SESSION 1 – Build Together – Women Can Build Anything

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Women make up just 4% of the construction trades. Build Together – Women of the BC Building Trades are taking steps to change that. Their team is made up of female journeypersons and apprentices from across the trades. They work to promote the trades for women and expand opportunities. This panel will highlight three women in trades and explore their journey through the trades.

Panelists:

Lisa Langevin, Journey Electrician
Julia Ballantyne, Apprentice Refrigeration Worker
Sarina Hanschke, Traffic Control Person

Moderator:

Brynn Bourke, Director of Campaigns & Policy (BC Building Trades)

SESSION 2 – “What I Wish I’d Known” – Getting started in BC’s Tech Industry

It’s often said there’s no substitute for experience. On their way to becoming leaders in British Columbia’s technology industry, our panelists encountered many expected and unexpected challenges, while learning some valuable lessons. Join us as they share their stories of success and provide some valuable advice about what it took for them to make their mark in BC’s booming tech sector.

Panelists:

Paris Gaudet, Executive Director, Innovation Island Technology Association
Alexandra Greenhill, CEO cofounder, myBestHelper
Aliya Hassam, lead Windows Developer, Eventbase
Kristine Steuart, CEO and Co-Founder, Allocadia

Moderator:

Tarah Ferguson, Founder, She Built That

SESSION 3 – SkillsBC InSPIRE: 4Her

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Based on the popular in school presentation program that SkillsBC provides to students in communities across the Province, the InSPIRE: 4Her program will include a variety of hands-on activities, team challenges and informative career related videos from a female perspective. The InSPIRE program provides students with a new perspective on skilled trades and technology careers by connecting these careers to classroom subjects and students’ passions. The program also provides useful industry resources and links to educational pathways.
*Max 30 students per session

Presenters:

Rene Ragetli, Director of Operations Skills Canada British Columbia
Michelle Skelly, Program Manager Skills Canada British Columbia

SESSION 4 – The magic of mentoring – how a mentoring relationship can provide support and enable success

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Establishing a mentoring relationship is a great way to maximize your potential and advance your career. Using their experience and sharing their insights, a mentor can help you build your network, open doors and provide guidance. In a mentoring relationship the mentor and mentee grow together.

Come and be inspired by women talking about how their mentors have had a positive impact on their personal and professional lives. You will learn about the benefits of having a mentor, and get tips and ideas for how to find a mentor that can help you set and achieve career goals.

Panellists:

Dr. Maria Gyongyossy-Issa, Director, Pathology Education Centre, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC
Anja Lanz, EIT, Haakon Industries
Megan Leslie, P.Eng., Sustainability Consultant
Lee Ling Yang, MSc, CAPM, Customer Success Manager at Vision Critical

Panel Facilitator:

Zhila Pirmoradi, Vice President, SCWIST – Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology

SESSION 5 – Finance the Future

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What are the capital markets and why are they important? Participate in our Finance the Future game and learn how the capital markets affect the smallest and largest aspects of the Canadian economy, while also learning about the different areas of the capital markets.

Your team will conceptualize a product. With the help of an investment banker, discover the process of securing capital to develop and launch your product and learn how you can finance Canada’s future. Should you seek out a corporate banker? Someone from debt capital markets? Who else is available to you? You’ll have the opportunity to meet capital markets professionals from diverse areas of the industry, including Investment Banking, Private Equity, Corporate Banking, Equity Capital Markets and Debt Capital Markets, who will help you along the path to financing the future.

Gain insight into the world of financial markets, learn about the exciting and rewarding career opportunities available to you, and find out why you may want to consider a career in the capital markets!

Presenter:

Jennifer Reynolds, President & CEO, Women in Capital Markets

SESSION 6 – Create a Better Future: Engineer your World

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What does an Engineer do? Where do they work? This panel has a variety of speakers, from new university students to successful professionals, and they’re all Engineers! Learn why all of them chose to become Engineers and how they are solving tomorrow’s problems today.

Presenters:

Dr. Lesley Shannon, P.Eng., NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, BC/Yukon, Simon Fraser University
Dr. Sheryl Staub-French, Goldcorp Professor for Women in Engineering, Director, eng•cite Engineering Outreach Program, University of British Columbia

Panellists:

Dania Carrillo, Assistant Consultant, Steer Davies Gleave, Civil Engineering Student, University of British Columbia
Dr. Carolyn Sparrey, Associate Professor, Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Simon Fraser University
Catherine Roome, President & CEO, BC Safety Authority
Caroline Andrewes, Director, Risk Management, Creation Technologies

SESSION 7 – Superhero Plasmids Save the World!

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Zombies are inhabiting an abandoned power plant and attacking trespassers. The unearthing of an Egyptian tomb has unleashed a curse that could wipe out entire species. An island of robots is poised to bring international shipping trade to a halt. Working in teams, you will combat these potential world-wide catastrophes while exploring the principles of biological engineering. Choosing from a set of genes, you will design a custom make plasmid (a small piece of DNA you can add to bacteria) with the traits it will take to save the world!

