Young Leaders Program
Fighting Blindness Canada’s Young Leaders Program is a career-oriented initiative aimed at creating a brighter, more inclusive future for youth living with vision loss. The program provides young people in Canada, aged 15-30 who are blind or partially sighted, with the opportunity to gain access to resources, guidance and support they need on the path to pursuing rewarding careers and finding fulfilling employment.
Every year the program brings together participants for in-person summits that facilitate interactions that lead to real insights and opportunities. In 2023 the program will be hybrid, with both online and in-person events.
The program also offers mentorship opportunities. Learn about the Young Leaders Mentorship program.
If you have any questions about the program, please email education@fightingblindness.ca
UPCOMING EVENTS
Young Leaders Toronto
Dates: Saturday, October 14, 12 pm – 5 pm, optional evening activities 6 pm – 9 pm
Sunday, October 15, 9 am – 2:30 pm
Location: Novotel Toronto North York, 3 Park Home Avenue, Toronto
The Young Leaders Program will hold its annual summit in Toronto on October 14 & 15, 2023 at the Novotel North York. The event is free to attend and includes two days of workshops and an optional social event on Saturday evening. If you live outside of Toronto, it will also include accommodation on Saturday night.
We offer travel bursaries to help offset the cost of air/ground travel. These are available on a first come, first served basis. For individuals living in Ontario, this funding is up to $150. For those outside of Ontario, funding is up to $500.
The deadline to request travel funding is September 15, 2023.
Career Connections
Career Connections: A Young Leaders Webinar Series
June – September 2023, held virtually
Join our Young Leaders for a brand-new webinar series called Career Connections!
In each session, our Young Leader co-chairs will be joined by a professional who is living with vision loss. They will share how they started on their career path, what inspired them, the role advocacy played in their journey and the joys and challenges they have faced along the way.
Each webinar will be held on Zoom, and will include a 20-minute Q&A with our featured guest. The remainder of time will be devoted to questions and discussion with the audience. If you are between the ages of 15-30, or are a curious job seeker, we invite you to join us for this interactive session to learn more about diverse career paths and ask your questions.
Watch recordings of our past sessions here:
Meet Sports Reporter Mike Davies (June 28, 2023)
Meet Accessibility Leader Brogan Freeborn (July 26, 2023)
Meet Mediator and Dispute Resolution Officer Stephanie Pieri
Wednesday, August 30, 8 -9 pm ET
Stephanie Pieri is a Mediator and Dispute Resolution Officer who works for the federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board. Join Young Leaders co-chair Haamid Saifee for a moderated conversation with Stephanie to learn more about her career journey, challenges and successes for our third session in the Career Conversations series.
Meet Actor & Artist Bruce Horak
Saturday, September 16, 3 – 4 pm ET
Bruce Horak is a multi-talented performer and creator who hails from Calgary. His acting credits include Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Join Young Leaders co-chair Vesper Copping for a moderated conversation with Bruce to learn more about his career journey, challenges and successes for our final session in the 2023 Career Conversations series.
There will be time for your questions. You can either ask them during the session, or email us in advance at education@fightingblindness.ca
Past WEBINARS
2021:
- Young Leaders Virtual Fall Summit 2021 (October 22-23, 2021)
Careers in the Arts Panel
Keynote address with Lowell Taylor
Confidence in the Kitchen with Shari Shaw
- Young Leaders Virtual Spring Summit 2021 (April 30-May 2, 2021)
Three-Times Blind with Blind Outdoor Adventurer Lawrence Gunther
Stop Waiting for Motivation: Create Your Future Today with Laura Feltz
2020:
- Release Anxiety & Boost Resilience: A Conversation with Laura Feltz (May 20, 2020): WATCH RECORDING | DOWNLOAD PROGRAM
- A Conversation on Diversity and Community. Moderated by Danielle McLaughlin. Featuring panelists; Ben Akuoko, George Quarcoo, Sarah Patel, and Sharie Clarke. (June 25, 2020): WATCH RECORDING | DOWNLOAD PROGRAM
- Accessibility & Accommodations at School and Work. Moderated by Ramya Amuthan. Featuring panelists; Amanda Cape, Jack McCormick, Gwen Page and Haamid Saifee (September 17, 2020): WATCH RECORDING | DOWNLOAD PROGRAM
- Young Leaders Virtual Summit 2020 (October 16-18, 2020)
Networking and Social Support Panel with 2020 Co-chairs
Keynote with Sumaira Latif
Career Panel
Cooking Workshop with Mary Mammoliti
RBC Workshop: Meet Ahmed Abukar
Martial Arts with Johnny Tai
The Young Leaders Program is supported by:
Join the Fight!
Learn how your support is helping to bring a future without blindness into focus! Be the first to learn about the latest breakthroughs in vision research and events in your community by subscribing to our e-newsletter that lands in inboxes the beginning of each month.