here - Engineers Without Borders Canada

CONFERENCE 

HANDBOOK

SYSTEMIC INNOVATIONS 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Welcome Messages 2 

Logistics Information 6 

Frequently Asked Questions 11 

Session Overview Schedule 13 

Wednesday Session Descriptions 14 

Thursday Session Descriptions 17 

Friday Session Descriptions 25 

Saturday Session Descriptions 37 

Annual General Meeting Information 45 

Innovation Challenge 46 

MP Forum 47 

Global Engineering Symposium 47 

Speakers 48 

Special Events 58 

Acknowledgements 61 

1

ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2012 

WELCOME 

FROM YOUR CONFERENCE TEAM 

Welcome to Ottawa! 

We are happy to welcome you to our nation’s capital, Canada’s centre of bilingualism. 

Since April, our team has been hard at work to shape and prepare an unforgettable conference! 

Behind the scenes of this incredible event is our conference team, made up of members from all 

backgrounds: students, professionals, EWB veterans and nEWBies. Within this diversity, we found a 

common passion and unshakable dedication to EWB’s work and values. Through this experience, we 

developed strong ties that will last well beyond the conference. We hope this conference will give 

you the opportunity to bond with other members from your network and beyond by sharing your 

values and opinions on EWB’s work and our role in the fight against poverty. 

The organization of this conference involved more than 50 dedicated members and we would like to 

outline their incredible hard work. This conference, along with our programs and chapter events, 

would not be possible without work of these anonymous extraordinaires who continually dedicate 

countless hours to our cause. Let’s not forget those contributions, however small they might appear, 

without which EWB would not be the incredible organization it is today! 

We hope that the next 3 days will allow you to better understand EWB’s new vision and to acquire 

new knowledge and tools which will lead you to new Systemic Innovations. 

– The 2012 Conference Team. 

2


FROM OUR LEAD SPONSOR 

On behalf of Statoil Canada, welcome to the 2012 EWB conference. 

We are a new kid on the block in the Canadian oil sands. Statoil’s involvement and diversifying our 

portfolio through a well-designed and executed technology plan is inspired by the world’s current 

energy realities. The task of supplying communities around the globe with enough energy for 

coming decades is a tough one. We know that as the global population grows and the standard of 

living is increased throughout the industrial world, the demand curve for energy continues to go up. 

We are committed to accommodating these energy needs in a responsible manner, applying 

technology and creating innovative business solutions. 

Throughout our activities, we maintain a clear sense of responsibility to each other, to the 

communities we supply worldwide and to the environment. Our values align with EWB’s values. We 

believe in being courageous, open, hands-on and caring. We live these qualities, which are 

essential for building an even stronger global community that thrives on progress and technological 

advancement. 

We are pleased to be the lead sponsor for this year’s EWB National Conference in Ottawa and look 

forward as a company to learning, sharing and contributing together. We endeavour to have the 

courage to set ambitious targets, embrace innovation, and deliver on promises – and we believe 

EWB does the same. 

There has never been a better time for good ideas. Your ideas today could be the world’s solutions 

for tomorrow. 

Sincerely, 

Lars Christian Bacher 

President, Statoil Canada 

3


WELCOME 

FROM OUR GOLD SPONSOR 

Tetra Tech 

Welcome to the 2012 EWB Conference! 

As Engineers Without Borders moves into its second decade, Systemic Innovations is an appropriate 

theme for this year’s gathering. Finding new ways to help people, sharing that knowledge and 

improving the lives of many is at the heart of what EWB is all about. At Tetra Tech, our tagline is 

Complex World – Clear Solutions. We lead with science so we can provide industry-leading solutions 

to our clients’ problems. And for Tetra Tech, just like EWB, innovation is at the core of what we 

deliver. 

Tetra Tech is a proud sponsor of EWB. As an organization with 13,000 people around the globe, we 

see the positive impact that engineers make improving the lives of people every day. Both in 

Canada and the United States, our employees and company provide in-kind support and guidance 

for EWBC and offer an internal grant program for EWB-USA chapter projects, most recently in 

Uganda, Honduras, Tanzania, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. 

Access to clean water, abundant energy, and plentiful food is something we take for granted. This 

year, Tetra Tech worked in over 104 countries delivering development aid assistance for access to 

water and energy, conflict prevention, infrastructure, economic growth, food production, and climate 

change. Like EWB, we see the challenges and are working to provide solutions. 

Over the next few days, let’s work together and challenge each other to innovate and find even 

better ways to make a lasting impact. 

Shayne Smith 

President, Tetra Tech WEI Inc. 

EWB Board 

4


FROM ENGINEERS CANADA 

As Engineers Canada’s chief executive officer, I am proud to support Engineers Without Borders’ 

2012 National Conference. 

I am pleased to see that the conference’s Global Engineering Symposium 2.0 is focusing on “What is 

the evolving role of the engineer in the 21st Century, and how can engineers grow to fulfill it”. This 

is a very important subject that demands the profession’s attention. Technology and other factors 

are demanding a new breed of engineer, and the profession must adapt accordingly. The 

educational landscape is evolving rapidly, and we need to identify the impact of these changes and 

what we, as a profession, are going to do to stay on top of it. 

Students have a broader range of educational options than ever before. Engineering education now 

takes more of a multi-disciplinary approach, focusing on ethics, business principles and 

communication skills in addition to a strong foundation in engineering knowledge. 

And with today’s world being much smaller we are increasingly less able to work or live in isolation. 

The profession requires a deeper understanding of the underlying trends that are impacting our 

world. We need to examine global issues and understand how they might shape our profession and 

find out what is the best way forward so we can continue to maintain the highest standards in 

protecting the public. 

I commend and am impressed with Engineers Without Borders’ accomplishments and with the fact 

that they are addressing such important questions. The organization’s excellent combination of the 

problem solving skills of engineers with an approach that puts local innovation and leadership at the 

heart of their work has yielded international success. I am honoured that Engineers Canada, on 

behalf of the profession, is sponsoring the 2012 Engineers Without Borders National Conference. 

Sincerely, 

Chantal Guay, ing., P.Eng., M.Env. 

5


LOGISTICS 

HOTEL INFORMATION 

The 2012 EWB National Conference is being held at the Delta Ottawa City Centre Hotel, 

conveniently located downtown in the heart of Ottawa’s business and entertainment districts. There 

will be overflow of accommodation into the Delta Ottawa Hotel and Suites. 

Main Venue Contact Information 

Delta Ottawa City Center Hotel 

101 Lyon Street 

Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 5T9 

Phone: 613-237-3600 

Fax: 613-237-2351 

Toll-Free: 1-888-890-3222 

Parking Info 

Valet Parking: available for $27.00 + tax 

Self Parking: available for $21.00 + tax 

Getting to the Delta Ottawa City Centre Hotel 

Please note: The main entrance to the Hotel has been relocated to Queen Street between Lyon and 

Kent due to renovations. This current entrance is marked by a canopy with the Delta sign on Queen 

Street. 

By car: 

To get to the hotel by car: 

Exit highway 417 for Bronson Ave North 

Turn right onto Queen St. 

Destination will be on right side (after the Lyon 

intersection). 

Please note that there will not be any access to 

the ramp. To self park your vehicle you can 

enter their parkade from either Albert or 

Queen St. 

By bus: 

If you are travelling from the east end: 

Take any west bound bus (e.g. 86, 95, 96) toward 

downtown/centre town 

Get off at Albert/Kent St 

Head southwest on Albert St toward Lyon St 

Turn right onto Lyon St 

Turn right onto Queen St 

If you are travelling from the west end: 

Take any east bound bus (e.g. 85, 96, 97) toward 

downtown 

Get off at Slater/Kent St 

Head southwest on Slater St toward Lyon St 

Turn right onto Lyon St 

Turn right onto Queen St. 

6


TRANSPORTATION 

Getting to the Hotel 

Ottawa Central Station Greyhound Bus Terminal (265 Catherine Street) 

The Greyhound bus station is approximately a 20-minute walk from the Delta Hotel. Head northwest on Lyon 

or Bay St until you reach Queen St. Turn onto Queen St. 

There are a few buses that service the Greyhound terminal; however, it is more efficient to walk or take a cab. 

There will typically be cabs waiting outside the bus terminal, but in the event that there are not, please find a 

list of taxi numbers below. A cab will cost $7 – $10, and should take 5 or 6 minutes. 

Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Airport (1000 Airport Parkway Private) 

By bus: 

Exit the airport and walk to Airport Stop. Take bus # 97 towards Bells Corner. Bus fare is $3.25, and must be 

exact. Get off at stop Albert & Bay. From Bay station, head northeast on Albert St towards Bay St. Turn left 

onto Bay St. Turn right onto Queen St. 

By taxi: 

Flag a cab and direct them to the Delta Hotel, 361 Queen Street, Ottawa. This will take approximately 25 

minutes. 

Ottawa Train Station VIA Rail (200 Tremblay Road) 

By bus: 

From the train platform follow the OC transpo signs to Train 2A (200 Tremblay Rd). Head East towards 

Downtown on any of the following buses: 86, 87, 94, 95, 96, 97, and 98. If you are not certain you are on the 

correct bus, ask the driver as you board. Bus fare is $3.25 and must be exact. Get off at Bay Station (8 stops). 

This will take approximately 15 minutes. From Bay station, head northeast on Albert St towards Bay St. Turn 

left onto Bay St. Turn right onto Queen St. 

By taxi: 

Flag a cab and direct them to the Delta Hotel, 361 Queen Street, Ottawa. This will take approximately 10 

minutes. 

Taxi services 

Blue Line Taxi: 613-238-1111 

(bluelinetaxi.com) 

Capital Taxi: 613-744-3333 (capitaltaxi.com) 

Regal Taxi: 819-777-5231 

Emergency Contact 

In case of emergency, call 9-1-1. 

7


LOGISTICS 

ABOUT OTTAWA 

Ottawa lies in northeast North America, in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by the 

Ottawa River to the north, while the historic Rideau River and Rideau Canal meander north to south 

through the city. Directly across the Ottawa River are the City of Gatineau and the picturesque 

Outaouais region in the Province of Québec. 

Welcome to Ottawa, one of the greatest Capitals of the world! Our vibrant and colourful city has a 

wonderful array of activities and entertainment for all ages. Whether your interest is culture, history, 

or natural outdoor attractions, Canada’s Capital region offers a unique combination of both. 30 

museums. 50 galleries and theatres. Night clubs. Fine dining. World-class shopping. Heritage sites. 

Stunning architecture. Festivals. Cultural activities. Attractions. Tours. Natural wonders. Sports. 

Friendly people. 

Walk out the front door of the Delta Ottawa Hotel and visit the Parliament Buildings, museums, and 

many other popular attractions. Experience the city’s shopping, entertainment and culture, only 

steps away from the conference venue. With all this and more to offer, our Nation’s Capital is an 

incredible destination: get out and explore it! 

Where to eat and shop 

Favourite Restaurants (with great Vegetarian Menus) 

Ottawa offers a great variety of unique and exotic food. We recommend the following restaurants: 

Green Rebel (Offer a great variety of Salads, Sandwiches, Soups and More!) : 340 Albert St Suite 140 

and 99 Bank St Suite G009 (www.greenrebel.ca) 

Olly Fresco’s Market (Buffet-style, priced by weight, limited-no seating): 259 Laurier West Ottawa, 

ON (www.ollyfrescos.ca) 

Moni Mahal (Indian Buffet): 164 Laurier West, Ottawa ON (http://monimahal.com/contactus.aspx) 

The Horn of Africa (Ethiopian cuisine): 168 Charlotte St, Ottawa ON 

Abide’s West African Resto: 257 McArthur Ave, Vanier ON 

8


Shopping in Ottawa 

In the mood for shopping Ottawa offers several shopping centres and districts. We recommend the 

following shops and boutiques: 

ByWard Market 

Downtown Rideau 

ChinaTown (Somerset Street area) 

Preston Street/Little Italy 

Glebe 

Learn MORE about shopping in Ottawa by visiting Ottawa Tourism’s Website 

(http://www.ottawatourism.ca). 

Tourism Highlights 

Canadian War Museum: (http://www.warmuseum.ca/home/) 

Only a 15 minute walk from the hotel, the Canadian War Museum offers an amazing experience with 

a great taste of Canadian Heritage! Admission is $10 for students, and is FREE on Thursdays from 

4-8pm. 

Museum of Civilization: (http://www.civilization.ca/home) 

A 20 minute walk from the hotel (or a 10 minute bus ride) the Museum of Civilization is an interactive 

museum with a 3-D Imax theatre. Like the War Museum, it is $10 for students, and FREE on 

Thursdays from 4-8pm for general admission. Imax is $14 for students (valid student I.D. required). 

The Byward Market: (http://www.byward-market.com/) 

A great place for both Ottawa first-timers and residents! Explore the nooks and crannies of the city, 

and grab a Beaver Tail while you’re at it! 

Parliament: 

While in the nation’s capital, it’s almost essential that you swing by the Parliament of Canada. Only a 

few minutes away from the hotel! Walk around on your own, or join a guided tour 

(http://www.parl.gc.ca/Visitors/index-E.asp). 

