keynotes
Innovate-ED23 is proud to announce our keynotes for this years conference. Keeping with our theme of "Students @ the Centre" we have four thoughtful, engaged, and powerful youth who will demonstrate the importance of student voice.
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OPENING KEYNOTES
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Greta Friesen
Age: 15
Grade: 11
School: Kelowna Secondary School
Keynote Title: A picture is worth a thousand words, right?
Bio: Greta has lived overseas from ages 3 to 12 in Azerbaijan, China, and Saudi Arabia, and has spent the last few years trying to integrate back into her own culture. On the weekend, you could find her sitting at the kitchen table doing art, testing out new recipes in the kitchen, or lying in her bed with a migraine watching Netflix. In the future, if being a crazy cat lady doesn’t work out, Greta would like to teach art or theater to kids or become an art therapist.
Tor Broughton
Age: 13
Grade: 8
School: Dr. Knox Middle School
Keynote Title: Turning challenges into strengths
Bio: Tor is a TEDxYouth speaker, author, activist, and athlete. He’s inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., Marsha P. Johnson, and Houston Kraft. Tor wholeheartedly believes that our biggest challenges often turn out to be our greatest opportunities. At home, Tor has three pugs and a maine coon cat, which means he’s almost always covered in pet hair. When he grows up, Tor wants to either be a politician, public speaker or teacher… or maybe a professional backflipper!
Teagan Adams
Age: 16
Grade: 11
School: Heritage Christian Online School
Keynote Title: How you can harness the power of momentum to achieve massive success in your life
Bio: Teagan is an entrepreneur, CEO, public speaker, and soon to be author. At the age of nine he raised enough money to build a school in Africa, which sparked his passion for doing good. This passion, combined with his love of Pokemon cards, is what inspired his mom, Chantelle Adams, to challenge him to come up with his own card game with the positive twist of doing good. Teagan was on the national television show Dragons Den with this card game at the age of ten, and has since sold over 650 decks of cards to families and classrooms, as well as started doing assemblies at elementary schools. He is now sixteen years old and just launched another business of his own where he is teaching his fellow youth how to achieve success in their lives, and is currently writing a book about the ten universal principles that anyone can follow to achieve massive success in all aspects of their lives. On top of that, he is starting a program to teach kids how to be successful and make and manage money and be happy and grateful and all around more responsible and better all around!
CLOSING KEYNOTE
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Keneisha Charles
Age: 16
Grade: 12
School: Rutland Senior Secondary
Keynote Title: TBA
Bio: Keneisha is an advocate and activist with a passion for social justice and sustainability. As a queer woman of colour, she holds an especial passion for human rights and supporting marginalized communities. She channels this passion by helping to promote inclusion and acceptance with the Diversity Club at Rutland Senior Secondary school. Her other involvements within the school district and community include the Central Okanagan Public Schools District Student Council, Foundry Kelowna’s Youth Advisory and Action Council, the RSS Wellness Team, and the RSS Interact Club. When she is not busy volunteering, she enjoys reading, writing, and making music.