The Vancouver Island Leadership Conference (VILC) hosts post-secondary students across British Columbia for an event of keynotes and strength building workshops to inspire future leaders. The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Leaders of Change’ which will work to engage delegates to build a connection with inclusion, integrity, and innovation through keynotes, speakers, and excursions.
This year the VILC 2023 Organizing Committee has 150 seats available at a value of $100 per participant. Be sure to register today, secure your seat at the conference and participate to win tuition awards (total value of $1000). Limited sponsored seats are available at a first come first serve basis.
Friday, March 31st
Saturday, April 1st
6:00pm - 9:00pm
9:00am - 10:00pm
TBA
Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Lanni Marchant represented Canada in the 10,000m and marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics, becoming the first Canadian athlete to double up in these two grueling events. She won a bronze medal in the 10,000 at the Pan Am Games in Toronto the previous summer. Lanni is the middle child in a family of seven. Her mom was a figure skating coach, but in grade 10 Lanni traded in her skates for running shoes after finding joy and success racing with her high school cross-country team. The London, Ontario athlete earned a scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, winning multiple conference championships and several other titles on the track and as a member of the cross-country team. Lanni attended law school at the University of Ottawa and Michigan State University. It was during these years that Lanni discovered success in road running. In 2013, Lanni broke the Canadian marathon record and a year later, did the same in the women’s half- marathon. Lanni has overcome a series of illnesses and major surgeries that tested her mentally and physically from 2017 to 2020. Using her passions for running and the law, Lanni is a dedicated athlete advocate having testified in front of Canadian Parliament Heritage Committee on Women in Sport and successfully lobbied our government to increase funds aimed towards growing and supporting women's sport in Canada. Lanni is an active member on the board of directors for the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, sits on the SafeSport Work Group with AthletesCan, and is an athlete council member for Athletics Canada.
Samir was born and raised in Vancouver. After graduating from St. George's School, he went to UBC to study Political Science. During his time there, he served as the President of UBC's entrepreneurship club, eProjects, which was named Top Club of the Year during his tenure. In 2014, he joined the founding team of a tech startup, Do.com, and helped scale the company to 6 million users, leading their efforts across product marketing, customer success, and sales. The company was eventually acquired by Amazon in 2017. After graduating, he moved to San Francisco, and worked at various startups in product and marketing roles. A few years later, he moved back to Canada to complete a Master's degree in Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology from the University of Waterloo. During his time there, he served on the university's Student Venture Fund team as a Senior Associate, which invested $1 million into local startups. In 2018, he moved back home to Vancouver, where he joined Clio, the market leader in cloud-based legal technology. There, he was a Product Manager leading Mobile, where he launched several new products and features, including the company's first consumer product. Last year, he joined Grammarly as a Product Manager, where he works on the browser extension, Grammarly's flagship product. He is also a regular contributor to the Vancouver Tech Journal. Outside of work, he is a huge sports fan -- hockey especially, and can be found talking or watching the Canucks. He writes a blog on the tech industry, loves to read, and runs a YouTube channel. He also regularly volunteers with his religious community, the Ismaili Muslims, and just wrapped up a 7-year tenure with the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board for British Columbia, most recently serving as the Chairman.
Nelson Soh is not your ordinary Chartered Professional Accountant; he is a TEDx Speaker, 2x best-selling author, an entrepreneur, and CFO. Nelson is a University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business graduate who brings a wealth of knowledge from a diverse experience background. Throughout his career, Nelson has worked with organizations like KPMG, Pearson Education, Cathay Pacific Airways, CPA Canada, and more. With a passion for helping others paired with his ability to teach others about money and finances in a simple and easy-to-understand way, Nelson helps people and businesses create positive changes to reach their full potential. His most recent TEDx Talk is titled, “Financial Literacy and the Social Media Generation.” An important message across all generations that financial literacy is non-negotiable. With the rise of social media, young adults may be negatively impacted and influenced which heeds the importance of financial literacy. Nelson is a professionally published author and his book is titled Life Literacy - Real life knowledge and resources for the next generation to succeed. Along with financial literacy, Life Literacy teaches personal and professional literacy to anyone that is looking to improve their life. Nelson has spoken at national conferences, recorded podcasts, and written articles on topics around financial literacy, lifestyle, and fitness, and created the 100-Day Money Mindset Journal – a tool to help people create healthy habits and a positive mindset around money. He was recently featured in the Daily Hive, in a local Mercedes-Benz commercial, and will soon be featured in the BC CPA In-Focus magazine this spring.
