Project In-Kind Impact Summit

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Everyone can make a difference in their community when they share and give their time, skills, services, and goods to local organizations meeting local needs. With this in mind, Project In-Kind and Algonquin College are excited to collaborate on the inaugural Project In-Kind Impact Summit on Thursday, June 3, 9am-3pm.

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The Summit will:

  • Spotlight the stories of campus and community leaders making a difference.
  • Teach and share skills to help participants take action wherever they are.
  • Provide opportunities to learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the incredible organizations and people taking action to build a better world for us.

You do not need to be a millionaire to be a philanthropist and change-maker. Join us at the Summit to learn more and find out how you can make a difference in your local and global communities. Attend the whole day, or sessions that suit your interests and schedule.

The Summit is free and open to Algonquin College students, employees, and members of the public.

This event is brought to you by the following partners and sponsors: AC Hub, Office of Applied Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, SLiDE, Canadian Commission for UNESCO, and Employment and Social Development Canada (SDGs Unit).

PIK Impact Summit Sponsors

Register now!

Event Schedule

9am-10am • Welcome and Opening Keynote: Bushra Ebadi

Set the stage for a day of inspiration and action! Kick off the Project In-Kind Impact Summit with a warm welcome from Algonquin College’s President Claude Brulé, a greeting from Indigenous Counsellor Jackie Tenute, and an inspiring talk from our keynote speaker, Bushra Ebadi.

About Bushra Ebadi

President, Youth Advisory Group of CCUNESCO & Social Innovator and Researcher

Bushra Ebadi Headshot

Bushra Ebadi is a social innovator, researcher, storyteller, and global strategist committed to advancing peace, justice, inclusive governance, and the agency of marginalized communities globally. She is a co-founder of the Health and Information Literacy Access (HILA) Alliance and InGender Media.

She currently serves as Youth Ambassador for the UNESCO-led Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance and Executive Committee Member for the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. She has worked with over a dozen organizations and leaders, including civil society, thought leaders, activists, think tanks, and multilateral organizations (including UNESCO, UNICEF, and WHO) to transform systems, mobilize knowledge, and build capacities to meaningfully engage with marginalized communities.

She has leveraged her skills in research, design, and strategic foresight to transform global governance systems as it relates to forced displacement, youth engagement, pandemic preparedness and response, and gender justice. Bushra holds a Master of Global Affairs from the University of Toronto and a Joint Honours BA in Political Science and Philosophy, with minors in French and Management from McGill University.

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10am-10:45am • Why the UN SDGs?

A panel discussion with passionate United Nations Sustainable Development Goals advocates. Each panelist will discuss their “why” and talk about their experiences affecting change in their community using the UN SDGs. Panelists include:

  • Jillian Ripmeester (Resarch Assistant with Project In-Kind)
  • Matthew Jerabek (Associate Manager, Marketing and Communications with the Office of Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Algonquin College)
  • Kevin Holmes (Managing Director with the Social Innovation Lab (SLiDE) at Algonquin College)
  • Harjashan Singh (AC Project In-Kind Student Ambassador)

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions to the panelists live or in the chat in the Q&A portion of the session.

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10:30am-1pm • Virtual Coffee House

We are inviting college and community leaders and champions to share their stories about how they are using their skills and in-kind resources to make a difference and advance the SDGs.

Drop ins:

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11am-11:45am • Impact Leaders and Their Stories

Session 1

Podcasts: How to ask for help

Panelists include:

Session 2

Social media and storytelling: How to tell a compelling story about the UN SDGs

Panelists include:

  • Kelly Singer (AC Hub Coordinator and Student Services Marketing Officer at Algonquin College)
  • Matthew Jerabek (Associate Manager, Marketing and Communications with the Office of Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Algonquin College)
  • Ariel Vered (Chief Communications Officer at Project In-Kind)

Session 3

Plan Impact: How to make a plan to get started

Panelists include:

  • Tanya Woods (Chief Impact Officer at Project In-Kind)
  • Eduard Draghiciu (Student with the Social Innovation Lab (SLiDE) at Algonquin College)

12:30pm-1:30pm • Learning by Doing

Join us to share your skills virtually with amazing community organizations, Kasuku Children’s Center and Letson Hall Chorus.