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Ottawa Nightlife 

In Ottawa, there are numerous clubs, pubs, and bars that provide the nightlife you are looking for. 

Learn more about Ottawa nightlife by visiting OttawaKiosk (http://www.ottawakiosk.com/bars.html). 

Heart & Crown: 

An Irish pub located in the Byward Market. The Heart and Crown consists of 5 pubs under 1 roof 

with 6 patios that catch the sun at all times of day; there isn’t a single bad seat! Live entertainment 7 

days a week. A great place to chat and catch up with old friends. 

My Condo Cocktail Lounge: 

One of Ottawa’s classier nightclubs, located on 22 Clarence St in the Byward market. The best 

mixture of a modern day loft and an urban pub. This urban cocktail lounge has extensive drink list 

and modern tasting menu (which includes dishes such as Pho, Sliders and Potato Chip Poutine). 

Royal Oak: 

Located in Centretown on 180 Kent St, this pub provides a great atmosphere for conversation and 

has excellent burgers. 

Other Places of Interest 

Liquor Store Party Bar (Venue of Social event): 

130 York Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada 

Phone: 613-241-6827 

http://liquorstorepartybar.com/ 

Directions from the Delta City Centre 

Head northwest on Lyon 

Turn right onto Wellington St 

Turn left onto Sussex Dr 

Turn right onto York St 

Destination will be on the right 

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CONFERENCE FAQ 

Am I allowed to attend a session I didn’t register for in advance 

We encourage you to choose your sessions in advance, using the online schedule builder at 

conference2012.ewb.ca! This tool helps match sessions to your profile, creating a personalized 

schedule for your time at conference. It also provides prep material for each session you choose. To 

help conference run smoothly for all delegates, we recommend that you avoid changing your 

schedule day-of. 

Do I have to stay with my chapter during sessions and keynotes 

No, we encourage everyone to engage with delegates from other chapters! 

There are two sessions I’d like to attend that are happening at the same time. 

How do I choose 

You can ask your chapter, or other delegates, for help! If you and another delegate each go to one 

session, you can share the session highlights with each other afterwards. You can also prepare 

questions in advance that your friend can ask during the other session. 

If I attend an English session, can I ask questions in French 

Yes, there will be bilingual session facilitators, and questions can be presented in either language. 

How can I find out about last minute announcements (i.e. schedule or room 

changes) while at conference 

Announcements will be communicated through text message, posters, and our online 

communications media. (http://conference2012.ewb.ca) 

I’m not attending leadership day. Can I get accommodation at the hotel on 

Tuesday night 

No, we only have enough rooms for delegates attending leadership day. There are many other 

hotels in the area where you can find alternate accommodation. 

Will there be breakfast provided at the hotel 

No, all delegates must provide their own breakfast. See the list of nearby restaurants and grocery 

stores to plan your breakfast options. 

Which days is dinner included 

Dinner is provided on Thursday and Saturday. Following the MOE on Friday, delegates can find a 

variety of dining options in the Byward market area. 

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Will there be Internet at the hotel 

Wireless will be available in the conference rooms, but not in guest rooms. The hotel also has a 

business centre with Internet access. 

Is transportation to Gala provided 

No, there is no organized transportation to Gala. Consult the Gala page to help plan your 

transportation options. 

Will I be able to buy African cultural clothing while at conference 

Yes! There will be a variety of retailers at the conference African Market, where delegates can 

purchase African clothing and other cultural items. Take advantage of this great opportunity to spice 

up your wardrobe and support fair trade and ethical companies! 

Other questions 

Email conference2012@ewb.ca with any other questions! 

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CONTENT 

SESSION OVERVIEW 

Wednesday 

Thursday 

Friday 

Saturday 

8:00 

8:15 

Laughter Yoga 

8:30 

8:45 

9:00 

Conference Opening 

Ideas to Innovation 

Keynote Speaker: Pamela Hartigan 

Entrepreneurship: Taking the First Step 

9:15 

9:30 

Setting the Stage 

Keynote Speaker: Michael Edwards 

Failure, Learning, and Systemic Change 

Keynote Speaker: Robert Chambers 

Travel Time 

9:45 Framing EWB's Vision: Systemic Innovation Travel Time 

10:00 Travel Time 

10:15 

10:30 

Vision Workshops 

10:45 

Breakout Sessions 


11:15 

Failing Forward at EWB 

11:30 Leadership Day 

AdmittingFailure.com & Launch of the 2012 Failure Report 

Travel Time 

11:45 

Understanding Dynamic Complexity 

12:00 

Keynote Speaker: Samantha Nutt 

12:15 

Lunch 

Chapter Awards 

12:30 

12:45 

Lunch 

Innovation Challenge Launch 

13:00 



MP Forum 

Failure Learning and Systemic Change 


Global Engineering Symposium 

Gladiator's Arena 

Sponsor Showcase 

Travel Time 

Innovation in Africa 

Travel Time 

Lunch 

National Engineering Month Launch 

EWB Draft 

Global Engineering Symposium 

13:45 

14:00 

14:15 

14:30 

14:45 

Leadership Day will include over 300 leaders from across the 

organization. Participants will take part in focus groups which are 

geared towards equipping leaders for creating new, and driving 

forward existing, innovaitons. 

Canadian Programs Strategies 

Innovation Model 

Search - Prototype - Pilot - Multiply - Exit 


Ideas to Action 


15:00 

15:15 

15:30 


16:00 

16:15 

Rest & Reflect 


Laughter Yoga 

16:30 

16:45 

17:00 

African Programs Strategies 

Skills Building Workshops #1 

Chapter Time 


17:30 

17:45 

Travel Time 

Conference Closing 

18:00 

18:15 

18:30 


Skills Building Workshops #2 

Travel Time 


19:00 

19:15 

Dinner 

Registration for AGM 

19:30 

19:45 

Massive Outreach Event 

20:00 

20:15 

20:30 

20:45 

21:00 

21:15 

21:30 

21:45 

AGM 

Gala 

22:00 

Social 

22:15 

Social 

22:30 

22:45 

23:00 

23:15 

23:30 

23:45 

Baobab Ceremony 

0:00:00 

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CONTENT 

WEDNESDAY SESSION DESCRIPTIONS 

Leadership Day 

Leadership Day will bring together the leaders and potential leaders from across EWB to empower 

them to drive innovation and enable the organization to take a meaningful step forward. Participants 

will be challenged intensively on their leadership skills and contribute to in-depth discussions at an 

organizational level. Participating leaders will be trained by highly skilled professionals and EWBers 

sharing their experience and expertise on important leadership skills. 

Leadership Day will include full-day retreats for City Network Leaders, Chapter Presidents, African 

Program Staff, Returned and 2012 Junior Fellows, and our Distributed Teams. In addition, a number 

of focus groups are being hosted by organizational leaders. These focus groups were opened for 

applications from delegates across the country, resulting in over 150 leaders attending 6 focus 

groups. Descriptions of each of the focus groups can be found below. 

Reconsider, Redefine, Revive: Disrupting Youth Engagement 

Location: Richelieu 

Why do we flashmob adults and powerpoint kids The YE distributed team is reconsidering how we 

can both be and create systems changers; redefining our program’s understanding and definition of 

engagement; and reviving Youth Engagement’s momentum and energy to a level of sophistication 

and strategy it has never seen. Participants will be challenged to open their minds and dream big, 

exploring some challenging opportunities presented by our unique program and diving into (tearing 

apart) a draft vision and strategy that has been put together by the team over the past two months. 

We need leaders who are so excited by the potential of driving this program into a new era that 

they’re feeling kind of nervous about it. We need leaders willing to challenge themselves and each 

other, to dream, and to work with us to create a new direction and strategy for the future of the 

youth engagement program – all in one day. 

Member Learning 

Location: Laurentian 

Throughout the day, we will be building an understanding of first where our chapters’ ML 

programs are at, what we believe a good ML program is, and then planning on how to get 

there. There will be aspects of explicit leadership growth and personal reflection, as well as 

workshops and activities that allow participants to let their leadership abilities shine through in 

visioning and planning a future for ML. Member Learning is incredibly important to a chapter and to 

an organization: the knowledge and critical thinking skills of our members is what enables all of our 

programs – let’s make this learning as dynamic, engaging, and challenging as possible! 

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Future Leaders 

Location: Capitale 

Trying to find your place in the organization Looking to start your journey on leadership 

development This session is a great opportunity to learn about the complex organization of EWB 

and to explore how you can play an effective role in contributing to our actions. We want to invest in 

new leaders because we know that you are the leaders of the future that will help EWB move 

forward! In this session, participants will develop self-awareness through identifying their strengths 

and weaknesses, will be able to identify and communicate to others what they are passionate about, 

and will develop an understanding of the chapter system and EWB as an organization. A 

combination of what they are best at, what they are passionate about, and what the need of the 

chapter and EWB is will identify their “sweet spot” (the hedgehog concept) – what ideal role they 

could play in the chapter to have the most impact. The participants will leave the day with an idea of 

how they can continue their personal and leadership development and what role they will play in the 

chapter moving forward. 

Révolutionner le bilinguisme dans ISF 

Location: York 

Bilingualism in EWB needs a revolution in order to enhance the image of EWB as a 

national organization in a bilingual country. Our objective is to define a coherent and strategic vision 

that will allow improving bilingualism within EWB. What should be this strategy to improve 

the reputation and the influence of EWB To introduce bilingualism in the organization To 

engage francophones in the national dialogue Join us in this focus group to discuss of all this and 

even more! 

Foundations + Buzz + Relationships = Influence! : Taking 

Advocacy to the Next Level in 2012 

Location: Frontenac 

This focus group is targeted towards EWB leaders passionate about political change and aid 

effectiveness. We will explore the skills and attitudes need to successfully take chapter-based 

advocacy programming to the next level. Sessions will include discussion space on promising 

practices, team-building activities, skill development workshops, and opportunities to practice new 

skills. Participants of this workshop will leave with new skills and ideas to develop a strong advocacy 

team (foundations), raise awareness and leverage the media (buzz), and develop and manage 

relationships with members of parliament and their staff. 

15


Building a Movement for Global Engineering in 2012: 

Leadership, Community, and Strategy 

Location: Joliet 

This focus group is targeted at EWB leaders who are actively involved in global engineering 

(GE) programming and leaders who would like to play a stronger role in GE. As EWB scales up GE 

programming in 2012 the abilities of our leaders to lay sophisticated plans, work as a 

cohesive community, and manage relationships will be more important than ever. This focus group 

will explore the skills and strategies that GE leaders of any level of experience can use to 

strengthen their local chapter global engineering program and contribute to the growing GE 

movement. If you are excited about playing an active role in contributing to engineering education, 

leadership, and professional practice and you’d like to explore the skills and strategies that can help 

you do so, do not miss this session! 

myEWB: EWB’s Online Community 

Location: Seigniory 

This focus will bring a small group of people together who really understand both the EWB 

community and online space and will spend some time in a creative brainstorm to push myEWB 

forward: not just playing catch-up, but really figuring out the next step in myEWB’s evolution. 

Participants will have the opportunity to directly shape and influence the direction of our online 

community. In addition, they will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the various 

stakeholders and subgroups within EWB, and how they all interact to form the wider EWB network. 

myEWB has been our online space, playing a key role in unifying the organization and EWB leaders 

have the power to improve and bring forward this concept. This session will bring together leaders 

that are understanding EWB’s community, web-savvy, up to date with online trends (but not 

necessarily programmers/designers themselves) and critical thinkers and visionaries. Most of all, 

they are leaders who appreciate user experiences and behaviours and are willing to learn more 

about it and share their ideas! 

Social 

Location: 25th floor Ottawa Delta City Centre (Pinnacle & Panarama) 

Doors open at 8pm and the party continues until 1am! 

Details: 

All APS Entertainment featuring: Thatch Roof Carousel & DJ Mina Shaid 

Bar Service, Socializing and Energizing!!! 

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CONTENT 

THURSDAY SESSION DESCRIPTIONS 

Conference Opening 

(8:30-9:00am) 

Location: Ballroom 

Opening Keynote 

(9:00am-9:45am) 


Michael Edwards 

Author of Future Positive 

Michael Edwards is an independent writer and activist based in upstate New York who is affiliated 

with the New York-based think-tank Demos and the Brooks World Poverty Institute at Manchester 

University in the UK. From 1999 to 2008 he was the Director of the Ford Foundation’s Governance 

and Civil Society Program in New York, having previously worked for the World Bank, Oxfam-GB, 

Save the Children-UK and other NGOs in Washington DC, London, Colombia, Zambia, Malawi, and 

India. His writings have helped to shape a more critical appreciation of the global role of 

philanthropy and civil society, and to break down barriers between researchers and activists across 

the world. Michael was educated in England at the universities of Oxford and London, and now lives 

with his wife Cora in the farmhouse they renovated together in the foothills of the Catskill mountains. 

An Organization With A Vision 

(9:45-10:05am) 


An Organization With A Vision – Breakouts 

(10:20-11:30am) 

Locations as follows. 

