the local population as architects of their own development. Using this holistic process, CHF involves entire communities in designing and implementing projects, and helps them to collaborate with local organizations and government agencies.
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Global Food Security 101: Understanding World Hunger This session is a cultural adventure presented by the Canadian Hunger Foundation that will introduce you to the very important concept of food security – what it is, and why it is important. You will learn the challenges faced by some of the poorest people in the world, and see what a team of global citizens are doing to partner with rural communities to create sustainable solutions that will improve lives by creating food security. |
The Canadian Red CrossThe Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to improving the situation of the most vulnerable people in Canada and around the world. Within Canada the Red Cross focuses on emergency response, first aid and water safety training, community health, family reunification, and other services in communities across the country. The International Committee of the Red Cross acts as a guardian of the Geneva conventions and is tasked under international humanitarian law to protect the lives and dignity of victims caught in situations of armed conflict.
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Canadian Red Cross – Children and War The number of children involved in armed conflicts around the world is growing. This interactive workshop will explore the different ways children and youth are affected by war, the factors that lead to their participation in armed conflict, the laws that protect children during armed conflict and the powerful role youth can play in bringing relief. |
Sara Michel |
Sara Michel is the Regional Animator for the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace for Alberta. She has a BA Honours and a Certificate of Middle Eastern and African Studies, as well as an MA in International Affairs, specializing in conflict analysis and resolution. Sara worked as an Analyst for the Federal Government of Canada, and the United Nations World Food Program in Rome before returning to Edmonton in 2010 to work for Development and Peace. Sara also worked on development projects in Cuba and Bolivia.
Technology, Social Media and Achieving Social Change This interactive session will examine the strengths and weaknesses of social media and technology as tools for raising awareness, organizing, mobilization, advocacy and fundraising. We will assess how best to use the available technology to achieve not only sensational, responsive action to address short-term needs; but also how to raise awareness and contribute to action for sustainable social change. |
Robin & Marian WhiteRobin & Marian White own NatureWatch Press and authored the award-winning book, Wild Alberta at the Crossroads. Green businesses have donated copies to more than 500 Alberta schools.
The Whites, originally from England, met while mountaineering in Switzerland. They have travelled the world through many developing countries and biodiversity hotspots and have long called Calgary home. Robin earned a Master of Environmental Studies degree and is an award-winning land-use planner. Marian, a technical editor, has a Bachelor of Science biogeography degree. |
Climate Reality and the New, Green Economy As Canadian volunteer presenters for Climate Reality, the global organization founded by former US Vice-President Al Gore, the Whites have select updated materials from Mr. Gore’s famous movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Their own Canadian version, Climate Reality and the New, Green Economy, explores how the climate is changing and why, action being taken, how to move to sustainability and how you can help. |
Bill Besley |
Bill Belsey is a teacher at Springbank Middle School and a much sought-after speaker and presenter on the topics of bullying, cyber bullying, cyber parenting, technology integration, innovation, community development and global education. He is the founder and President of Bullying.org Canada Incorporated, an internationally recognized educational organization that is dedicated to the prevention of bullying through education and awareness. In 2012, Mr. Belsey was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal which recognizes significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.
Change the World 101 This session will address troubling aspects of being online such as cyber bullying and sexting but, perhaps equally importantly, we will examine the idea of “Netizenship” or what it means to be a fully engaged online citizen by sharing many examples of ways that people around the world are using information and communication technologies to connect, collaborate and make a difference as they leave the best possible digital footprint for themselves and our world. |