Living with cystic fibrosis, Paul had a need for optimal nutrition and was struggling to find a tasty, nourishing drink, powered by natural goodness. After a visit to his local natural grocer confirmed there was nothing available that checked all the boxes, he knew he was on to something: Paul laced up his apron and fired up the blender to boost his own wellbeing.Paul needed a team to realize his vision, so he reached out to friends and the team ‘rumbled’ to life. On the journey to bring the product to market, Paul's health deteriorated to the point that he required oxygen 24/7, and was ultimately forced to undergo a life-saving double lung transplant. Just one year after the operation, Paul completed the 140KM Tour de Victoria in honour of his donor. After a few years of hard work and determination from the whole team, Paul was thrilled to finally make Rumble available for everyone at grocery stores across Canada. Soon after, Paul and the team successfully pitch to the Dragon’s Den on national television catapulting Rumble into coast to coast distribution. Paul’s personal quest has turned into something we think is pretty special: an opportunity to bring healthy, hunger-beating alternatives to people who share our appetite for life. It’s this vision that drives our young company and keeps us innovating for better living.
Vaccine passport and one piece of photo ID required for entry.
Our opening ceremony will include a Traditional Welcome by a VIU Elder and introductions from our VILC hosts.
Nelson Soh - Best Selling Author & TedX Speaker
Sarah Dafoe - Plant Consultant & Herbalist
Seth Recalma - First Nations Engagement Coordinator, Moose Hide Campaign
Nikita Paddock - Founder, I AM RESILIENT.
Kate Haber - Canadian National Rower
Closing remarks to learn about conference challenges for Day 2.
Coffee, tea, and light refreshments available.
Paul Underhill - Founder, Rumble Supershake
Discover the various career opportunities on Vancouver Island and kickstart your career search.
Workshop #1: Career Building
Vancouver Island University
Workshop #2: Community Volunteering
Girl Guides of Canada
Workshop #3: Habit Forming
Transition City Fitness
Experience a unique excursion related to the conference sub-themes. Lunch will be provided.
Formal/business casual dress code. Vaccine passport and one piece of photo ID required for entry.
Lanni Marchant - Olympic Athlete - Marathon / 10,000m
Multi-course dinner will be provided. Beverages available for purchase.
Students and alumni present Co-Curricular Record talks related to their experiences and the conference sub-themes.
Closing remarks from our hosts and the opportunity to socialize with other conference delegates, speakers, and presenters.
Our Connection to Earth sub-theme will work to enhance students' understanding of the value in investing time into our Earth. Conference delegates will learn about our speakers stories and will engage in a self-sufficient experience to create a natural first aid kit.
Join Sarah Dafoe at the Beaufort Food Forest in Nanaimo to forage yarrow, calendula and plantain then learn how to make these plants into a natural first aid kit.
Our Connection to Culture sub-theme will take our students on a journey through time and help them to understand the past and present stories of our land and people. Conference delegates will learn about our speakers stories and will engage in a traditional cedar workshop on Saysutshun Island.
Join us on Saysutshun Island for a guided Cultural Tour and to take part in a traditional Cedar workshop.
Our Connection to Self speakers and excursions will encourage students to dig deeper into understanding themselves. Conference delegates will learn about our speakers stories, be educated on the science of gratitude, and will engage in self-reflective workshops.
Join Nikita Paddock, founder of I AM RESILIENT for a day of yoga, wellness activities, and to understand the science of gratitude.
Our Connection to Others sub-theme will challenge students to work together to achieve a common goal. Conference delegates will learn about our speakers stories and will engage in an interactive team building exercise through the art of dragon boating.
Join Coach Holly Wylie from the Nanaimo Paddling Centre on the downtown waters of Nanaimo and learn how to operate and race a Dragon Boat with a team of 20 people.
Last year our tickets sold fast so don’t miss out. Conference will start in
This year the Vancouver Island Leadership Conference will be offering tuition awards to our attendees. Based on the completion of the post-conference reflections, the Tuition Award Selection Committee will select 3 individuals with the best reflection based on their experience. Once you’ve registered you will receive access to complete the VILC leadership virtual workbook.
**Tuition credits are valid at any Canadian Post-Secondary Institution**
Winner:
Timothy Szo
Winner:
Kashmir Lesnick-Petrowicz
Winner:
Danika Kromrey
The Career Expo is new to the Vancouver Island Leadership Conference for 2023. Here, conference delegates will be able to visit various career opportunities from within Vancouver Island. Each attendee will receive a networking box filled with volunteer and job opportunities to kickstart their career search. Be sure to check out your favourite booths and learn from professionals in the field.
Fill out the short form below and we will be in touch!
The VILC is a student-led, non-profit conference that aims to connect students' passion for leadership with the community. VILC is supported and facilitated by the Office of Co-Curricular Engagement & Learning (OCCEL) at Vancouver Island University .
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