Last names beginning with: 

A or B: Joliet 

C, D, or E: Frontenac 

F: York 

G, H, I, or J: Capitale 

K or L: Panarama 

M, N, O, or P: Pinnacle 

Q&R: 

Laurentian 

S, V, W, X, Y, or Z: Richelieu 

T or U: 

Seigniory 

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Keynote: Understanding Dynamic Complexity 

(11:45am-12:25pm) 


Dr. Samantha Nutt 

Author of Damned Nations 

Dr. Samantha Nutt is an award-winning humanitarian, author, acclaimed public speaker and a 

leading authority on the impact of war on civilians. A medical doctor and a founder of War Child, an 

international humanitarian organization, Dr. Nutt has worked with children and their families at the 

frontline of many of the world’s major crises zones, from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia, the 

Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, and Darfur, Sudan. Committed to human rights and 

social justice, her humanitarian work has benefited thousands of war-affected children globally. She 

is also the author of Damned Nations, a bracing and uncompromising account of her work over the 

course of fifteen years. 

As one of the most original and influential voices in the humanitarian arena, Dr. Nutt is a respected 

authority for many of North America’s leading media outlets. She was recently named one of 

Canada’s 25 Transformational Canadians by The Globe and Mail, and has been recognized as a 

Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. TIME magazine has featured her as one of 

Canada’s Five Leading Activists, and Dr. Nutt was recently appointed to the Order of Canada, 

Canada’s highest civilian honour, for her contributions to improving the plight of young people in 

the world’s worst conflict zones. 

Lunch 

(12:30pm-1:30pm) 


Book Signing – Samantha Nutt 

(12:30pm-1:30pm) 


Canadian Teams’ Strategies 

(1:45-3:45pm) 

Moving from Passive to Active Engagement 


Based on the premise that it’s not just what people learn that’s important, but how they learn it, this 

session intends to challenge delegates to look at our methods of engagement and how we can 

move towards strategies that promote and facilitate the growth of critical analysis in Canada. Across 

our Canadian programs, we are often guilty of passively engaging (I tell you A=B, you say A=B) both 

18


external and internal stakeholders – whether they are youth, professors, professionals, Members of 

Parliament, or a first-year EWBer. Delegates will leave this session with a concrete understanding of 

what it means to “actively engage,” ensuring that EWB remains the NGO for and built by 

questioning and critical thinkers. 

The primary language of this session is English. 

Building an External Champion Base 

Location: Chaudiere 

To set ourselves up for creating long-term systemic change, we will need “external champions” at all 

levels of the systems we are seeking to change. These are individuals who do not work within our 

organization, but who consistently voice their support for us and our approach to development, who 

spread our message through their networks and who put personal power in the service of our 

change efforts. Building a base of such external champions takes time and effort. Perhaps most 

importantly it requires us to stop thinking of donors, faculty supporters, mentors, or politicians as 

people who simply respond to our requests, and to start seeing and engaging them as potential 

members of our movement. For example, we need to shift from seeing fundraising as “going around 

with a begging bowl to pay the bills” to seeing it as “building a movement of people who 

participate through giving.” 

This session will use the example of fundraising to explore strategy and practice on how to build an 

external champion base. It will begin by discussing the attitudes needed to pursue relationships in 

this way. We will engage with current and practical examples of how this is being done within EWB. 

The session will finish by exploring what EWB needs to build – in terms of skills, tools and cultures – 

to reach our potential as “champion base builders.” 


An Exit Strategy: Global Engineering and EWB 


As EWB’s chapter programming becomes more sophisticated, many chapter leaders are exploring 

opportunities to make the outcomes of their programs sustainable. This session will use a global 

engineering lens to explore how EWB can create lasting change through institutionalizing its 

outcomes and building, managing, and leveraging relationships. While this session will use the 

global engineering concepts, any EWBer who is interested in thinking critically about exit strategies 

for Canadian programs and institutionalizing program outcomes is welcome to attend. 


If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix it: Can Organizational Memory Hinder Innovation 

Location: Pinnacle 

Over the past decade, EWB has evolved into a national organization capable of coordinating 

national outreach campaigns. Over this time we have developed an extensive organizational 

knowledge of what works and what does not when running these events (e.g. Reverse Trick or 

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Treating, petition signing, etc). We propose that this can be a double-edged sword in that by 

learning from what’s worked in the past, we may be failing to innovate on our approaches. Through 

this session participants will be challenged to identify ways to learn from past successes without 

blindly repeating what has already been done. 


Realizing Influence on Engineering Policy 


Canadian Engineering Associations are key actors in the professional engineering and engineering 

education systems. Recently, they have introduced broad level changes to the focus areas and 

aptitudes that form the basis of engineering education and professional certification. These changes 

present unprecedented opportunities for the scaled growth of EWB’s influence. 

EWB has a unique opportunity to engage these organizations (eg. Engineers Canada, Consulting 

Engineers Canada, Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, etc.) to forge strategic partnerships, 

increase fundraising opportunities, and deliver impact in collaboration with our Global Engineering 

programming. Come share your ideas to move forward EWB’s influence on engineering policy and 

leave with new connections, new perspectives, and an action plan for change. 


Understanding and Strengthening Leadership Pathways Within EWB 

Location: Panarama 

Everyone’s journey within EWB is unique, but there are certain key development points that are 

common to most EWBers. This session is about understanding the leadership development 

pathways that currently exist and discussing how we can strengthen and better align them to 

support our new vision. 


Building the World of Tomorrow Through Improved Trade Relations – A Canadian 

Perspective and Approach to Creating the Demand to Drive Change 


Promoting Fair Trade will continue to be an important part of EWB’s work to create social change in 

Canada. The Canadian Fair Trade Network will give us the opportunity to bring together the voices 

and contributions of the many other organizations in Canada with a stake in Fair Trade. By creating a 

space that allows for collaboration from a variety of stakeholders, the CFTN will play an integral role 

in fostering fresh and unique perspectives. 

Participants will have the opportunity to play an active role in the creation of the CFTN. Identifying 

the challenges that the CFTN and Fair Trade face in Canada, participants will engage in a 

meaningful dialogue to realize potential solutions. 


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African Teams’ Strategies 

(4:00-6:00pm) 

Driving the Service Delivery Model through Collective Impact: The WatSan 

Strategy 


This session explores the Water and Sanitation Team strategy which strives to create a service 

delivery model for the water and sanitation sector in Malawi. It hinges on the idea of collective 

impact (published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review) and the belief that social change 

requires broad cross-sector coordination, an innovation in itself. Participatory activities and 

discussions will be facilitated to help participants understand the water and sanitation context in 

Malawi and the reasoning behind working through collective impact. Participants will also have the 

opportunity to provide valuable feedback on the team strategy and provide suggestions for 

improvement. 


Behaviour Change and Farmer Technology Adoption 


Why is it that after decades of agricultural extension work and millions of dollars spent on agricultural 

development projects, farmers are still not consistently using good agricultural technologies such as 

improved seeds or fertilizers, timely weeding or harvesting, or even row planting and proper seed 

spacing 

This is ultimately a question of changing behaviours to have farmers adopt new technologies. As 

with behaviour change in general, an understanding of the decision-making processes and 

incentives that lead to the change must be determined. This session will include a general discussion 

on behaviour change, touching on what might be perceived as ‘irrational’ actions in the decisionmaking 

process, both in the Canadian and African contexts. Examples from our work in Ghana will 

be introduced as well as the theory of change being worked on which uses a behaviour change lens 

to develop more holistic technology adoption strategies. 


Data Oriented Decisions – Transformative Innovations in the Sector and the Role 

of Technology 


With technology use becoming more widespread in even rural areas in developing countries, it begs 

the question – how do we seize the opportunity to use this technology to transform the way data is 

collected, analyzed, accessed, and used Open data websites, mobile devices, internet access, 

computer proficiency – these trends are creating endless possibilities for government officers, 

business owners, and rural farmers to get information and use it to make decisions. Innovating 

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systemic ideas to make this trend work as best it can for development is a key part of how our teams 

are looking at the future. 


Shifting from an NGO to a Business 

Location : Frontenac 

An NGO usually starts life as a private organisation set up to advance the public interest, often 

funded by a government but outside of the control of the state. By definition their members receive 

no gain or profit, and may attract certain tax advantages. 

In the early stages, an NGO relies almost entirely on grant funds. However, if such an organisation is 

to grow to meet a clear demand, it may need change its style of business to become more selfsupporting. 

This implies a more revenue-oriented and cost-conscious approach to the work it 

undertakes. The timing of such a change and the implications to the NGO and its sponsors are 

complex. 

The primary language of this session is English 

From Win-Win Nucleus Farming Business Models to APS placement designs: 

pushing the AVC Ghana strategy forward into 2012 


This session will be a hands-on, interactive chance to push forward the AVC Ghana strategy by 

solving a real agriculture value chains problem. You will work in teams to propose both a businesslevel 

solution AND an EWB strategy for testing this idea on the ground. Solutions will be proposed 

during the Ideas-to-Action sessions on Saturday. Significant prep is required, including a skype call 

before the conference & absorbing the multi-sensory learning package. Reward is follow-up with 

AVC team in Ghana in February! 


Leadership in Africa and System Changers 


For a long time, EWB has provided capacity building support to local organizations in Africa. For the 

last four years, we have been trying to create systemic changes through supporting teams of 

Canadian game changers. Looking back on our investments, some questions have arisen in the past 

1-2 years: how much of our past investments really created deep change How can an EWB team be 

sustainable when it is only comprised of Canadians These reflections led to a decision to hire 

Africans in most EWB African teams, and more and more investments are being directed to African 

game changers. This session will present this new form of investment, explore the rationale behind 

it, and explain how it could change EWB’s approach in Africa and Canada in the future. 

This session will have bilingual facilitation. 

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Improved Investment, Trade Relations and Poverty Alleviation in Liberia 


The state of Liberia, “land of the free,” was founded by free African-Americans and freed slaves from 

the United States in 1820. The West African nation currently ranks 162th out of 179 nations in the 

2010 Human Development Index. Having gone through a 20-year civil war between 1980 and 2003, 

the nation was devastated with damaged businesses and infrastructure, an unskilled labour force, 

and an overall undeveloped economy. However, present-day Liberia is filled with optimistic people, 

natural resources, and a lot of potential for growth and opportunity. 

Based on the EWB Liberia rubber feasibility study, led by David Damberger and Arthur Kong, this 

session will discuss the rubber industry in Liberia and the significance it plays in the local and global 

economies. The session will touch upon how social-enterprise initiatives like EWB and Public Inc.’s 

RUBR can help to stimulate the revitalization of a sector predominately comprised of impoverished 

smallholder rubber farmers through investment and improved trade. 

The primary language of this session is English 

Dinner 

(6:30-8:00pm) 


Dinner will be served as a plated meal beginning at 6:30pm. 

AGM Registration 

Annual General Meeting 

(8:00pm) 


In 2012, the EWB membership will have the opportunity to elect one new member to the Board of 

Directors for a term of 3 years. This is an exceptional opportunity for high performing EWB members 

to tackle pressing issues facing the organization. 

After the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting, the floor will be opened up to a Question & 

Answer session. This event is legendary in EWB for presenting tough questions that often challenge 

the roots of our programs. George Roter (EWB’s CEO), EWB’s management team, the Board of 

Directors and a selection of inspiring leaders within the organization will be on hand to provide 

answers. 

Circle of Baobab 


Each year at the national conference, Engineers Without Borders holds a ceremony called the Circle 

of the Baobab. Through this ceremony, we show our respect for individuals who have made a 

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thoughtful, lifelong commitment to promoting human development, and we invite these individuals 

to publicly symbolize their commitment by joining the Circle of the Baobab. 

The Circle of the Baobab was inaugurated in September 2004. At the inaugural ceremony, we 

recognized the deep and sincere contributions of 45 individuals who had made significant 

contributions to building Engineers Without Borders. Each year the Circle grows a little larger as 

individuals make a serious and personal decision to commit themselves to promoting human 

development. 

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CONTENT 

FRIDAY SESSION DESCRIPTIONS 

Opening Keynote 

(8:30-9:30am) 


Pamela Hartigan 

Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship 

Pamela Hartigan is the Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University’s 

Said Business School. She is also a Volans Founding Partner and Non Executive Director. From 2001 

to 2008 she was the Managing Director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a 

Swiss-based organization focused on advancing the practice of social entrepreneurship nationally, 

regionally and globally. 

Dr. Hartigan holds Masters degrees in International Economics and Education and a PhD in 

Cognitive Psychology. She is the co-author of The Power of Unreasonable People: How 

Entrepreneurs Create Markets that Change the World. She is a frequent lecturer on social 

entrepreneurship and innovation at graduate schools of business in the USA, Europe and Asia, and is 

an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia School of Business in New York City. She serves on the Board 

of five social enterprises and advises many more. 

In the area of health, Pamela headed up the Department of Health Promotion at the World Health 

Organization (1999-2001); was Programme Manager and Area Co-ordinator for Applied Field 

Research in the Special Programme on Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) of the 

World Bank, WHO, and UNDP (1997-1999). Between 1990 and 1997, she worked in WHO’s Regional 

Office for the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), as Chief of the Gender, 

Health and Development and Manager for Special Initiative in the HIV/AIDS Programme. 

