April 16 and 17: Students gather for Stand Up, Speak Out Conference

Stand Up, Speak Out is the theme of the 2012 Students Leading Students Conference being presented by the Rainbow District School Board Student Senate on Monday, April 16 and Tuesday, April 17, 2012. The conference will take place from 9:30 am to 2 pm at the Alumni Hall at Laurentian University.

Guest speakers include Sunjay Nath on the ABCs of Student Leadership; Sylvie Patenaude-Renaud of the Sudbury & District Health Unit on contributing to a healthy community; Sonali and Anjali Menezes of TAP H2O (Teens Against Privatization of Water) on the social issues/implications of plastic water bottles; and Mary Ali and Darla Barnes of Inner City Home Food Bank on local poverty and hunger.

“The purpose of this conference is to seek out potential leaders and inspire them to create positive change,” says Oshani Amaratunga, Student Trustee with Rainbow District School Board and Chair of the Student Senate. “Our goal is to educate students on local and international issues, and give them the knowledge and skills to have the courage to stand up and speak out against injustice,” she says.
 
The conference will bring together approximately 80 students from Rainbow secondary schools, including Barrydowne College. Six guest students from Timmins are also invited.

“Students play an important role in creating healthy school environments where all young people feel welcome and valued. This conference will inspire students to be good role models and make a difference,” says Norm Blaseg, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board. Director Blaseg commended Rainbow District School Board’s Student Senate for organizing and presenting this year’s Students Leading Students Conference, a key component of the Ministry of Education’s Student Success Initiative.

Chaired by Student Trustee Oshani Amaratunga of Lockerby Composite School, the Student Senate provides a regular forum for students to come together to network and share ideas. The Student Senate includes Michaela Paradis    of Sudbury Secondary School; Chloe Derrenbacker and Cody Hartwick of Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School; Basilio Bagnato and Oshani Amaratunga of Lockerby Composite School; Alex Luopa of Lively District Secondary School;  Jamey VanHorn and Michael Niven of Manitoulin Secondary School as well as Tristan Emiry and Megan VanAlstine of Espanola High School.

Sunjay Nath


ABCs of Student Leadership
Sunjay Nash travels globally sharing insights on leadership and performance. He is best known for his trademark “The 10-80-10 Principle” which is a framework that helps individuals and teams improve performance. He has written several books including 10-80-10 Principle, The ABCs of Student Leadership, and been a contributing author for the book, Professionally Speaking. This methodology combines best practices with small wins to help people empower themselves. He started an international speaking business when he was 19 and, in 2005, Sunjay became the youngest Canadian and third youngest in the world to earn his CSP (Certified Speaking Professional). The CSP is the highest internationally recognized designation that a speaker can aspire to achieve. He holds an undergraduate degree in Mathematical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration, a degree in which after the first year of the program, 80 per cent of the students fail out of.

Sylvie Patenaude-Renaud – Sudbury & District Health Unit


Contributing to a healthy community
Sylvie Patenaude-Renaud is a graduate of Laurentian University’s Nursing program.  She has been a public health nurse at the Sudbury & District Health Unit for over 15 years.  She works with local schools to promote health and encourage healthy school environments.  Most recently, she has been involved in health equity promotion, which seeks to ensure that all individuals in our communities have opportunities to practice health. Sylvie Patenaude-Renaud engages students by previewing a video entitled Let’s Start a Conversation About Health…. And Not Talk About Health Care At All with participating students.  Students will explore how issues can be addressed in their schools and what roles they can play to take action to reduce social inequities in health.

Sonali and Anjali Menezes – TAP H2O (Teens Against Privatization of Water)
Social issues/implications of plastic water bottles
On the last leg of their teenage years and currently on a gap year between high school and university, Anjali and Sonali Menezes have decided to take their barely two-year-young initiative TAP H2O as far as it can take them. The sisters from Toronto are combating the bottled water culture of their generation by promoting tap water. Through presentations, workshops and social media, they are raising awareness of the social and environmental impacts of bottled water and water privatization, and are passing on their bottled water free movement to youth across southern Ontario.

Mary Ali and Darla Barnes – Inner City Home Food Bank

Local poverty and hunger
Mary Ali has been the Executive Director of the Inner City Home since its inception 26 years ago. She oversees the daily operation of the agency along with two part-time staff, including Darla Barnes who is the Program Coordinator/Counselor who has been with Inner City Home for 12 years. Darla oversees front line services for clients and offers life skills courses, crisis and short-term counseling and resources for the benefit of the clients of the food bank. The Inner City Home has over 130 volunteers that provide services for its operations.

AGENDA




Monday, April 16, 2012

9:30 am to 10 am        Registration
10 am to 10:10 am        Opening/Introductions
10:10 am to 10:25 am        Icebreakers
10:30 am to 11:30 am        Peer Presentations
11:30 am to 12:15 pm        Lunch/Musical Act
12:20 pm to 1:20 pm        Keynote Speaker Sunjay Nath
1:20 pm to 1:45 pm        Workshop with Sunjay Nath
1:45 pm to 2 pm            Closing Remarks

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

9:30 am to 9:15 am        Registration
9:45 am to 9:50 am        Welcome/Opening Remarks
9:50 am to 10:20 am      Keynote Speaker Sylvie Patenaude-Renaud – Health Unit
10:20 am to 10:30 am        Games/video clips
10:30 am to 11:30 am        Keynote Speaker Sonali and Anjali Menezes – TAP H2O
11:30 am to 12:30 pm        Lunch/Music/T-shirt activity
12:30 pm to 1 pm        Keynote Speakers Mary Ali and Darla Barnes – Food Bank
1 pm to 1:20 pm             School Breakouts – Action Plans
1:20 pm to 1:40 pm        Action Plan Presentations
1:40 pm to 2 pm            Closing Remarks

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.