Elmvale, Ontario, June 15, 2009 – With both interest and professional programs devoted to sustainability on the rise, a select group of students have a leading-edge opportunity to lead the way to lasting social change. Now, James Stephens, of Elmvale, is preparing to lend his energy to addressing the serious economic, social and environmental challenges our world currently faces. Stephens is among 180 college and university students chosen from more than 900 across Canada to attend a one-of-a-kind conference on sustainability leadership entitled, Impact! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership – a one-of-a-kind conference on sustainability leadership.
“The conference in September will be a hot-bed for new ideas and progressive thinking,” says Stephens, an environmental science student at the University of Guelph. “It is a great honour to be representing both the City of Guelph and my hometown of Elmvale. It is crucial to provide a rural perspective to sustainable policy and planning.”
Impact! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership is particularly timely as demand rises for employees who are familiar with the concept of sustainability with its triple-bottom line approach of balancing economic, social and environmental factors, and this awareness expands in response to concerns about climate change and global warming.
David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, will be the keynote speaker at Impact! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership. Other speakers include Peter Schiefke, National Manager of The Climate Project Canada, and experts in such fields as community engagement, networking and activism, poverty, ethics, working with government and the media, innovation and leadership, and people management. More information on the roster of experts can be found at www.impactyouthsustainability.ca.
As part of a think-tank researching municipal public services, Stephens will be reporting on the City of Guelph. “It is my hope to work alongside local organisations and government to build the best foundation on which to launch future action,” said Stephens. “The big thing for me here is to come home with something solid and applicable to local issues.”
Stephens joins his colleagues at the University of Guelph campus in Guelph, Ontario from September 24 to 27, 2009 where they will team up with experts to develop real sustainability solutions to take back to their campuses, communities, and current and future workplaces. The participants, ages 19 to 25, represent many fields of study, perspectives and geography so the conference will offer a diverse and multi-disciplinary approach.
“In many ways, students already are leaders in sustainability,” said Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of The Co-operators. “This conference is a way to give young people the tools and networks to become catalysts for a more sustainable society.”
The work of the conference participants begins long before the event itself. Already, participants have started an online sustainability course created by The Natural Step, are conducting interviews with Canadian business and sectoral leaders, and are exploring existing sustainability practices within a given sector. More importantly, participants will be assigned to a project on which to explore the unique sustainability issues facing a chosen industry. The work includes interviews with Canadian business and sectoral leaders, and developing practical sustainability solutions. Participants will also continue their actions after the conference.
Partnering with The Co-operators are the Research Network for Business Sustainability, AIESEC, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Natural Step Canada, the University of Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier University, the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives at the University of Saskatchewan, Coopsco and the Richard Ivey School of Business.
About The Co-operators:
Based in Guelph, Ontario, The Co-operators is a group of Canadian companies offering home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators Group Limited is a 100 per cent Canadian-owned co-operative with assets of more than $7 billion. It is owned by a group of Canadian co-operatives, credit union centrals and like-minded organizations. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement, and is listed among the 50 Best Employers in Canada.
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