Youth participants in the May 2008 Authentic Leadership in Action program are warmly invited to join us early for two days of dialogue and learning.

What are the burning questions for our generation now?
What do we, as an emerging generation of leaders have to offer?
What kind of leadership do we need to practice to have an impact in our world?

As leaders under 30 joining the Authentic Leadership in Action workshop, we invite you to come together with your peers to explore these and other questions. We are entering a world that is so vastly different from the one our parents encountered at our age. There are few road maps or clear answers. Given the scale and complexity of the challenges of this time, our generation is being challenged to take remarkable leadership. How do we respond and what does it mean?

This experience will be an opportunity to meet other inspiring young leaders, to engage in dialogue and experiential learning, and to prepare to join the full conference. We will gather from the morning of Saturday, May 3 to Sunday at lunch, at which point we will join an Intergenerational Leadership Exchange with people from across the age spectrum.

The program will be facilitated by:

Iman Masud Omar has lived and worked in several countries around the globe and brings a perspective that is becoming critical to the new face of leadership, particularly in Ontario. Iman has studied the relationship between business and society at York University, as well as in her young life and work. She has participated in conversations around social innovation - at the Shambhala Institute, in a private organization, in local and international NGO settings, and at the United Nations. Iman is currently working at Hallmark Cards in a Human Resources capacity.

Kalin Stacey studies Equity and Social Change at the University of Toronto. He has facilitated youth leadership and anti-racism conferences both in Canada and internationally. In 2006-07 he delivered in-school programs for the Centre for Social Justice and cycled across Alberta with the Sierra Youth Coalition to foster dialogue about the impact of the Tar Sands.

Crane Wood Stookey is an ex-architect, licensed Tall Ship captain and director of meditation programs. He is the Founder of the Nova Scotia Sea School, a non-profit organization for teenagers, building wooden boats (starting with trees) and sailing on coastal adventure expeditions. He also trains adult educators and business leaders in techniques to draw out the best in themselves and those they work with.

Sera Thompson is a conversation host and entrepreneur. She facilitates and trains diverse groups in many contexts around the world, creating spaces for collaboration, innovation, and committed action. She recently spent 2 years living in Johannesburg, SA helping to lead Pioneers of Change - a global network of young practitioners of Social Change. She has been practicing Buddhism since her early teens and teaches meditation in the Shambhala Tradition.

Details:

Begins 11am on Saturday May 3, 2008 and ends with an Intergenerational Exchange on the afternoon of Sunday, May 4.
Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Gathering Space, Gzowski College, Trent University
Includes meals and accommodations.

This program will be sponsored by generous donors to the Shambhala Institute's scholarship fund. If you would like to offer something to help make this program possible, please contact Basia at bsolarz@shambhalainstitute.org.

For more information or to apply for the program, please contact Ryan at ryanluke@shambhalainstitute.org.