Palliser Regional Schools will hold its second annual Student Leadership Conference called Discover U: Explore. Create. Achieve. The conference theme and much of the content is created by students for students from Grades 7-12.
A core group of about 50 student leaders will attend Thursday, Nov. 19, when they will work with facilitator Phil Boyte, a motivational speaker with expertise in building a positive school culture. Boyte’s appearance is sponsored by Calgary Christian Secondary School, and will help the student group to further develop their own leadership skills.
Friday, Nov. 20th the conference will be open to an anticipated 450 students from across Palliser Regional Schools, as students from Grades 7-12 converge on the Lethbridge Exhibition North Pavilion for a full day focused on inspiring student activism in their own school communities.
Registration for schools in the Lethbridge area will begin at 8:30 a.m., with registration for students from Calgary at 9 a.m. The day will wrap up by 3:30 p.m., with busing provided.
Kicking off Friday, Nov. 20th will be keynote speaker, musician, author and entrepreneur David Usher, a Juno-award winning solo artist and front man for the rock band Moist. When not making music, he is equally passionate about using technology to build new and interesting businesses. His company, Cloudid Creativity Labs, works on a range of innovative projects, from building web platforms to creative consulting for clients like Cirque du Soleil, Deloitte and the Toronto International Film Festival. His book on creativity and the creative process, “Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything,” was published in March 2015.
Following the keynote address, student participants will have an opportunity to attend breakout sessions, many led by their peers, to encourage and inspire their own creativity and action plans.
Time will also be provided for students to work in school groups to develop their own school-based projects.
"Daily we see our students of all ages demonstrating leadership with their peers and in their communities," says Superintendent Kevin Gietz. "I truly believe between literacy skills for critical thinking and analysis and leadership development, we can help give our students the tools for success wherever life takes them."
This conference is for all students who have an interest in exploring their own passions and putting those interests to work for the betterment of their schools and communities. No previous student leadership experience is required.
The day is just a starting point. In April, students will be invited back to share their projects so their leadership activities can continue to inspire others.
Students interested in attending should contact their principal or teacher responsible for student leadership. Registrations are being accepted now.
The event is supported by RBC Royal Bank, KPMG and Xerox, as well as other community-minded sponsors.