2016 Voices That Challenge Conference
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TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD VOICES THAT CHALLENGE PROGRAM 2016 VOICES THAT CHALLENGE CONFERENCE This year, every student leader attending Voices that Challenge 2016 is asked to bring a pair of socks as a donation for Socks 4 Souls Canada. More than 5000 homeless in Toronto often go without some of the most basic items to keep them warm and healthy. Right now several hundred homeless in our city could have their lives changed by the provision of one of the most basic needs- NEW clean socks. Please visit socks4soulscanada.com for more information about this organization and their wonderful work! 2 2016 VOICES THAT CHALLENGE CONFERENCE AGENDA 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. REGISTRATION/REFRESHMENTS 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. WELCOME AND PRAYER SERVICE 9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. KEYNOTE: Emmanuel Jal 10:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. SESSION 1 Workshops and Leadership Action Plans 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. LUNCH – TALENT SHOW 12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. SESSION 2 Workshops and Leadership Action Plans 1:45 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. KEYNOTE: Craig Kielburger 2:40 p.m. - 2.45 p.m. SPOKEN WORD Jenna Tenn-Yuk 2:45 p.m. CLOSING and PRAYER 3 2016 VOICES THAT CHALLENGE CONFERENCE KEYNOTE Emmanuel Jal Artist, Advocate, Author, Actor Emmanuel Jal was born into the life of a child soldier, in the war-torn region of Southern Sudan. Emmanuel managed to survive and go on to emerge as a recording artist, achieving worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation born out of his personal experiences. Jal has released five studio albums to date. In 2008, a full-length documentary on his life was released. The film, ‘Warchild’, won 12 prestigious film festival awards worldwide. In the same year, his autobiography, also called ‘Warchild’, was published. Most recently, Emmanuel starred in Warner Brother’s ‘The Good Lie’ alongside Reese Witherspoon. In addition to his accomplishments in music and film, Jal’s biggest passion is ‘Gua Africa’, the charity he founded to help individuals and communities overcome the effects of war and poverty. In December 2010, Jal released ‘We Want Peace’, as part of the wider campaign of the same name calling for peace, protection, and justice for all in Sudan, while also calling for an end to all conflicts affecting innocent people around the world. Jal was nominated for a 2015 Juno Award for ‘Best World Music Album’. Jal had previously been awarded the Calgary Peace Prize, the Humanitarian Award from the Hunt Institute, and has been honored by Ban Ki Moon at the UN for his peace efforts in South Sudan. 4 2016 VOICES THAT CHALLENGE CONFERENCE KEYNOTE Craig Kielburger Co-Founder, Free The Children Co-Founder, ME to WE Craig Kielburger is an internationally acclaimed speaker, social entrepreneur, and the co- founder of a family of organizations dedicated to shifting the world from ME to WE. In 1995, at 12 years of age, he co-founded Free The Children. Today, the organization’s sustainable development model is active in eight developing countries, serving more than one million beneficiaries. In North America and the United Kingdom, WE Schools & WE Day provide comprehensive service learning programs to 10,000 schools. Every year 200,000 students earn their free ticket through service projects to attend 14 We Day stadium celebrations, which bring together some of the world’s greatest icons of social change. Alongside his brother Marc, Craig is also the co-founder of ME to WE, an innovative social enterprise that seeks to support the work of Free The Children by providing socially conscious products and experiences. Craig is a New York Times bestselling author, who has published 12 books. He holds 16 honorary doctorates and degrees, has received The Order of Canada, and was named Canada’s Most Admired CEO in 2015. He’s also been a panelist on CBC’s Canada Reads was recently voted Most Trusted Influencer by Readers Digest Canada. 5 2016 VOICES THAT CHALLENGE CONFERENCE Student Trustee & CSLIT Co-Chair Allison Gacad Allison Gacad is a Grade 12 student in the International Baccalaureate program at St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary School. Having first attended Camp Olympia in Grade 9, she has spent the past three years building upon this foundation of skills in student leadership. She is particularly interested in the environment and has facilitated workshops for youth on climate change and collected thousands of petitions in support of Development and Peace initiatives. Her work on the environment has helped lead her school to become the first Platinum level certified Eco-School in our board. Following Voices that Challenge 2014, she was inspired