• John Stapleton reminds us to have “‘Vertical Conversation’ – when you’re engaging with people who don’t talk like you, dress like you and may not be the same age.”
  • “We don’t have to look very far to find a story about the power of literacy.” – Rick Wolfe
  • “In order to change, you have to be willing to change yourself, your organization, to stand up and to listen.” – Judy Rebick

Speakers

In keeping with the theme “Becoming Agents of Change,” the conference speakers were inspirational change-makers who shared stories and useful tips for how we can all make a difference in our work and in our communities. 

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Becoming Agents of Change

Speaker(s): 
Honourable Diane Finley
Speaker Description: 

The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, opened the conference and set the stage for the opening panel to discuss what it means to be an “agent of change.”

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Agents of Change Panel

Panel
Judy Rebick
Rick Wolfe
Speaker(s): 
Carol Goar - Moderator
Judy Rebick- Panelist
John Stapleton - Panelist
Rick Wolfe - Panelist
Speaker Description: 

The opening panel, moderated by Toronto Star columnist, Carol Goar, featured three passionate and moving speakers:

Judy Rebick – Social justice activist, author of Transforming Power – From the Personal to the Political and founding publisher of rabble.ca
John Stapleton – Founder of Open Policy Ontario, the social policy consultancy, and recipient of an Innovations Fellowship with the Metcalf Foundation
Rick Wolfe – Principal of PostStone Corporation, business consultant and frequent guest on BNN

Through their powerful stories, each panelist voiced what it takes to be an agent of change. Watch the videos for the full presentations.
 

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Yes We Did

Speaker(s): 
Rahaf Harfoush
Speaker Description: 

Strategic Insights and Social Media from the Campaign that Changed History

Based on her experiences as a member of the Barack Obama campaign's social media team during the 2008 Presidential election, Rahaf Harfoush wrote Yes We Did: An Inside Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand. She is currently the Associate Director of the Global Cooperation Initiative at the World Economic Forum.

As the Spotlight on Learning conference's keynote speaker, Harfoush excited the audience with her take on social media and discussed how we can use technology to better the work we do in literacy. While social media staples such as Facebook and Twitter received mention, she also highlighted these valuable new tools for learning:

Wikibooks - This tool is a collection of open-content textbooks that anyone can edit at any time to produce a new kind of instructional resource that is comprehensive and free.

(un)classes - A low-commitment way to explore a host of topics from managing finances to baking bread. People who want to offer their skills connect with others who want to learn.

P2PU - P2PU offers an online learning environment, with a community of open study groups for short university-level courses.

Popling - This tool uses flash cards with short, concise information that pop up on your desktop or mobile device. Among the 150 different subjects are languages, business and technology skills.

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The State of Literacy in Canada - What Can Be Done?

Craig Alexander
Speaker(s): 
Craig Alexander
Speaker Description: 

On the last day of the conference, Craig Alexander, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist at TD Bank Financial Group, made a strong case for literacy as an economic investment in his presentation – Canada’s Literacy Challenge. His presentation charts the linkages between inadequate literacy, poor labour market outcomes, poverty and economic downturn. Using information from Statistics Canada and a range of studies, he explores the impact of literacy on economic success. He argues that:

  • Raising literacy scores among those with weak skills by one level could create as many as 800,000 jobs
  • A 1% increase in literacy could boost national income by $32 billion
  • Literacy should be a key public policy initiative
  • Businesses need to become champions of literacy, as literacy can raise both productivity and profitability

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People Without Jobs, Jobs Without People

Dr. Rick Miner
Speaker(s): 
Dr. Rick Miner
Speaker Description: 

Canada's Labour Market Future

Seneca’s President Emeritus, Dr. Rick Miner, was a special guest speaker and addressed a diverse audience of business, labour, government and literacy practitioners with his presentation People Without Jobs, Jobs Without People - Canada’s Labour Market Future. Dr. Miner’s presentation is an eye-opening introduction into the dire reality of Canada’s labour market. He highlights the consequences to Canada’s economy and to individual success if we continue on our current path where people are unskilled to compete for the jobs of the future. On the brighter side, his presentation is full of solutions geared towards policy-makers, businesses and practitioners.

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Closing Remarks

Speaker(s): 
Ted McMeekin
Speaker Description: 

Ted McMeekin, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, officially closed the conference. He applauded the participants and their commitment to improving the state of literacy in Canada and urged us all to become agents of change equipped with new tools, information and valuable contacts.

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