Failure, Learning, and Systemic Change 

(9:30-9:45am) 


Robert Chambers 

Research Associate at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex 

We talk about our failures to keep ourselves open to learning, and we learn in order to enhance our 

ability to create systemic innovations and social change. 

In this session, author and development scholar Robert Chambers will illustrate the connection 

between learning and systemic innovation and prepare us for the learning-themed breakout sessions 

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that follow by providing a vision of a world where everyone has equal opportunity and space to be 

constantly thinking about and shaping the world they want to see. 


Failure, Learning, and Systemic Change Breakouts 

(10:00-11:00am) 

Doing it WITH Dorothy: Exploring what it means to learn together with the most 

vulnerable 


Speaker: Robert Chambers (Research Associate at the Institute of Development Studies, University of 

Sussex) 

Let’s talk about Dorothy. 

Let’s talk about those that suffer oppression under the current system. What is their role in learning 

and creating change 

The EWB motto is to “Do it for Dorothy!” But do we want to do it ‘for’ Dorothy or ‘with’ Dorothy 

This session will invite participants to re-imagine a development industry which truly empowers and 

enables everyone to be equal partners in perpetuating systemic change. The idea of community 

participation in projects and programs is not new, but most ‘participatory development’ projects do 

not intend to create equal power relations and movement for mutual learning and action for 

systemic change. What is the goal of participatory development – is it a tool to achieve community 

ownership and sustainability, or a means of engaging community members as allies in creating 

systemic change together 

Come prepared to step out of your comfort zone – as we will examine, reassess, and breakdown our 

assumptions of who Dorothy is, what role she has to play in systemic change, and what it means to 

be her ally. 


The Un-Panel: Getting to the root of failure and learning in development 

organisations 


Speakers: Stacey Young (Senior Knowledge Management Advisor, USAID), Otto Farkas (Director, 

Humanitarian & Emergency Affairs, World Vision Canada), Jim Fructherman (CEO, Benetech), 

Marilyn McHarg (Executive Director, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) 

Time to shake things up. 

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The speakers in this session are leaders of four different development organizations. Their talk won’t 

be the “Let me tell you about something I know that you don’t” imparting of wisdom that typically 

characterizes panels. 

Instead, these speakers will each admit a failure during this session. 

Divided into two teams, the audience will help these CEOs address the root cause of their failure (by 

joining the “Un-Panel” and via twitter) in an experiment to see what happens when we all put our 

minds towards a common challenge and leave ourselves open to learning. 

Come prepared to be involved! 

Be a part of making magic happen when a failure is shared with a huge group of people who want to 

help. 

Encourage our speakers to open up to the vulnerability and humility that comes along with 

admitting failure. 

Participate in the effort to learn about and tackle some of the core issues hindering learning in the 

development sector. 

The Un-Panel promises to be like no other session you’ve seen. 


Become a Better Learner in 3 Easy Steps 


Learning can be so much more than in the absorption of information. According to Peter Senge, 

learning means the continuous testing of experience and the transformation of that experience into 

knowledge that is relevant to your core purpose. 

This means learning by doing (adaptive), being open to tough questions and challenging your 

assumptions (integrative) and enhancing your ability to create and take relevant effective action 

(generative). 

Come join in on this interactive workshop designed to explore and expand the definition of what it 

means to learn. 


The Other Things 


We make time for learning. We know it happens anywhere, and in different ways. We make room for 

it, because we know that without learning our work will be stagnant, irrelevant or even damaging. 

But is learning enough to drive the massive change we need 

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Learning alone does not move mountains. Somewhere, we need to find the other things. 

Imagination, beauty, inspiration, emotion, spirituality, creativity, passion. In our busy schedules, 

these two hours are set aside not for learning, but to spend time with the things that fuel us. 


Failing Forward at EWB: AdmittingFailure.com & Launch of the 2012 Failure 

Report 


Speakers: Robert Chambers (Research Associate at the Institute of Development Studies, and Sarah 

Lewis (Author and Founding Director, Expressive Rights) 

EWB is known across the development sector and beyond as leaders in the movement for more 

intelligent development thanks, in part, to our work promoting honesty, transparency and humility 

through admitting failure. 

2011 was a particularly big year for us! Come celebrate the launch of EWB’s 2011 Failure Report and 

discuss what AdmittingFailure.com means to the changing face of international development. 

This session will be simultaneously translated. 

Lunch & Chapter Awards 

(11:45am-1:15pm) 


The Innovation Model 

(1:30-3:00pm) 

Financing Innovation 


Speakers: Ka-Hay Law (Portfolio Manager, Lundin Foundation), Shawn Smith (Co-founder, Education 

Across Africa millions of rural men, women, and children are looking for solutions that will help them 

improve their maize production, save more, and improve their quality of life. Similarly, across Africa, 

some solutions do exist, and entrepreneurs are also developing new and innovative solutions. Yet 

these ideas may never scale to meet the demand, as their evolution and growth are limited due to 

lack of access to finance. 

This session will examine the process of innovation and the role of finance in scaling ideas, products 

and services. Presenters will represent Rent to Own (a small start up in Zambia), LUNDIN foundation 

(a private foundation that channels impact investments and grant capital to support SMEs in Africa), 

and Shawn Smith of the Global Catalyst Initiative (an organisation delivering ‘proving capital’ and 

business model support to early stage social ventures addressing global poverty). 


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Tapping into the Canadian Heart Space – Innovation Connecting Canadians to 

Liberian Smallholder Rubber 


Speaker: Arthur Kong 

When Team Canada took home the gold medal in hockey at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, 

Canadians felt pride in taking the top spot for one of our national sports. How can we leverage that 

pride and positive energy and direct it towards social good and poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan 

Africa A Canadian investor wanted to examine the feasibility of manufacturing hockey pucks in 

Canada using socially-responsible rubber from the West African country of Liberia. EWB conducted a 

feasibility study and together with Toronto-based marketing firm Public Inc., the RUBR brand was 

launche and pucks were churned out a short 4 months later. RUBR is an example of a fast and lean 

innovation. Arthur Kong and David Damberger, feasibility study co-leaders, will discuss the 

experiences in jump-starting this innovation and getting the product and its message into the hands 

of Canadian consumers. 


Systems Thinking 


Speaker: Zaid Hassan (Strategic Advisor, Climate Action Network) 

EWB has been making use of our innovation model (search, prototype, pilot, multiply, exit) for about 

2 years with varying levels of explicitness across the organization. However, we have never had 

coherence in the participatory creation of this model or common definitions of the terms, which 

means we’ve never had a platform to collectively work on improving it. This session is designed to 

challenge our current thinking, draw out our assumptions, understand diversity in our applications of 

the model, and get better at using it. During this session we will explore the different ways we can 

conceptualize what the “product” or interventions can be that we introduce into the systems we 

work in, and will seek to better improve how we define the problems we work on in those complex 

systems. 

This session is for any delegate actively thinking about systemic change who has a mandate (whether 

self-prescribed or not!) to define the problem you want to solve within that system and is leading or 

contributing to a strategy designed to create that change. 


Prototype 


Speaker: Adam Reineck (Principal Designer, IDEO.org) 

IDEO is an award-winning global design firm that takes a human-centered, design-based approach 

to helping organizations in the public and private sectors innovate and grow. 

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Thinking like a designer can transform the way organizations develop products, services, processes, 

and strategy. This approach, which IDEO calls design thinking, brings together what is desirable 

from a human point of view with what is technologically feasible and economically viable. It also 

allows people who aren’t trained as designers to use creative tools to solve a vast range of 

challenges. 

In this session, participants will explore an integral part of innovation – prototyping. Using examples 

from the sanitation field in Ghana and prototyping at different stages, Adam Reineck will help 

transform your understanding and implementation of prototyping. 

Search: Investing in High Impact Ventures 


Speaker: Jo-Ann Tan (Business Development Marketing Manager, Acumen Fund) 

Jo-Ann is the Business Development Marketing Manager of Acumen Fund and is the lead architect 

of Acumen Fund’s community. She is working to create a step change in terms of awareness and 

engagement for Acumen Fund through its online presence and volunteer chapters. 

Before Acumen Fund, Jo-Ann built a marketing analytics team and developed and new marketing 

strategies for a $1 billion apparel distributor. Jo-Ann has also worked at strategy consulting firm 

Marakon Associates in New York and Singapore. She began her career at the Monetary Authority 

(Central Bank) of Singapore. Jo-Ann received a BA in Economics and an MS in Management Science 

and Engineering from Stanford University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. 

Search, Prototype, Pilot, Scale 


Speaker: Jim Fruchterman (CEO, Benetech) 

A technology entrepreneur, Jim Fruchterman is a former rocket scientist who has founded two of the 

foremost optical character recognition companies and developed successful social enterprises. Jim 

co-founded Calera Recognition Systems in 1982. Calera developed character recognition that 

allowed computers to read virtually all printed text. 

In 1989, Jim founded Arkenstone, a nonprofit social enterprise, to produce reading machines for the 

disabled community based on the Calera technology. Following the sale of the Arkenstone product 

line in 2000, Jim used all the resulting capital to fund Benetech, with an explicit goal of using the 

power of technology to serve humanity. 

Jim has also been active in public service, with two stints on U.S. federal advisory committees. In 

2006, he received a MacArthur Fellowship. Jim was named an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur in 

2003 by the Schwab Foundation and continues to participate in the World Economic Forum in 

Davos, Switzerland. Benetech received the Skoll Award for social entrepreneurship under Jim’s 

leadership. Jim also received the Robert F. Bray Award from the American Council of the Blind in 

recognition of his outstanding efforts to make literary works accessible to people who are blind or 

visually impaired. 

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Rest & Reflection 

(3:00-4:00) 

EWB Recruitment 

Location: Laurentian, Richelieu, Joliet, & Frontenac 

Are you inspired and excited to drive systemic change in Canada, Africa and globally Are you 

motivated by the vision and work of Engineers Without Borders Come out to the EWB recruitment 

session and find out about the many opportunities for you to join our team. Whether you’re 

interested in the Junior Fellowship program, the African Program Staff positions, work at the 

National Office, joining one of our Distributed Teams, or any other opportunities with EWB, this is 

your first step! 

African Connect Program (ChAPSter buddies) 


This is a workshop for APS, Chapter Ambassadors and leaders as well as all those who are interested 

in sharing ideas and improving upon the connection between EWB Chapters and African Programs. 

How can we strengthen the connection between our African Programs and our Chapters How can 

we get creative with the ChAPSter Buddy partnerships How can we build the value of this program 

We’ll be diving into these questions and more as we explore the potential of ChAPSter Buddy 

Partnerships. This will be an informal workshop, where you’ll have the opportunity to connect with 

other program participants, share best practices and creative ideas, as well as brainstorm ways to 

make this program the best that it can be! 

Skills Development Round 1 

(4:00-5:15pm) 

Getting the Second Date: Communicating EWB 


Speaker: Ward Alsop (EWB) 

EWB is a complex beast. There are ventures. There’s the chapter network. There’s advocacy, fair 

trade and global engineering. There’s systemic innovation, local partners and leadership and system 

changers. And beyond that, there’s all the over-simplified messaging that other organizations pump 

out into the world, painting poverty as a pretty simple problem to solve. 

With all of this in mind, how do you answer simple questions like... what is EWB What do you do 

Why should I join Why should I donate This session will help you find the answers by framing these 

conversations and thinking about your answers in a different way. You will walk away with new ideas 

about how to not only establish a base understanding of what EWB is, but also how to drop in 

hooks – pieces of information that make people want to know more. 


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Impact Model Canvas 


Speaker: Ben Best (EWB) 

Participants will take a basic understanding of the Business Model Canvas and see how it is being 

applied to our work in Africa. Participants will then practice applying the framework to an existing 

model they are familiar with. Lastly there will be space for applying some ideation techniques to 

either generate new Impact Models or iterate on existing models to find novel perspectives or 

approaches that can be directly applied. 


Coaching: The Skill of Asking Curious, Powerful Questions 


Speaker: Laura McGrath, Founder and Principal Ready for Change 

Excellent coaching involves a wide range of skills, but at its core, excellent coaching is about curious, 

powerful questions. In this interactive, practical workshop, you will learn what makes a question 

powerful and you will practice crafting powerful questions. You will leave the workshop 

understanding how to ask questions that help both you and others to explore new territory and 

discover new insights. 


Harnessing the Full Potential of Web Technologies for a Successful Web Project 


Speaker: Alex Brovkin 

You need a web site, you need a blog, you need social media… we all know that, but what do you 

need to do it right This session is for those who have a web site, blog or web project in mind and 

need guidance in their approach. Exploring different strategies and discussing easy-to-use tools and 

web technologies, the range of topics will include web design and blogging guidelines, social 

media, photography and multimedia, e-commerce and web analytics. The session will encourage 

you to be creative in your approach and to think outside the box. A must for the web enthusiast and 

the creative mind! 

Meta-Facilitation 


In this session, we’re going meta. I’m going to facilitate the process of improving your skills in 

facilitating process. Read that sentence again. What does it mean This session is going to be all 

about tearing my facilitation skills apart, and about asking one of the toughest, most important 

questions: the curious ‘Why’ We’re going to explore the multitude of considerations and choices a 

facilitation can be aware of, common challenges chapter leaders face, and how, by being deliberate 

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in everything from room setup to language use to session structure, you can bring a team from any 

point A to point B with greater success. 

