Starting on Tuesday, September 29, 2009, over 800 students and advisors from across Canada, including those from Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, will attend the 25th Anniversary Canadian Student Leadership Conference (CSLC 2009) in Olds, Alberta.
The theme of this year’s conference is Lead the Stampede.
Over the past two years students, advisors, and volunteers from co-hosting schools Bow Valley High School (BVHS) and Olds High School (OHS) have busily been preparing a powerful program for student delegates and advisors.
Event co-chairs Dorothy Karlson (BVHS, Cochrane, Alberta) and Sandra Dorowicz (OHS, Olds, Alberta) know that these delegations will definitely get to saddle up and have a lot of fun!
“It’s a great opportunity for them to come, and it is an honour for us to host them at our conference. This will be such a phenomenal experience for everyone attending and everyone involved,” said Karlson.
During this five day event, the delegates attending are able to meet with other school leadership groups from all 10 provinces and the Northwest Territories.
They will have the opportunity to share their ideas, celebrate successes, and gain knowledge and skills to move positively toward their future endeavours as leaders within our society.
Tara Sly, Media Contact for the conference, indicated that “this truly is a national youth event. It brings together youth leaders in a place where they can share their passions for both leadership and helping people positively every day in their local and global communities.”
“The students and advisors attending can look forward to learning new skills and building great new friendships. This will be an experience we will all remember forever,” commented Gillian Worley, Spirit Wear Student Chair.
At Opening Ceremonies students will receive greetings from Alberta’s Deputy Minister of Education, Keray Henke, school board and school division representatives from Rocky View Schools and Chinook’s Edge School Division, and CASAA (Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors) President, Brent Allen.
The Conference is a jam-packed event with a mixture of student workshops, keynote speakers, an opportunity to see Western landscapes, and a chance to experience a little “Cowboy Culture” at its best during a Heritage Day event at the Calgary Stampede.
CSLC 2009 will culminate with a Student Community Service Event in Olds ,and then Closing Ceremonies in Red Deer, Alberta.
“I think the biggest highlight is our amazing Keynote Speakers. There is a lot of diversity in what’s being covered, incorporating everything from Brian Keating from the Calgary Zoo talking about environmentalism to Louise Kent speaking on behalf of Me to We about third world countries and global issues that everyone should be aware of, ” said student co-chair Amy Barnett.
The 25th Anniversary Canadian Student Leadership Conference is also “bullfrogpowered” with 100% green electricity as a result of the sponsorship of Bullfrog Power Inc.
This means that Bullfrog Power will inject carbon-free green power onto the Alberta energy grid to match the amount of electricity used by this event. All of the electricity injected on behalf of CSLC 2009 will be sourced exclusively from wind power producers who meet or exceed the federal government’s EcoLogo(M) standard for renewable energy.
When the Conference was in its early planning stages, one of its goals was to be one of the greenest Canadian Student Leadership Conferences held to date. With Bullfrog’s support, this seems to have become a reality.
Other environmental stewardship actions included increased recycling and composting initiatives throughout the conference event.
Overall, student delegations attending will have the opportunity to learn a lot about the way in which they can enhance the successful leadership programs already running in their schools. In addition, they will make connections across the country with other young people interested in the same types of projects as themselves.
“It is our hope that attendees will take something home with them from our conference to make their learning communities better,” adds Barnett.
CSLC 2009 runs from Tuesday, September 29 through Saturday, October 3. Next year’s CSLC will be hosted by Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School in Quebec.
For more information on this year’s conference, please go to cslc2009.ca.
For information on Bullfrog Power, visit www.bullfrogpower.com.