About Kasuku Children’s Center

Kasuku Children’s Center is a non-profit organization in the republic of Uganda. It was founded to manage children with special needs by providing them with a chance at education and skills development. The core of Kasuku is to be a support beacon and enhance the efforts of local communities, community based farmer groups, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and local government in an integrated and sustainable manner. Kasuku Children’s Center is a Kindergarten-Grade 3 school with an umbrella support for parents (mostly teen parents) and is currently the only one of its kind in the area. Its programs aim to incorporate sport as a vehicle, to help bring about positive change and social cohesion in a community that desperately needs social services. Kasuku aims to provide hope, inspiration, opportunities, and platforms for children to advance their ambitions and future dreams.

About Letson Hall Chorus

Founded in Ottawa nearly 50 years ago, the Letson Hall Chorus is a group of enthusiastic singers and musicians who are visually impaired. They display their musical talents in weekly performances at seniors’ residences across Ottawa each year from January to May. The choir’s name comes from the auditorium at the old CNIB building on Metcalfe Street. Currently, the choir has nine blind singers, three volunteers, and a choir director. 

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1:30pm-2pm • Bringing Impact to Work

Need a quick dose of inspiration? Listen to impact leaders share their ideas and motivation for creating change in their communities and on their campuses in powerful 5-minute talks.

Panelists include:

  • Tamara Condie (Journalism Student at Algonquin College)
  • Kim Bosch (English Communications Professor at Algonquin College)
  • Brett Tackaberry (Chief Technical Officer at Rebel)
  • Katelynne Herchak (Indigenous Governance Officer at VIDEA)
  • Taranjeet Manchanda (SDG Officer at CICan)

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About Tamara Condie

Tamara Condie Headshot

Tamara Condie is a level three journalism student at Algonquin College and has spent the last three years working in communications. She was on the senior editing team for the Algonquin Times through her 2021 winter semester and recently completed a research project for the Cooperative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Humans of ImpACT initiative. She is currently working as a special projects advisor for the Department of Justice and has a keen interest in the evolving nature of communications in a digital landscape.

 

 

About Kim Bosch

Kim Bosch Headshot

Kim Bosch teaches Communications in the School of Hospitality and Tourism. She has her Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa, her Masters in English from Carleton University, and a Diploma in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. She is an avid gardener, busy mother, and part-time writer, having published cultural and education articles in multiple sources, most recently for The New York Times. A passionate advocate for equity in education, Kim demonstrates these beliefs in her classes and as a member of the Algonquin College community. She was recently nominated for the Laurent Isabelle Teaching Excellence Award and this past spring, created the Seedling for Students Bursary and plant sale.

 

About Brett Tackaberry

Brett Tackaberry Headshot

Brett Tackaberry is a digital solutions professional who uses his tech skills for the greater good. He has 20 years of experience helping people and companies do business online, starting with his co-founding 76design, a digital agency. Brett is currently the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Rebel, where he is responsible for the technical team and product direction. In his mission to make the world a better place through technology, Brett runs Random Hacks of Kindness, a hackathon for social good; he assists in running Tech4Good, a community organization that bridges the gap between the digital and technology sectors; and contributes to great initiatives like Ottawa Civic Tech and Code4Canada. Brett sits on the board of Child and Nature Alliance of Canada and Forest School, to help guide scaling the social enterprise.

 

About Katelynne Herchak

Katelynne Herchak Headshot

Kate is VIDEA’s Indigenous Governance Officer. Kate’s background is in Indigenous Family Support Work and is now completing her degree in Justice Studies at Royal Roads University. Kate is located on the traditional and unneeded territory of the Lkwungen speaking people. Kate is Inuk on her Father’s side from Kuujjuaq,QC with ties to Nunavut and Celtic & Viking on her Mother’s side. She is an alumna of UNA-Canada’s Youth As PeaceBuilder’s Forum 2017 as well as the Canadian Service Corps Program where she had the opportunity to attend COP25. Kate wears many hats outside of VIDEA, she is the Deputy Chair for the Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s Youth Advisory, a member of Pauktuutit National Inuit Women’s Youth Gender Equality Council and is the Acting President of the National Urban Inuit Youth Council. Kate is passionate decolonizing education and integrating Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives into spaces to create meaningful relationships and change.