Knowledge Management 


Speaker: Stacey Young (Senior Knowledge Management Advisor, USAID) 

Stacey Young is Senior Knowledge Management Advisor for USAID’s Microenterprise Development 

office, where she manages an award-winning knowledge management & learning program that 

facilitates learning among USAID’s staff, its partners and the broader microenterprise and poverty 

analysis communities to improve practice via the www.microlinks.org and www.povertyfrontiers.org 

websites. Prior to joining USAID, Dr. Young lived and worked as an independent consultant in Kenya 

and Uganda, working in the sectors of health/family planning, HIV/AIDS, agriculture, and 

development research; before that, she taught political science, women’s studies and writing at 

Skidmore College, and at Cornell University, where she earned a Ph.D. in Government. She is the 

author of Changing the Wor(l)d: Discourse, Politics, and the Feminist Movement; co-editor of Rowing 

Upstream: Snapshots of Pioneers of the Information Age in Africa; and author of Philanthropy for 

Social Change: Four decades of Ford Foundation grant making in Eastern Africa. In 2008, the Imp- 

Act Social Performance Management Consortium named Dr. Young one of the industry’s 20 most 

influential people. 

Project Management 


Speaker: SNC Lavalin 

SNC Lavalin is one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world and a major 

player in the ownership of infrastructure, and in the provision of operations and maintenance 

services. 

Their main concerns are fighting poverty, increasing productivity and improving living conditions in 

rural environments. 

SNC Lavalin helps their clients worldwide to address their high-priority issues in the rural sector with 

integrated, sustainable solutions. Their specialists work together with governments, international 

financial institutions and the private sector to plan, design and implement programs and projects in 

the agriculture and rural development sector. Their activities include : agriculture and agri-business 

(diversification and competitiveness of productions); rural infrastructure development (hydroagricultural 

improvement, community-based water development, post-harvesting and processing 

infrastructures, and social infrastructures); agri-food supply chains and market development (creation 

of value-added throughout the supply chain, market development support, particularly for exports, 

technical assistance to ensure that products meet international regulations and standards), technical 

and institutional support (training and capacity building, transfer of knowledge); water supply and 

sanitation (design and construction supervision of rural water supply system and sanitation 

infrastructure). 

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Skills Development Round 2 

(5:30-6:45pm) 

Leading from the Heart 


Speaker: Laura McGrath, Founder and Principal Ready for Change 

You want your leadership to be effective, but you don’t want strategy and results to crowd out your 

emotion and compassion. Can you lead intelligently, and lead with heart What would heart-based 

leadership look like In this session, life coach and therapist Laura McGrath will guide you to explore 

your unique style of heart-based leadership. Using guided visualizations, art-based exploration, and 

small discussions, you will discover what it means to you to lead from the heart. 


Monitoring and Evaluation: Getting Creative with Indicators 


Speaker: Colleen Duncan 

How can you know if you’re making progress How can you show attributability for the results This 

session will explore these two questions by taking a look at the fundamentals of different M&E 

systems in development organizations and projects, and then turning these lessons into practical 

steps for your own situation. 

In projects and organizations that are driving for long-term, sustainable and complex changes, 

answering these fundamental M&E questions becomes a challenging task. Although M&E is 

important for a variety of reasons, few organizations and projects have succeeded in combining their 

M&E, knowledge management systems and technical direction into a united and complementary 

force that can enhance rather than hinder the performance and understanding of broader changes 

and the teams’ role in creating them. 

This session aims to assist participants to develop their own understanding and practical direction for 

developing stronger integrated M&E systems for their own projects, teams and organizations going 

forward. 

EWB and Citizen Journalism 


Speaker: Chelby Daigle (COMPAC Administrator, Ottawa Police) 

Africa is one of the most underreported regions in North American media. As EWB Junior Fellows 

and African Program Staff using citizen journalism, you will have opportunities to share your 

experiences with an international audience and connect the system-changing initiatives you are 

working on to the global community. In this session, you will learn about the citizen journalism 

movement, opportunities to publish online and how previous EWB volunteers have successfully 

produced citizen journalism and thus helped to further the goals of their placements. 

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Rigorous Learning Through Measurement and Estimation 


Speaker: Ben Best (EWB) 

How many piano tuners work in Chicago You may have heard this type of question in an interview, 

but the techniques to answer it can be used to rigorously estimate the value of solving problems in 

development. 

How much crop damage is caused by improper agro-chemical usage in Northern Ghana What is 

the long term economic benefit of improving soil health by using organic fertilizer instead 

conventional chemical fertilizers This session explores practical measurement and estimation 

techniques to add rigor to answering these types of questions with imperfect information and a 

limited budget. 

The Power to Mobilize Resources 


Speaker: Daniel Miller (EWB) 

“...for anyone, for absolutely anyone, who plans to make change by working in the nonprofit / social 

enterprise sector, the ability to mobilize capital behind your idea is one of the most important, most 

untaught, most underdeveloped skills around...If you can get funding, you can set up shop, you can 

create breakthrough approaches that cut through the status quo, you can make things happen.” 

– Sasha Dichter 

By attending this session, you will develop your power to mobilize resources. The skills this session 

will address: building and initiating relationships, selling high potential but untested ideas and 

asking for big favours in a way that empowers both parties. 


Strategic Systemic Thinking 


Speaker: Dr. Kenneth William Smith (Associate Dean, Executive Programs and Associate Professor, 

University of Guelph) 

Dr. Ken Smith was appointed Associate Dean, Executive Programs in the College of Management & 

Economics in August 2010. Prior to this, he practiced as a strategy consultant for almost 25 years, 

first with McKinsey & Company and ultimately as Chair of SECOR Consulting, Canada’s largest 

independent strategy consultancy. In addition to his client work and administrative responsibilities in 

consulting, he also maintained a research program in mergers and acquisitions, and he has 

published extensively in the business press. His work on business and public policy issues 

associated with global industry restructuring and M&A is well recognized in business and 

government. 

35


The Future of EWB Membership 


What does it mean to be a member of EWB Should we be restricting our membership to the most 

committed people in our organization or keep it wide open for everyone How does membership fit 

in with EWB’s new vision Do we expect more financially from our members 

How do we best leverage our membership to serve our ultimate benefactor: Dorothy 

This session will explore various case studies examining the structure of other successful member 

driven organizations (expect to discuss Médcins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, The 

Reform Party of Canada, Greenpeace and others). You will further discuss how lessons from these 

organizations can be applied to EWB. 


Creating Genuine, Effective, Collective Vision and Collaborative Energy in Highly 

Complex, “Stuck” Systems 

(4:00-6:45pm) 


Speaker: Zaid Hassan (Strategic Advisor, Climate Action Network) 

This session is a condensed “change lab” seminar in which participants will gain skills and insights 

relevant to facilitating, enabling, or advocating for change in highly complex social systems that are 

“stuck.” These systems are characterized by having power distributed over a multitude of 

stakeholders, each with different incentives and worldviews, such that no one stakeholder can act 

unilaterally and change can only happen through collective understanding and action. How can a 

“free actor” with relationships and leverage with a variety of these stakeholders help create the 

conditions for change in this kind of environment 

This session is for experienced change agents actively engaged in systemic change at a national or 

regional level and interacts regularly with key actors with influence in that system. 


Massive Outreach Event 

(7:00-8:30pm) 

Location: Ballroom & Beyond 

Social 

(9:00pm onwards) 

36


CONTENT 

SATURDAY SESSION DESCRIPTIONS 

Laughing Yoga 

(8:00-8:30am) 


Laughing yoga combines yoga with unconditional breathing, resulting in a playful, rejuvenating 

exercise and unparalleled group dynamics. Join Duncan Cook for an unmatched way to kick off the 

last day of conference. 

Opening Keynote – Bill Young 

(8:30-9:15am) 


Innovation Symposium 

(9:30-11:30am) 


Gladiator’s Arena 

On Saturday morning at the Gladiator’s Arena, participants will pitch their ideas to the panel of 

delegates who have self-identified as potential investors throughout conference. Pitches should 

include specific asks for human resources (e.g. 5 chapter leaders who can commit a minimum of 5 

hours/week for 3 months), and should also showcase financial independence. Each individual on the 

panel of potential investors can then identify whether or not he or she wants to invest in the 

innovation. Participants will then have time to meet with their investors. 

Sponsor Showcase 

The Sponsor Showcase is an opportunity for delegates to learn about the innovative projects and 

initiatives led by the conference’s sponsors. The showcase allows delegates to interact with the wide 

variety of supporting companies and organizations. Delegates are encouraged to bring their 

resumes and questions! 

Innovation in Africa 

(11:45am-12:45pm) 

Breakout 1 


Speakers: African Leader (TBD) & Mark Hemsworth (Founder and Director, Rent-to-Own) 

37


After graduating from the University of Waterloo, Mark spent four years running his family’s 

business – the Springbank Cheese Company in Calgary, Alberta. Having been in the cheese business 

since 1960, the Hemsworth family knows a thing or two about the food industry and operating a 

successful small business. That knowledge was passed on to Mark, who is now using it – along with 

an interest in corporate social responsibility – to help improve the fortunes of 6,000 small-holder 

bee-keepers in southern Africa. 

Breakout 2 


Speakers: African Leader (TBD), Shayan Mashatian (Program Lead, Manager of Mobile Technology 

Management Program at International Institute of Mobile Technologies) 

Shayan is the Program Lead for the Manager of Mobile Technology Management Program at 

International Institute of Mobile Technologies based in Toronto, Canada. He has extensive 

experience in product conception, design, development, and launch strategies to analyze enterprise 

operations, process trend,s and align them with innovative and relevant technologies, as well as 

assess market conditions for new opportunities and prospective product lines. 

He has managed the development and launch of a suit of mobile applications for Grameen 

Foundation on Android devices and was involved in the development and release of CellTrust 

Corporation’s award-winning flagship product, SecureSMS. Shayan also served as the managing 

director of the first Internet node and ISP in Iran for 9 years and has managed several product 

delivery projects for major corporations including GM, Pfizer, Tyco, and Merrill Lynch. 

He won the 2010 Technology Innovation Award of Salesforce Foundation for the architecture of 

CKW Mobile Platform. 

Breakout 3 


Speakers: African Leader (TBD) & Shawn Smith (Co-founder, Education Generation) 

Shawn Smith is co-founder and President of Global Agents for Change (www.globalafc.org), a social 

change incubator that develops creative ways for young people to explore issues and take action, 

while raising funds and awareness for projects addressing global inequity. The organization’s rapidly 

growing Opportunity Fund acts as an accelerator for established microfinance and education 

initiatives, removing financial and technical barriers to help global community building projects 

broaden their reach and achieve sustainability. Global AFC has been identified by the United 

Nations and Canadian Government for its entrepreneurial approach and ability to create immediate 

impact with minimal resources. 

Shawn is also co-founder of Education Generation (www.educationgeneration.org), an online 

community providing scholarships to developing world students, $20 at a time. This platform 

connects donors and students around the world, supporting young leaders that can help pull their 

communities out of poverty. Launching quietly in fall of 2008, it has funded 109 scholarships and 

raised over $25,000 in this pilot phase (current to May 2009). 

38


When time permits, Shawn also acts as a strategic and communications consultant for private and 

social sector organizations in Vancouver, and has spoken to thousands of youth and adults on issues 

including global citizenship, leadership, and the power to impact our world. He has previous 

experience in banking and finance and holds a Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser 

University. 

Lunch 

(1:00-2:00pm) 


Lunch will be served buffet style. 

EWB Draft 

The annual National Hockey League Draft is an iconic Canadian moment, with the coveted ‘number 

one’ pick ending up in the hands of the absolute worst team. 

That is not so with the inaugural EWB Entry Draft. 

The number one selection in the 2012 EWB Entry Draft will go to the company and workplace that 

rises above the competition and raises the most funds for EWB. 

This an exclusive opportunity to share the national spotlight with EWB, engage in a friendly 

competition with your peers in the engineering community and make an even greater global impact 

with EWB in 2012. 

The puck is about to drop. Don’t miss the action! 

Ideas to Action 

(2:00-3:30pm) 

Working with Government: Encouraging youth to take action to shape our 

country, our world. 


EWB’s youth-driven membership has made their presence known in universities and high schools 

across Canada. Canada’s decision to sign on to the International Aid Transparency Initiative suggests 

that our youth members are able to push for bigger, strategic change that extends far beyond their 

educational institution. But, we have much room for growth and learning in order to be agents of 

national and global change. As a former student activist, federal minister, and Canadian ambassador 

to the UN, Allan Rock has exemplified how Canadian youth can create systemic change throughout 

their lives. Join the University of Ottawa’s current president in a frank, challenging, and interactive 

workshop regarding the potential roles of youth in shaping their nation and world. 

39


Courageous Commitments 


Speaker: Scott Rutherford 

Scott Rutherford is a Management Consultant, Executive and Team Counselor that specializes in 

shifting mindsets and behaviours to drive organizational strategy. Working with both corporations 

and NGOs, Scott is most skilled and passionate about leveraging the realization of organizational 

and personal outcomes to create value, meaning and social change. 

