Prince Albert post secondary students gathered Wednesday afternoon for the ninth annual Next Generation of Leaders Symposium at the E.A Rawlinson, an event focused on leadership, mental health, and resilience through personal storytelling and community discussion.
The event was organized through a collaboration between Saskatchewan Polytechnic, the University of Saskatchewan and the Gabriel Dumont Institute.
The half day symposium brought together students from across local institutions to hear from keynote speakers, an Elder, and a panel of educators and community leaders, all centered around the theme of strength through struggle.
The workshop/symposium opened with a blessing from Elder Liz Settee, who shared a simple but lasting lesson about leadership from her own life.
“I feel there is a difference between a boss and a leader,” Settee told the audience. “A leader will walk with you through that journey, and they themselves will get down and get in the mud with you.”
Mental health advocate and Humboldt Broncos survivor Tyler Smith followed with a keynote that drew on his experience of trauma, grief, and recovery after the 2018 bus crash that killed 16 members of the team.
“I want you to leave today feeling hopeful,” Smith said. “There is a lot of power in a story. There is power in my story, but there is a whole heck of a lot of power in your story as well.”
Smith spoke about the importance of connection, vulnerability, and allowing others to help during difficult times.
“Sometimes we do need to feel seen, sometimes we do need to feel heard, sometimes we do need to feel loved,” he said.
Local entrepreneur and motivational speaker Cody Demerais delivered the second keynote, sharing his journey through addiction, recovery, and building a business from the ground up in Prince Albert.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Motivational speaker and entrepreneur Cody Demerais addresses students at the Next Generation of Leaders Symposium at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre.
“If you want to step into something that is going to impact other people’s lives, you are going to eventually come in contact with adversity,” Demerais said. “What we do with that next choice is what makes us who we are moving forward.”
Demerais said leadership is shaped by how people respond when things go wrong, not when they are easy.
“Once you believe you have the ability and capacity to do great things, that is when life becomes limitless,” he said.
The symposium also featured a panel discussion moderated by SUNTEP student Emma Storey, with panelists including University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert principal Jay Wilson, employment counselor Naresh Saroye, Gabriel Dumont Institute director Marlee Proulx, and fourth year Suntep student Santanna DeBray.
Wilson encouraged students to actively seek out support systems and financial resources within post secondary institutions.
“You can spend an hour and make ten thousand dollars,” Wilson said, referring to scholarships and bursaries. “People are often surprised how much support is out there if they actually look.”
Saroye spoke about stepping into leadership despite fear and self doubt.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
From left, Jay Wilson, Naresh Saroye, Marlee Proulx and Santanna DeBray take part in a panel discussion during the Next Generation of Leaders Symposium at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre.
“I was sitting in the library thinking what if I fail, what if people judge me,” he said. “Then I thought what if I succeed. Submitting that form was the best decision of my life.”
Event organizer Kaiyla Cote said the symposium was created to build community and address mental health during the winter months.
“We recognize the need for community, especially in the colder months,” Cote said. “We focus on up and coming leaders who are close to finishing school and entering the workforce.”
Cote said success for the event is measured not only by attendance, but by seeing former participants return in leadership roles.
“We had students today who were ushers two years ago and are now speaking on the panel,” she said. “That is what success looks like.”
For many students, the symposium offered both motivation and reassurance that leadership does not require perfection, only honesty, effort, and a willingness to keep going.
As Smith reminded the audience, “You are allowed to struggle, but you are also allowed to move forward.”