 

About Taranjeet Manchanda

Taranjeet Manchanda

 

Taranjeet is a recent graduate from George Brown College, Toronto. As a student leader on campus, Taranjeet was able to contribute towards the SDGs in an inclusive manner advocating for Quality, Inclusive, Accessible and Equitable Education. Taranjeet has served on the ImpAct Student and Alumni Advisory Committee at Colleges and Institutes Canada focused on the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). Taranjeet has a passion and commitment towards the SDGs and Student/Youth Leadership for Canada and the World.
 

2pm-2:30pm • Closing Keynote: Tanya Woods and Steve S.J. Lee

About Tanya Woods

Tanya Woods Headshot (Project In-Kind)

Tanya is the Chief Impact Officer of Project In-Kind, the world’s first-ever global in-kind philanthropy and social impact movement. Project In-Kind is enabling, tracking, and measuring 1 billion in-kind contributions in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The movement and her team’s innovative approach to social and environmental impact has gained the attention of global leaders, politicians, corporate CEOs and citizen influencers around the world for its inclusive approach to technology, impact, and philanthropy. 

Tanya is a proud to be Canada’s 1st Social Entrepreneur in Residence ever… (made possible by the leadership of the SLiDE Lab and Algonquin College).

With her expertise in multi-stakeholder partnerships, global trade, policy, technology law, and social impact, Tanya is sought out to advise government, nonprofit and private sector organizations on strategies and practices to improve the impact of their supply chains, operations, and investments leveraging technology, policy, and operational design.

Tanya is a published author and global advocate for social innovation and inclusive technology systems.  She currently sits on the CC UNESCO SDGs Cultural Advisory Working Group. Tanya has been recognized by CBC as a Canadian Trailblazer, The Obama Foundation as a Global Civic Leader, the Government of Canada as a leading Woman in Technology, and she is a Top 40 Under 40.

About Steve S.J. Lee

Steve S.J. Lee Headshot

Steve S.J. Lee is the Organizing Partner leading the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) and its 26 constituencies that represent the voice of children and youth in over 120 policy processes at the United Nations. Steve started as a 16-year-old child rights advocate through UNICEF and continued to work on sustainable development, climate change, and meaningful youth engagement.

Before joining MGCY, Steve served as the Executive Director of Foundation for Environmental Stewardship, a youth-led, youth-serving Canadian charity he founded. Steve spent three years listening to the voices of over 100,000 young Canadians in person. He drove 160,000 km to over 500 schools in more than 400 towns and helped students undertake more than a hundred local projects. Steve visited mostly rural and remote communities all across Canada to weave the voices of youth from places most left behind.

Steve is a Certified Fund Raising Executive, a Clean16 and Clean50 winner as Canada’s leader in sustainability, a Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability by Corporate Knights, and a Finalist of UN SDG Action Award. Steve has a science degree from the University of Toronto, plays the clarinet, and is a follower of Jesus.

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2:30pm-3pm • End of Day Networking

Join us for the unveiling of the Sustainable Development Goals animation, created by student animator Kimberley Borja during the Summit. This session will also feature final thoughts and ideas from Tanya Woods (Chief Philanthropist for Project In-Kind) and how you can get involved in the in-kind movement.

About Project In-Kind

Project In-Kind is the world’s first global impact movement focused on in-kind giving, with a goal to measure one billion in-kind actions by 2030 to support local communities and to track these impacts on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These 17 SDGs are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address issues such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. With Project In-Kind, participants give time, skills, goods, and other non-cash resources in an effort to help meet the needs of local charities and nonprofits. This partnership with Algonquin College will feature a student ambassador program, virtual events, learning resources, and more to educate, inspire, and engage the post-secondary population.