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Leading the Way to Sustainability
Guelph conference to give nearly 200 students from across Canada unique learning experience, opportunity to network with experts
BY REBECCA KENDALL
Sustainability, poverty, climate change, responsible management and social engagement will be on the minds of nearly 200 students from across Canada as they meet at U of G for Impact! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership Sept. 24 to 27.
The goal of the conference is to give students a unique learning experience and an opportunity to network with experts in the field and like-minded students from across the country, says Prof. Rumina Dhalla, Business, who received a $100,000 grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for the event. It’s also supported by The Co-operators.
“Sustainability affects all of us,” says Dhalla, one of the conference organizers. “We all need to pay attention to the environment and to social responsibility, and to understand the implications for our future.”
Keynote speakers are David Suzuki, a renowned scientist, environmentalist, broadcaster and author; and Peter Schiefke, national manager of Climate Project Canada.
More than 900 students applied to attend the conference, and after a rigorous selection process, 180 were chosen, including a dozen from Guelph, says Dhalla.
“These students have great potential to have a real impact in terms of leadership, communicating what they learn here and coming up with solutions to some of the issues under discussion.”
In addition to keynote talks, the conference will include discussions and workshops featuring experts in fields such as community engagement, activism, poverty, ethics, media and government. Local industry and community leaders taking part include Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of The Co-operators, and Guelph mayor Karen Farbridge. Numerous U of G faculty and staff are also involved.
The experts and students will team up to develop viable sustainability initiatives and plans that the students can take back to their campuses, communities and current and future workplaces.
Conference delegates have already been hard at work preparing for the event, says Dhalla. Part of their acceptance into the conference involved more than 25 hours of pre-conference assignments. Besides completing an online sustainability course, groups of students have been researching and writing reports on sustainability practices in large and small organizations from a variety of sectors.
“We really want to influence students to become leaders in sustainability for tomorrow,” she says. “We want to excite them, empower them and equip them to go out and make change.”
Corporate social responsibility and sustainability are key issues in business and society, and they’ve rapidly become an increasingly important component of curricular and research activity in the College of Management and Economics (CME) under the direction of new dean Julia Christensen Hughes.
“I’m personally committed to ensuring that sustainability continues to help define the unique student experience in this college,” says Christensen Hughes.
At the conference, Dhalla will serve as an academic facilitator, along with Prof. Steve Lynch, CME’s associate dean (academic), and Prof. Elizabeth Kurucz, Business. In addition, Laurie Schnarr, associate director, Student Life and Counselling Services, is providing support for the venue and hospitality for conference events.