This session is designed to help participants translate conference learnings, commitments and 

intentions into courageous commitments that will translate into significant and meaningful action. 


Innovation Challenge Participants 


This session is intended for Innovation Challenge participants and their investors to plan forward. 

Global Engineering 


We’re looking for the next generation of Global Engineering Leaders to help work on EWB’s 

evolving role in the GE field. EWB has been gaining considerable traction over the past few years in 

the area of Global Engineering through the dedication and efforts of many chapter members across 

the country. To continue pushing this cutting edge innovation, EWB has the opportunity to work on 

several cross-Canada initiatives including improving the curriculum enhancement program, engaging 

National Engineering Month content, and holding a cross-Canada dialogue on the concept of 

engineering leadership. But we need your help to make these projects come to fruition – join us to 

find out how you can lead the way in Global Engineering innovation. 

The session will take the form of an Open Space, with suggestions for discussion topics being put 

forward by participants and work proceeding in smaller groups to work on bringing GE ideas into 

action. 


Don’t Let Québec Separate! – Actions for Francophone Engagement 


Meaningfully engaging with Québec chapters has always represented an interesting challenge for 

EWB because of the particular environment in which these chapters operate. Yet there are huge 

benefits in having the different parts of EWB engage with these chapters. In practice, how do we 

facilitate this connection How can Québec chapters be fully integrated in the national dialogue 

How can the knowledge and skills from this group be spread to the rest of the organization In this 

workshop, we will be discussing tangible ways of making this happen in the short to medium term. 

40


The primary language of this session is French. 

Ideas to Action – Political Advocacy 


EWB’s political advocacy program is now two years old and steadily growing in both sophistication 

and scale. 

Transforming the way Canada contributes to international development requires a multi-faceted 

strategy that engages political leaders and the decision-makers that surround them, Canadian 

citizens to whom these politicians are accountable, a media community that largely shapes the 

public agenda, and strategic partners and influential leaders who have a disproportionate influence 

over major decisions that affect Canada’s development approach. 

The next steps in our journey to ensure Canada is a leader on the global development stage will be 

crucial in building our network to be a sustainable long-term force for change. What are the next 

steps in creating that change 

What can you do in the next few months and year to help us build a Canada that is a global 

development leader What campaigns and events will we be running and which players will we 

engage to reach our goals 

Come to this session to find out how and where you can contribute. 


Next Steps for Youth Engagement: Program Vision and Strategy for the Future 


Over the past 3 months, the Youth Engagement program stepped back to look at its vision and 

strategy and has decided that it’s time to take what we’ve learned and kick it up more-than-a notch. 

This session is for past, present, and particularly future leaders of Youth Engagement to dive into a 

new vision and strategy for the program that was torn apart and put back together on Leadership 

Day. This is the opportunity to lend your brilliant mind and strategy skills to the future of an almost 

entirely new program for youth. We need leaders who are excited to drive forward the first year of a 

Searcher Approach in the Canadian Programs, and who are excited to work with the Distributed 

Team to lay down the plan for the first year of strategy to make this exploration, hypothesis testing, 

and new program development a success. 


41


Prototyping the Future of Fundraising 

Location: Chaudière 

What chapter fundraising can become within EWB’s new vision of systemic innovation can be 

summarized by one word: potential. Potential to make huge leaps forward in the role our chapters 

play in mobilizing resources behind systemic innovations; potential to be a key activity for 

developing the world’s most talented system changers; and potential to actually be a system 

changing activity itself. Making this potential a reality begins in this session. This is a session for 

chapters who are willing to start prototyping the potential future of fundraising now, and for the 

members of our network who are able to support these efforts. 

During this session, chapters will be given space, tools and consultants to design and begin 

implementing prototypes in January 2012 that could reshape our ambitions and understandings of 

what fundraising is. 


City Networks and Corporate Engagement 


This session will discuss how City Networks coordinate their corporate engagement work. At present 

organisation happens in a very ad-hoc way, with the National Office playing the role of a 

(dysfunctional) information hub. This does very little to leverage the strength we have in our network. 

In the last few months, a new model has been evolving with a few champions within a company and 

a few members across the network working together to build the pitch and drive the conversation 

forward. The goal of this session is to establish what sort of framework and coordination needs to be 

in place between the NO, City Networks, and members to better replicate these successes. 

Expectation for participants is that they are currently involved in Corporate Engagement and looking 

to be involved in the discussion before conference and in the follow up afterwards. 


AVC Business Case 


Teams who participated in the AVC Business Case session will present their solutions, challenge 

each other, and get real, grounded feedback from team members who are on the ground in Ghana. 

The winner of the competition will be announced and follow-up steps for engaging with the team’s 

evolving strategy will be laid out. 

42


Rest & Reflection 

(3:30-4:15pm) 

Laughing Yoga 


Laughter yoga combines yoga with unconditional breathing, resulting in a playful, rejuvenating 

exercise and unparalleled group dynamics. Join Duncan Cook for a hilarious way to decompress on 

the last day of conference. 

Tea for You 


This 30 minute Tea Tasting Workshop and Discussion will include a sensory tasting of four high 

grade Fair Trade Certified teas, accompanied by a brief presentation of Fair Trade challenges in the 

tea industry. Some of the primary health benefits of tea will also be discussed in detail. Presented 

by Venk Prabhu and Dr. Priya Prakash, co-founders of Shanti Tea Importers based in Ottawa, 

Canada. 

Reconnection 

(4:15-5:15pm) 

City Networks 

Location: Frontenac. 

University Chapters 

Locations as follows: 

Capitale: 

Joilet: 

Richelieu: 

Laurentian: 

Seigniory: 

Panarama: 

Pinnacle: 

University of Western Ontario, University of Ottawa, Memorial University of 

Newfoundland, Polytechnique, University of New Brunswick 

University of Waterloo, Carleton University, University of Windsor, University of 

Manitoba 

University of Alberta, University of Toronto, University of Calgary, University of Regina, 

Queen’s University 

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Ryerson University, University of Victoria 

Simon Fraser University, Dalhousie University 

Concordia University, McGill University, University of Guelph, University of 

Saskatchewan, University of British Columbia – Okanagan 

University of British Columbia, Université Laval, Université Sherbrooke, 

McMaster University 

43


Conference Closing 

(5:30-6:00pm) 


Join us as we close the conference and look forward at our individual roles as members of this 

movement. 

Gala 

(7:00pm onwards) 

Location: Museum of Civilisation 

44


ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

The Annual General Meeting will be held at the Delta City Centre Hotel, 101 Lyon Street, Ottawa, 

Ontario, K1R 5T9 on Thursday January 12, 2012 at 8:00pm (Eastern Time) and all EWB members are 

invited to attend. 

The meeting will include the following items: 

1. Election of one Director 

2. Review of the 2011 Audited Financial Statements 

3. Report of the CEO 

4. Report of the Membership Advisory Committee 

5. African Delegate Feedback 

This year, EWB members will have the opportunity to elect one new member to the Board of 

Directors for a term of three years. This is an exceptional opportunity for high-performing EWB 

members to tackle pressing issues facing the organization. More information on this opportunity is 

available at http://blogs.ewb.ca/board/membership/elections/. 

After the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting, the floor will be opened for a Question & 

Answer session. This event is known as a forum for tough, challenging questions that address the 

roots of our work. George Roter (EWB’s CEO), EWB’s management team, the Board of Directors and 

a selection of inspiring leaders within the organization will be on hand to provide answers. 

Start thinking about your questions now and post them on our Google Moderator site: http:// 

www.google.com/moderator/#16/e=e314d. Even if you don’t have a question to ask, we encourage 

you to visit and vote for your favorites. 

Note: Only Regular Members, paid in full, as recorded on the final register of members compiled 21 

days prior to the AGM (December 22, 2011) will be entitled to vote at the AGM. This register of 

members will be obtained from myEWB. 

If you have any questions with respect to the AGM, please do not hesitate to contact Tristan Allan 

at tristanallan@ewb.ca. 

45


INNOVATION CHALLENGE 

The Innovation Challenge is a forum for encouraging social entrepreneurship through EWB’s profile 

as an incubator of social innovation. 

Who are the Innovators 

The group of innovators is made up of EWB-ers who have existing ideas, and need further resources 

in order to bring their ideas to fruition: EWB chapter alumni, APS and APS alumni, Team Leads, or 

other current chapter or city network members. 

The Innovators will have the chance to practice their pitch on Wednesday night. On Thursday and 

Friday morning, they will partake in specific workshops on entrepreneurship skills. The Innovation 

Challenge will be introduced to all delegates on Thursday at lunch, briefly introducing each 

innovation and participant. Some tables will be reserved so participants can then do a “soft pitch” of 

their innovation and receive some feedback before their final pitch at the Gladiator’s Arena. 

The Role of Delegates 

As a delegate, you play an important role in the success of the proposed innovations. Throughout 

the conference, posters in the hotel will showcase the different innovations and innovators. These 

posters will be accompanied by a place for delegates to sign up as a potential investor. If you are 

interested in investing your time, energy, and skills into one of the showcased innovations, you have 

the opportunity to be a potential investor for that innovation. 

On Saturday morning at the Gladiator’s Arena, participants will pitch their ideas to the panel of 

delegates who have self-identified as potential investors throughout conference. Pitches should 

include specific asks for human resources (e.g. 5 chapter leaders who can commit a minimum of 5 

hours/week for 3 months), and should also showcase financial independence. Each individual on the 

panel of potential investors can then identify whether or not he or she wants to invest in the 

innovation. Participants will then have time to meet with their investors. 

46


MP FORUM 

We are bringing together a select group of MPs from all parties to discuss a new vision and set of 

ideas for improving the Canadian political environment around aid/development. By discussing 

smart approaches to development, we hope to cultivate an atmosphere of dynamic learning. 

Canada is known internationally as a leader in global development; we would like to see this legacy 

strengthened in the years to come. During a period of global economic uncertainty, it’s ever more 

important that Canada pursue the smartest, most efficient development policies, to ensure Canada 

is maximizing its positive global influence. This forum will focus on some of the key challenges faced 

in the sector and will draw from the on-the-ground experience of development experts and the 

political/policy perspective of participating MPs. 

We aspire to see the Canadian political environment around aid/development become the most 

creative and engaged in the world. The goal of this forum is to accelerate political stewardship in 

this regard. 

GLOBAL ENGINEERING SYMPOSIUM 

Global Engineering Symposium Presented by Engineers Canada and its Members 

The symposium is an invitational forum within the conference where leaders from academia, 

industry, and engineering professional associations converge to collaborate and discuss aspirations 

in engineering education and practice for the 21st Century. Society is demanding a new generation 

of engineers that embrace complexity, communicate effectively, and focus on their positive impact 

on their communities and the world. Building on last year’s Global Engineering Symposium which 

focused on defining Global Engineering, a key theme of this year’s discussion will be: 

“What is the evolving role of the engineer in the 21st Century, 

and how can engineers grow to fulfill it” 

47


SPEAKERS 

Robert Chambers 

Research Associate at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex 

Dr. Chambers is the author of several books, including Rural Development: 

Putting the Last First and Whose Reality Counts He is also credited for leading 

the way to a methodological revolution of values, approaches, behaviours 

and methods, collectively called participatory rural appraisal. Dr. Chambers has 

a multidisciplinary background with experience in biology, history and public 

administration. He is currently a Research Associate at the Institute of 

Development Studies, University of Sussex. 

Duncan Cook 

Laughing Yoga 

After completion of basic Laughter Leader Training in May of 2005 with Dr. 

Madan Kataria in Toronto, Duncan began offering regular Laughter Sessions in 

Guelph Ontario. A core group of participants have gathered frequently to enjoy 

the health benefits that come with unconditional laughter. 

In April of 2006, Duncan enrolled in further training with Dr. Kataria, going on to enter a five day 

intensive, receiving certification as Laughter Leader Teacher. Since then, laughter practice has been 

an important aspect for all who recognise the life enhancing capabilities of this powerful Yogic 

method. 

Duncan has been leading Certification courses and workshops in Laughter Yoga for several years, 

and collaborates with others to bring Laughter Yoga to communities throughout Ontario. 

Chelby Daigle 

COMPAC Administrator, Ottawa Police 

Chelby Marie Daigle has gained most of her education from her experience as a 

front-line community worker and her personal history as an “at-risk youth” 

coping with poverty, lack of school engagement, family violence, and mental 

illness. 

She has grown to become a respected community activist and public speaker on 

a variety of topics related to the empowerment of marginalized communities. 

Her educational goals involve studying social work and documentary filmmaking. Her professional 

goals involve continuing to do the type of work she is already doing, with ample opportunities for 

skill development and advancement. 

Chelby has worked as a facilitator, workshop developer, anti-racism and anti-oppression educator, 

proposal writer, and youth engagement specialist and has held influential roles in several capacities 

from local grass-roots initiatives to the United Nations Associations Canada. 

48


Michael Edwards 

futurepositive.org 

Michael Edwards is an independent writer and activist based in upstate 

New York who is affiliated with the New York-based think-tank Demos, and 

the Brooks World Poverty Institute at Manchester University in the UK. 