to serve on the Catholic Student Leadership Impact Team’s (CSLIT) Executive as the Director of the Angel Foundation for Learning. She was successful in helping to raise over $40,000 through Civvies Days across the Board and continues to oversee the volunteer work of the Angel Council today. Follow Allison on Twitter: @allisongacad 6 2016 VOICES THAT CHALLENGE CONFERENCE Student Trustee & CSLIT Co-Chair Karina Dubrovskaya Karina Dubrovskaya is one of the student trustee’s for the 2015-2016 term. Karina’s own term, as student trustee will end in June 2017, as she is the first student trustee that will serve a two-year term. She is a grade 11 student in the Extended French and Advanced Placement program at Bishop Allen Academy. She hopes to pursue a career in the field of Science or Politics. In just two years at her school, Karina has already immersed herself in leadership. So far, she has been involved in her school’s ACT and ME TO WE clubs, as well as peer tutoring and Camp Olympia. She was also a part of the cross country team. She credits Camp Olympia for developing her leadership skills, which opened her eyes to a world of opportunities in student leadership. Karina volunteers at a free Homework Help Club and is a tutor at Kumon. Her volunteer work includes participation in the Parkinson’s Association’s SuperWalk, Tulip Sales, and Cut-a-Thon for three consecutive years. She also volunteers with the Children’s Aid Foundation, where she earned $2400 through a Youth and Philanthropy Initiative project to donate to this charity. She loves public speaking, advocating for students, fighting for people’s human fundamental rights, lending a helping hand, and is an avid coffee drinker. She believes her leadership skills and experience will help while she serves as the Student Trustee this year, along with Allison Gacad. 7 2016 VOICES THAT CHALLENGE CONFERENCE TEACHER WORKSHOP WE Schools and Civic Engagement: A strategic approach to service learning TEACHER ONLY WORKSHOP Janna Baer AM/PM LECTURE HALL Free The Children Designed based on specific requests and feedback of WE Schools educators, this professional development workshop aims to provide teachers with tangible and practical resources and strategies that they can take back to their classrooms and groups. This collaborative workshop allows educators the opportunity to dig deep into a number of WE Schools resources, identifying specific goals, and strategizing with their peers to achieve these goals. Educators will walk away from this session not only with a collection of new and fresh ideas, but also with a network of like-minded educators who are willing and eager to share personal resources and strategies. 8 2016 VOICES THAT CHALLENGE CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS 1. Teens and Social Justice – A challenge and an opportunity Kevin Lobo AM RM. # 112 TCDSB The issues of social justice in Asia and Africa challenge us, horrify us, and beckon us for help. However, burning social issues like Child Poverty and the plight of our First Nations here at home seem to pass us by. The challenge to Catholic youth answering this call is: Are we willing to remove the blinders and the head in the sand attitude to take these issues head on? This session challenges youth to weigh up both these causes, local and international, and pay equal attention to both. In the footsteps of Christ – it defines Catholic Leadership as a path to discovering the leadership quest. 2. Trek for Teens Foundation Nicole Bazzocchi AM RM. #113 Trek for Teens Foundation The Trek for Teens Foundation workshop will provide students with an opportunity to use their talents and skills to make a difference within their community. The workshop will address the issue of youth homelessness and discuss the important call to action that we, as Catholics, face. It will also provide the students with the means to become part of the movement to eradicate youth homelessness in the GTA through events such as an Amazing Race, Fashion Show, Dance Competition, and Concert Series. 9 2016 VOICES THAT CHALLENGE CONFERENCE Workshops continued … 3. Love, Lead, Liberate, and Launch Eric Naranowicz & Students of The Discipleship class AM RM. #114 Neil McNeil This workshop focuses on the work that the grade 12 Discipleship Neil McNeil class has performed and are preparing to do throughout their culminating year of high school. They have challenged themselves to break down their own stereotypes of how they view the “other” in our society to become people they see as those with dignity and deserving of love. This is done through experiences and knowledge which has eventually led them towards understanding. Ultimately it is through understanding that we come to realize the beauty of differences. Please join us as we share our story with you. 4. India Leadership Jordan Nigro AM RM. #115 Student Leader Four years ago the Loretto Sisters celebrated their 400th anniversary as an order.