Presenters:

Ashley Port, Geneskool Summer Camp Director and Lower Mainland Assistant Coordinator
Evelyn Sun, Student
Madeline Couse, Student
Maryam Ghaedi, Student
Marija Jovanovic, Student
Rania Khelifi, Student
Maggie Cheng, Student

He For She: Activate Men and Boys

Philip Grosch Partner and National Leader, Digital Services Consulting practice, PwC Canada  Read Bio

Alice Laberge Corporate Director, Royal Bank of Canada Read Bio

Dinal Limbachia IMPACT 10x10x10 Programme Manager, UN Women Read Bio

Rick Perreault CEO & co-founder of Unbounce Read Bio

Case for Change and The Future of Work

Rapid Fire Speaker Series 

Expediting Change – How leading companies are taking action to advance women

Promote and Advocate Diversity: Gender Equity in Pay and on Boards

Speak up! Step up! Act up!

Speak Up! Step Up! Act Up! (2)

Inspiring Men to Inspire

This session will be a facilitated conversation with three established business leaders about what it takes to inspire men to be inspiring, inclusive leaders. They will share tangible examples from their organizations, their own experiences and actions you can take back to your organization to help support more men to create an equal future.

We all have a story. How do you embrace yours? In this session, you will hear stories of courage and boldness as the panellists share their journeys that will inspire and help you create change in your life.

Battling Bias to Become a Diversity Champion

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People are diverse in a number of ways, not just in ways we can see. What assumptions and conclusions do you jump to without thinking? This is “unconscious bias.”

We live in a world of diversity, and bias matters when people are excluded or treated unfairly based on things like the colour of their skin, gender, age, or wealth.

During this interactive workshop participants will discover how they can recognize and overcome unconscious bias to help build inclusive schools, workplaces and society that honours diversity. They will be inspired by storytellers who share their own encounters with unconscious bias and what they did to overcome it to become inclusive leaders.

Choose Your Own Adventure

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What’s it like working for a video games company? Join professionals from Electronic Arts as they share their day-to-day experiences creating some of the world’s most popular games, built right here in Vancouver! You’ll learn how a diverse team with different educations, skills and experiences (artists, animators, software developers, business analysts, ux designers, designers, project managers, quality analysts, etc.) work together to build exciting interactive games and experiences that entertain millions of people across the globe. You’ll also learn more about what it takes to succeed in the video games industry and how your skills and interests may be the right fit for a career in the gaming sector.

Design Thinking 101

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Do you ever come across things you know you could improve, if only you had the right tools and skills? In this UBC workshop, you’ll learn how to apply the design thinking process to better understand and address design issues and everyday challenges. You’ll learn how to apply your own unique perspectives, experiences and creativity to solving problems. These are essential skills for any career and will improve your ability to influence change as a future leader working to help people and communities and build a better world.

Soft Skill Super Powers

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Being a business leader means more than being good at math, knowing how to program, or having great grades. You need to have “Super Soft Skills” and that means knowing how to communicate, show leadership, problem-solve, and think critically. Come learn how to solve complex problems and create impact in the workforce by putting your soft skills to work.

Authentic Leadership Starts with You

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The word “leader” means different things to different people. At Minerva BC, we believe that leadership starts with knowing who you are and what is most important to you. Join us as we explore three key qualities of successful leaders, and discover ways to develop a leadership style that is authentically you.

How to Rock Being Flawsome

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In this interactive session, you will learn what makes you unique and special. You will build your courage to overcome failures and mistakes, and you will embrace your imperfections wholeheartedly. It’s time to let go of being perfect and turn your flaws into awesome.

Stress + Performance: How to Balance Both

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We all experience fear, self-doubt and the pressure to perform. These feelings can either hold you back or you can use them in a way that will help you achieve success through school, university, early career, and in your personal life. In this session you will learn how you can “turn down” the pressure and “turn up” your energy, so you can focus on your objectives and reach your life’s full potential.

TEACHER/CHAPERONE WORKSHOP

Entrepreneurial Mindset in the Classroom

From trades to mentoring to business leadership – mindset plays an important role in self-confidence, creativity and innovation. Fostering the entrepreneurial spirit within your students will help them to see opportunities, gather resources and create value, no matter the career path they choose.

In this session you will connect with a variety of programs that can bring an entrepreneurial mindset alive in your classroom. Come with your questions and prepare to be amazed at the depth of student and classroom supports for a truly inspirational experience.

This interactive session includes mini-presentations and a panel discussion featuring:

• League of Innovators
• Minerva BC
• Women’s Enterprise Centre
• YELL (Young Entrepreneurs Leadership Launchpad)
• Chartered Professional Accountants of BC
• Industry Training Authority

Championing Women: Inspiration & Best Practices

Championing women doesn’t mean advocating for the rise of women and the fall of men. Rather, it means creating space for a wider and more inclusive approach. This session will highlight concrete ways that you can advance gender balance in the workplace: from supporting female leaders and addressing wage gaps, to investing in women-led businesses. Get inspired to make real change.