engage YOUTH: student delegate applications due April 15

Designed to complement engage NOW conference, engage YOUTH brings together current and up and coming student leaders from Calgary area high schools, and universities and colleges across Canada, who are committed through leadership and service to making a difference in their communities, locally, nationally, and globally. engage YOUTH will enable these students to meet, network, and create an action plan for change. Youth track sessions will look at some of the following questions and themes:

How do we best prepare youth to engage with communities and to initiate change in our world?

How are youth contributing to social change in Calgary, Alberta, and the nation as a whole?

What are the barriers to youth civic engagement, and how do we best support youth civic engagement?

How do youth respond to community-based learning and service-learning programs?

What are best practices for supporting student leadership development and student learning through service?

About the engage YOUTH pre-conference session:
Youth delegates are also invited to attend a pre-conference workshop, tailored just for you! The optional pre-conference workshop takes place on Wednesday, September 1, 2009 from 8:30am-12:00pm. Please indicate on your application whether or not you plan to attend. The pre-conference workshop is an opportunity for you to meet other young people committed to community involvement and social change and to learn about a social issue, or ways to make change in a workshop setting. Further details about this special session will be circulated in late spring.

engage YOUTH delegates:
engage YOUTH is open to 100 post-secondary and 50 secondary students. Delegates are selected by a committee of staff and students who review each candidate’s application. The committee will look at a number of factors for selection, including students’ experience with leadership, and service.

Additional conference details:
When: Thursday, October 1, 2009, 7:30am-5:00pm (see tentative schedule attached)
Where: The TELUS Convention Centre, Calgary, Alberta
Delegate Fees: Youth delegate fees are $150, and are payable upon acceptance to the conference. A small number of bursaries will be made available to students who demonstrate financial need.

Application Deadline:
Applications and reference letters must be submitted, as ONE pdf. file by 12 Noon on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. For more information about engage YOUTH, please contact Gareth McVicar, Coordinator, Student Leadership Programs at the University of Calgary at gmcvicar@ucalgary.ca or (403) 210-9611.

Tentative Schedule:
To see the complete schedule for both engage NOW and engage YOUTH conference, please visit www.dalailamacalgary.com