From 1999 to 2008 he was the Director of the Ford Foundation’s 

Governance and Civil Society Program in New York, having previously 

worked for the World Bank, Oxfam-GB, Save the Children-UK and other NGOs in Washington DC, 

London, Colombia, Zambia, Malawi, and India. His writings have helped to shape a more critical 

appreciation of the global role of philanthropy and civil society, and to break down barriers between 

researchers and activists across the world. Michael was educated in England at the universities of 

Oxford and London, and now lives with his wife Cora in the farmhouse they renovated together in 

the foothills of the Catskill mountains. 

Otto Farkas 

Director, Resource Development & Collaborative Innovation Department, World 

Vision Canada 

Otto brings over fifteen years in the international development and humanitarian 

field. His experience includes leadership, program management, research, 

technical consultation, and training. 

In his current role, Otto provides leadership to strategic program resource 

acquisition, innovation and multi-sector partnering functions within the 

International & Canadian Programs Division of World Vision Canada. Currently he 

is facilitating a number of collaborative initiatives between public, private and civil–society 

organizations in emerging economies, involving multinational corporations, as well as promoting 

innovation through information technology (IT) solutions in humanitarian service delivery. 

Otto is particularly interested in innovation management in large not-for-profit organizations, and 

recognized for promoting practical solutions and approaches to achieving innovative change in 

humanitarian action. 

Otto has a Master of Arts degree in the Social Sciences from the Eötvös Lorand University 

of Budapest in Hungary. He is accredited by the Partnership Brokers Accreditation Scheme 

(PBAS) through the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the International Business Leader 

Forum (IBLF) in the UK. He also lectures at the Business School of Humber College in Toronto 

in International Development. Otto has actively participated in the ALNAP research on Innovation in 

International Humanitarian Action; he also serves on the Grant Panel for the Humanitarian Innovation 

Fund. 

49


Jim Fruchterman 

CEO, Benetech 

A technology entrepreneur, Jim Fruchterman is a former rocket scientist who 

has founded two of the foremost optical character recognition companies 

and developed successful social enterprises. Jim co-founded Calera 

Recognition Systems in 1982. Calera developed character recognition that 

allowed computers to read virtually all printed text. 

In 1989, Jim founded Arkenstone, a nonprofit social enterprise, to produce 

reading machines for the disabled community based on the Calera 

technology. Following the sale of the Arkenstone product line in 2000, Jim 

used all the resulting capital to fund Benetech, with an explicit goal of using the power of 

technology to serve humanity. 

Jim has also been active in public service, with two stints on U.S. federal advisory committees. In 

2006, he received a MacArthur Fellowship. Jim was named an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur in 

2003 by the Schwab Foundation and continues to participate in the World Economic Forum in 

Davos, Switzerland. Benetech received the Skoll Award for social entrepreneurship under Jim’s 

leadership. Jim also received the Robert F. Bray Award from the American Council of the Blind in 

recognition of his outstanding efforts to make literary works accessible to people who are blind or 

visually impaired. 

Zaid Hassan 

Strategic Advisor, Climate Action Network 

Zaid is a facilitator and writer who is passionate about bridging divides and 

cultural re-generation. His work is focused on supporting individuals, 

communities, and institutions who recognize that new approaches are 

needed in order to shift contemporary intractable situations. 

Zaid helped found Reos Partners in 2007 where he serves as Managing 

Partner of the Oxford office. Reos Partners is an international organisation 

dedicated to supporting and building capacity for innovative collective action in complex social 

systems, which also has offices in Cambridge (MA), Johannesburg, Melbourne, Sao Paulo and San 

Francisco. 

Over the last few years he has worked on catalysing systemic action on a wide range of issues, from 

financial systems, to agriculture and climate change. He has spent extensive time in India working on 

the Bhavishya Alliance, an initiative aimed at reducing child malnutrition. 

Zaid is currently a Strategic Advisor to the Climate Action Network (CAN), a global network of some 

500 environmental NGOs, to the newly formed International Centre for Climate Change and 

Development (ICCCAD) in Dhaka, Bangladesh and to the Global Initiative for Climate Based 

Adaptation (GICBA) a network focused on supporting the most vulnerable communities adapt to 

climate change. 

50


Pamela Hartigan 

Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford 

University’s Said Business School. 

Pamela Hartigan is a Volans Founding Partner and Non Executive Director. 

From 2001 to 2008 she was the Managing Director of the Schwab 

Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a Swiss-based organization focused 

on advancing the practice of social entrepreneurship nationally, regionally 

and globally. 

Dr. Hartigan holds Masters degrees in International Economics and 

Education and a PhD in Cognitive Psychology, and is the co-author of 

The Power of Unreasonable People: How Entrepreneurs Create Markets that Change the World. She 

is a frequent lecturer on social entrepreneurship and innovation at graduate schools of business in 

the USA, Europe and Asia, and is an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia School of Business in New 

York City. She serves on the Board of five social enterprises and advises many more. 

In the area of health, Pamela headed up the Department of Health Promotion at the World Health 

Organization (1999-2001); was Programme Manager and Area Co-ordinator for Applied Field 

Research in the Special Programme on Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) of the 

World Bank, WHO, and UNDP (1997-1999). Between 1990 and 1997, she worked in WHO’s Regional 

Office for the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), as Chief of the Gender, 

Health and Development and Manager for Special Initiative in the HIV/AIDS Programme. 

Mark Hemsworth 

Founder and Director, Rent-to-Own 

After graduating from the University of Waterloo, Mark spent four years 

running his family’s business – the Springbank Cheese Company in 

Calgary, Alberta. Having been in the cheese business since 1960, the 

Hemsworth family knows a thing or two about the food industry and 

operating a successful small business. That knowledge was passed on to 

Mark, who is now using it – along with an interest in corporate social 

responsibility – to help improve the fortunes of 6,000 small-holder beekeepers 

in southern Africa. 

Ka-Hay Law 

Portfolio Manager, Lundin Foundation 

Ka-Hay Law is a Portfolio Manager for Lundin Foundation. Ms. Law 

joined the Lundin Foundation in early 2011. She is responsible for 

sourcing and evaluating new investments and grants, and 

managing the Foundation’s Technical Assistance Facility and 

impact reporting. As the former Director of Agriculture Value 

Chains for EWB Canada, she developed EWB’s program for 

management support to SMEs and market development organisations. Ms. Law brings deep insight 

on the inner workings of SMEs and market development in Africa having lived and worked in 

Zambia, Malawi and Ghana for over 4 years. She has also co-founded an African clothing company 

51


and has two years’ experience in corporate social responsibility consulting for Canada’s largest 

corporations. She holds a degree in engineering from the University of British Columbia. 

Sarah Lewis 

Founding Director, Expressive Rights and Author. 

Sarah Lewis is currently finishing her book, Rise, under contract with Simon & 

Schuster (U.S., 2013 release), HarperCollins (U.K.) and in over 6 countries to 

date. Drawing on her work in the arts and expanding into sports, business, 

psychology, sociology, and science, Rise explores the advantage of resilience 

and so-called failure in successful creative human endeavors. 

She received her B.A. from Harvard University, an M.Phil from Oxford 

University, and will receive her PhD from Yale University in 2012. Her 

dissertation, The Circassian Beauties and American Racial Formation, is under 

contract with Harvard University Press. 

Selected for Oprah’s 2010 “Power List,” and included as a member of President Obama’s Arts Policy 

Committee, her writing has been published widely. She has taught at Yale University, School of Art 

in the MFA program and has been an active curator, holding positions at both the Tate Modern and 

the Museum of Modern Art. She was also selected to be the Co-Curator of the 2010 SITE Santa Fe 

Biennial. 

Shayan Mashatian 

Founder and President, International Institute of Mobile Technologies 

Shayan is a serial entrepreneur and is Founder and President of the 

International Institute of Mobile Technologies (IIMT) and it’s sister 

company, Appexiom Inc, a design studio for mobile technology 

development. 

Shayan has worked with several global organizations to apply his expertise 

in using the technology for social change. Currently shayan is focused on 

risks around user privacy and personal data protection in using mobile phones. Shayan is also 

leading Mobiles Without Borders, a joint initiative by EWB and IIMT. For more information 

see http://iimt.ca/shayan-mashatian 

Laura McGrath 

Founder and Principal, Ready for Change 

Laura is a coach, therapist, and facilitator who works with clients all 

over the world to help bring together the power of the head and the 

heart. Using co-active coaching techniques, Jungian approaches, 

Gestalt psychology, and transpersonal experiences, Laura helps her 

clients identify purposeful goals, take meaningful action, and explore 

the learning and growth that comes at each stage on their journey. 

Laura has a decade of experience working as a mentor, coach, and facilitator with youth- and 

student-based organizations, including the Otesha Project, Engineers Without Borders Canada, and 

the University of Toronto Leaders of Tomorrow program. She is a sought-after facilitator, with clients 

52


including the World Bank, the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, and Dalhousie 

University. A one-time staff member at Engineers Without Borders, Laura loves playing at the 

intersection of engineering’s analytical approach and holistic psychology’s person-based approach. 

She is the co-author of Good Luck and Don’t Have Sex, the history of EWB’s first decade. 

Marilyn McHarg 

Executive Director, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without 

Borders 

Founding member and current General Director of the Canadian section of 

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders, the world’s 

leading independent medical humanitarian organization. A former 

registered nurse with a Master’s degree in Applied Sciences (1984–1987) 

from McGill University in Montréal, McHarg spent nine years in Africa from 

1991 until 2000 working for MSF as a field nurse in Uganda, a training 

consultant and a medical coordinator in Sudan, and a medical coordinator as well as Head of 

Mission in South Sudan and Liberia. 

Following this period, she was based in Europe as Operational Director for MSF Holland and later 

MSF Geneva from 2000 until 2006 with responsibility for missions in 20 countries. 

Prior to her work with MSF, McHarg was a registered nurse at Women’s College Hospital and 

Sunnybrook Medical Centre in Toronto and a research assistant and laboratory technologist at St. 

Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario and research assistant at Queen’s University in Kingston, 

Ontario. 

She sits on the boards of the Harvard University Alumni Association, The CUNY Graduate Center, 

The Andy Warhol Center for the Visual Arts, The Brearley School, and the Madison Square Park Art 

Program. 

fifteen years. 

Dr. Samantha Nutt 

Founder, War Child 

Dr. Samantha Nutt is an award-winning humanitarian, author, acclaimed public 

speaker and a leading authority on the impact of war on civilians. A medical 

doctor and a founder of War Child, an international humanitarian organization, 

Dr. Nutt has worked with children and their families at the frontline of many of 

the world’s major crises zones, from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia, the 

Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, and Darfur, Sudan. Committed 

to human rights and social justice, her humanitarian work has benefited many 

thousands of war-affected children globally. She is also the author of Damned 

Nations, a bracing and uncompromising account of her work over the course of 

As one of the most original and influential voices in the humanitarian arena, Dr. Nutt is a respected 

authority for many of North America’s leading media outlets. She was recently named one of 

Canada’s 25 Transformational Canadians by The Globe and Mail, and has been recognized as a 

Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. TIME magazine has featured her as one of 

Canada’s Five Leading Activists, and Dr. Nutt was recently appointed to the Order of Canada, 

53


Canada’s highest civilian honour, for her contributions to improving the plight of young people in 

the world’s worst conflict zones. 

Dr. Emily Paradis 

Research Associate at University of Toronto Cities Centre 

Emily Paradis has been an activist, researcher, advocate and front-line 

worker with women facing homelessness for more than 20 years. She has 

led a number of feminist, participatory research projects on issues of 

homelessness, poverty, and racism facing women in Toronto. In 2005 she 

initiated Claiming Our Rights, a participatory human rights education 

project at Sistering, a drop-in centre for women. Among other actions, 

this program developed and delivered a report on women’s 

homelessness to the 2006 review of Canada by the UN Committee on 

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Dr. Paradis received her PhD in Adult Education from Ontario 

Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto in 2009 and is currently a Research 

Associate at University of Toronto Cities Centre. 

Adam Reineck 

Principal Designer, IDEO.org 

Adam Reineck is a principal designer at IDEO in Palo Alto, CA. His passion 

for design and an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving have 

taken him all over the world working across multiple industries. Whether 

creating new products, services, or future scenarios, he believes that by 

creating solutions for the real needs of people, business, and the 

environment, we will be able to discover and create solutions that prepare 

us for all future challenges. 

Prior to joining IDEO, Adam worked on numerous projects throughout Latin America, including 

building community centers and housing, helping to develop local industries, teaching, and 

designing protective gear for migrant agricultural workers in partnership with P&G. 

Since joining IDEO in 2005, Adam has worked with a broad range of clients, including both startups 

and Fortune 500 companies such as Nike, Samsung, HP, Intel, and the US Department of Energy. He 

was most recently in Ghana designing portable toilets for the urban poor in collaboration with 

Unilever and WSUP. 

Adam’s work has been published in Wired Magazine, BBC.com and The New York Times, and he has 

received awards from entities including IDEA, Red Dot and iF. Adam graduated with distinction in 

Industrial Design from California College of the Arts in 2005 as the IDSA merit award winner for his 

year. 

54


Allan Rock 

President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Ottawa 

Allan Rock is currently the University of Ottawa’s 29th President and Vice- 

Chancellor. He became Minister of Health in 1997, where he spearheaded the 

creation of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and more than 

doubled annual health research funding on a national scale. Subsequently, as 

Minister of Industry and Minister of Infrastructure, he introduced Canada’s 

innovation strategy, was responsible for Canada’s three granting councils and 

introduced legislation to create the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation to 

promote applied research in the social sciences and the humanities. 

Allan Rock was appointed Ambassador of Canada to the United Nations in December 2003. As the 

voice of Canadians at the United Nations, Allan Rock was an outspoken advocate of human rights, 

human security and reforming the UN. At the 2005 World Summit at the UN, he led the successful 

Canadian effort to secure the adoption by world leaders of the doctrine Responsibility to 

Protect populations from genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against in Northern 

Uganda and peace negotiations in Abuja, Nigeria involving the Government of Sudan and 

representatives of the three main rebel groups seeking greater autonomy for Darfur. 

Allan Rock has received a number of awards including honorary degrees from the Law Society of 

Upper Canada, the University of Windsor, and the University of Ottawa. 

Scott Rutherford 

Lecturer, Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto 

Scott is a Management Consultant, Executive and Team Counsellor that 

specializes in shifting mindsets and behaviours to drive organizational strategy. 

Working with both corporations and NGOs, Scott is most skilled and 

passionate about leveraging the realization of organizational and personal 

outcomes to create value, meaning and social change. 

Scott has over twenty years of experience leading and working with major 

corporations in several countries. From serving as an engineer for a Japanese 

trading company to the first foreign-born VP of that same company five years 

later, as well as President of its Canadian subsidiary, Scott subsequently moved 

into strategic consulting, first for his own firm NIKA Canada, and then with McKinsey & Company as 

an Expert in Organization and Leadership. He is currently a Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking 

lecturer at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, where he earned his 

MBA. 

Since 2005, Scott has continued to work with McKinsey and other global corporations, at the same 

time increasing the share of time he devotes to distinctive socially-conscious organizations such as 

The Aga Khan Foundation, Engineers Without Borders, Roots of Empathy, and Project Tribute – 9/11 

Families Association among others. In all cases, Scott’s practice focuses on engineering and 

choreographing a suite of strategic and cultural interventions that fundamentally transform the ways 

of thinking and acting within organizations and teams – visibly instantiating profound and meaningful 

change. 

55


Shawn Smith 

Co-founder, Education Generation 

Passionate about building scalable, intelligently designed enterprises with 

global impact, Shawn is the co-founder of organizations 

including Education Generation, Global Agents, the Equilibrium 

Partnership and Radiant Carbon Offsets. Shawn also teaches social 

entrepreneurship and supports program design at the SFU Beedie School 

of Business, and holds an MBA from Oxford where he attended as a Skoll 

Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship. His ventures and consulting touch on 

Europe, Africa, South America, North America and Asia, and he sees no 

greater lever for global and local change than investing in smart people and good ideas. 

Shayne Smith 

President, Tetra Tech Inc. 

Shayne Smith is the President of Tetra Tech WEI Inc., a multinational 

leading provider of consulting, engineering, program management, 

construction and technical services. He is responsible for the company’s 

national and international growth and prosperity working collaboratively 

with the Tetra Tech organization to contribute to its overall global growth 

and to bring leading-edge, full service solutions to its clients. 

Shayne’s career spans over 20 years and comprises a range of operational 

and management portfolios that include a broad range of management 

responsibilities in regional market areas, including the establishment and 

management of various subsidiary interests worldwide. 

Tetra Tech WEI Inc. has been recognized 8 times as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and has 

also received the Best Employer for New Canadians award 4 times. The company employs 13,000 

people worldwide. 

Jo-Ann Tan 

Business Development Marketing Manager, Acumen Fund 

Jo-Ann is the Business Development Marketing Manager of Acumen Fund 

and is the lead architect of Acumen Fund’s community. She is working to 

create a step change in terms of awareness and engagement for Acumen 

Fund through its online presence and volunteer chapters. 

Before Acumen Fund, Jo-Ann built a marketing analytics team and 

developed and new marketing strategies for a $1 billion apparel distributor. 

Jo-Ann has also worked at strategy consulting firm Marakon Associates in 

New York and Singapore. She began her career at the Monetary Authority (Central Bank) of 

Singapore. Jo-Ann received a BA in Economics and an MS in Management Science and Engineering 

from Stanford University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. 

56


Bill Young 

President, Social Capital Partners 

Bill is the founder of Social Capital Partners, a non-profit 

organization he started in 2001. Prior to founding SCP, Bill 

spent twenty years in the private sector leading high growth, 

entrepreneurial organizations. He was CEO of Hamilton 

Computers, a publicly traded computer company, which grew 

from $15 million in revenue to $250 million under his 

leadership and was sold to GE Capital. Bill was also the CEO 

and subsequently the Chairman of Optel Communications Corp (later Axxent) which was a leading 

CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) in the Canadian telecommunications market when he left 

in 2000. 

Bill began his career as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and holds an Honours BA from 

the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He currently sits on the 

Boards of Inner City Renovations Limited, Ecotrust Canada Capital, Vartana Inc, Renaissance 

Quebec, and the Advisory Board of the Coady Institute. 

Stacey Young 

Senior Knowledge Management Advisor, USAID 

Stacey Young is Senior Knowledge Management Advisor for USAID’s 

Microenterprise Development office, where she manages an awardwinning 

knowledge management & learning program that facilitates 

learning among USAID’s staff, its partners and the broader 

microenterprise and poverty analysis communities to improve practice 

via the microlinks.org and povertyfrontiers.org websites. Prior to joining 

USAID, Dr. Young lived and worked as an independent consultant in 

Kenya and Uganda, working in the sectors of health/family planning, 

HIV/AIDS, agriculture, and development research; before that, she taught political science, women’s 

studies and writing at Skidmore College, and at Cornell University, where she earned a Ph.D. in 

Government. She is the author of Changing the Wor(l)d: Discourse, Politics, and the Feminist 

Movement; co-editor of Rowing Upstream: Snapshots of Pioneers of the Information Age in Africa; 

and author of Philanthropy for Social Change: Four decades of Ford Foundation grant making in 

Eastern Africa. In 2008, the Imp-Act Social Performance Management Consortium named Dr. Young 

one of the industry’s 20 most influential people. 

57


SPECIAL EVENTS 

GALA: 

COMMEMORATING CANADIAN & AFRICAN CULTURE 

Saturday, January 14, 2012 – 7:00pm 

Grand Hall, Museum of Civilization 

Come join Engineers Without Borders as we ring in the next decade of EWB’s innovative and 

progressive approach towards building human capacity. 

Led by a local Ottawa drum band, the night will contain a combination of African and Native 

American fine cuisine, music and entertainment. The atmosphere created by the passionate leaders 

of tomorrow will reverberate across the Ottawa River and shake the foundations of Parliament Hill! 

Highlights include: 

Music by Remesha Drums 

Light Dinner inspired by traditional African and Native American cuisine 

African Drumming 

Exclusive access to the First Peoples’ Hall exhibit 

Dancing 

Speakers: George Roter and Statoil 

58


GALA FAQ 

Access from Hotel 

By walking: The museum is approximately a 20-minute walk from the Delta Hotel. From the hotel 

head north on Queen St and turn left on Bay. From there turn left onto Wellington and then turn 

right onto the Portage bridge. Once across the bridge turn right on to Laurier and continue until you 

arrive at the museum on your right. 

By City Bus: Exit the hotel and walk towards Albert and Bay. Turn right on Albert and walk to Albert 

and Bay Stop ID 3004. Take bus 8 towards Gatineau. Disembark at the Papineau/Laurier stop. Total 

travel time is about 20minutes and bus fare is $3.25 (must be exact). 

By Taxi: Please refer to taxi numbers for info. A cab will cost $9 – $12, and should take 8 or 10 

minutes. Tell the driver you wish to go to the Museum of Civilization. 

What is the dress code 

Dress code: Cocktail – Cultural Clothing is encouraged! 

Coat Check Available. 

What do I need to bring with me 

Remember to bring your conference nametag or Gala ticket and ID. 

59


MASSIVE OUTREACH EVENT 

There is a growing concern that 2012’s federal budget will see a significant cut in foreign aid 

spending. For this year’s Massive Outreach Event (MOE) we’re going to ‘pop’ into ByWard Market to 

show Canada that this funding matters. Following a day of empowering sessions, delegates will 

gather in the Banquet Hall where they will be given a cue card and the chance to explain why aid 

matters to them. We’ll attach these cards to balloons and take a clear path across Parliament 

working our way towards the ByWard Market located in down town Ottawa. Once there, everyone 

will bring out tacks and we’ll pop the balloons. Our goal is to show the media and our government 

what we all lose by cutting aid. With 500 delegates present, we will make our collective voice – and 

the bursting of our balloons – heard. 

SOCIALS 

Wednesday Night Social Extravaganza 

Location: 25th floor Ottawa Delta City Centre 

Doors open at 8pm and the party continues until 1am! 

All APS Entertainment featuring: Thatch Roof Carousel & DJ Phat Mina. 

Bar Service, Socializing and Energizing! 

Friday Night Face Paint 

Location: Industry Room & Liquor Store 

130 York Street, Ottawa, ON 

Doors open at 9pm 

Two bars providing two different atmospheres for everyone to enjoy. 

There will be face painting, dancing and a special EWB Drink – to order, just ask the bartender for 

the EWB Drink! 

60


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS 

To all our wonderful volunteers, THANK YOU for your help in making the biggest development 

conference in Canada not only possible but a great success. We appreciate all your great work! 

61


CONFERENCE TEAM 

Chair: Clement Bourgogne 

Team Coordinator: Anne Lombardi 

Director of Logistics: Kaveesh Padiachy 

Director of Communications: Mohammed Aboul-Magd 

Director of Finances: Andrew Post 

Director of Special Events: Ryan Ward 

Director of Sponsorship: Mina Mansour 

Director of Content: Courtney Edwards 

Keynote and Speakers Lead: Ashely Good 

Content Implementation Lead: Kaitlyn Finner 

Sponsorship Manager: Brian Cheung 

Manager of Socials: Micaela Zila 

Manager of Print & Supplies: Angela Murray 

Manager of Registration: Isaac Wong 

Manager of MOE: Dan Ironmonger 

Manager of Delegate Experience: Adan Issa 

Manager of Volunteer Coordination: Edem Dovlo 

Sponsorship Manager: Sara Rahme 

Sponsorship Manager: Shyam Ganesh 

Manager of Speaker Experience: Elmira Reisi 

Manager of Speaker Research and Invites: Rajpal Sandhu 

Speaker Logistics Coordinator: Kathrin Bussmann 

Communications Manager: Sean Boots 

Communications Manager: Faysal Sunba 

Manager of Leadership Day: Valérie Provost 

Manager of Innovation Challenge: Tamara Bryant 

Manager of Innovation Challenge: Matthieu Bister 

Manager of Innovation Challenge: Andreea Enache 

62


AFRICAN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM 

Thank you 

The African Leadership Program would like to thank our international team of dedicated staff and 

volunteers for all their effort and hard work in making this program possible. 

Florian Villaumé – Team Leader & Burkina Faso Coordinator, Ouagadougou 

Tess O’Mara – Work Placements & Fundraising, Toronto 

Menel Benzaid – French speaking Work Placements and Fundraising & “live” logistics during 

conference, Montreal 

Silvia Hua – Monitoring & Evaluation and Logistics, Vancouver 

Binnu Jeyakumar – Ghana coordinator, Ghana 

Rebecca Peel – 360° feedback and support of Ghana coordinator, Ghana 

Anna-Marie Silvester – African Fellow experience at EWB conference, Zambia 

Luisa Celis – Homestay arrangements, Toronto 

Lauren Dodds – Ghana retreat organizer, Ghana 

Dan Boland – Learning Buddy and visa support, Ghana 

Mina Shahid – Visa support, Ghana 

Duncan McNicholl – Visa support, Malawi 

Jolly-Ann Maulit – Learning Buddy and visa support, Malawi 

Alyssa Lindsay – Learning Buddy and visa support, Malawi 

Mark Hemsworth – Learning Buddy and visa support, Zambia 

Bernard Lefrançois – Visa support, Burkina Faso 

Kate Kovaleva – Communications, Vancouver (www.ewb-alp.blogspot.com) 

Melissa Ng – Accommodation research, Vancouver 

Jim O’Mara – Graphic Design, Toronto 

African Leadership Program Sponsors 

African Leadership Program would like to thank all of its sponsors for their help in making this 

program possible. 

63


CONFERENCE SPONSORS 

LEAD 

PRINCIPAL 

GOLD 

OR 

SILVER 

ARGENT 

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS PROFESSIONNELLES 

BRONZE BRONZE 

! 

PARTNERS PARTENAIRES 

Engineers Without Borders would like to thank all of its sponsors for their help in making EWB 

National Conference 2012 such a success. Through your generosity EWB continues to further its 

efforts to create a more critical, knowledgeable mass of change-makers through hosting Canada’s 

largest annual international development conference. 

64

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