Speakers
The following is an overview of our speakers at this year's conference.
Dr. Shirley-Pat Gale – Land Acknowledgement
A woman of mixed heritage and an adoptee of the Tl'esqox Nation, Dr. Shirley-Pat Gale has co-led the Write to Read BC project, a literacy equity initiative and honored with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award for outstanding volunteerism. Her Rotary adventure started at age 15 with an essay about the 4-way test, an exchange to Japan and then she followed her mother into Rotary, where she is a member of the Rotary Club of Steveston and a Past Governor of District 5040.
Warren Falkenstein
Known as “Warrior Warren,” Warren Falkenstein is an award-winning inspirational speaker and transformational coach whose work focuses on mental health, inner healing, emotional resilience, overcoming adversity and personal growth. Living with a disability and chronic illness since childhood, Warren has transformed a lifetime of adversity into a mission dedicated to helping others find hope, meaning, and strength through their own struggles. His message serves as a powerful reminder that even in life’s darkest moments, hope, love, and the human spirit still have the power to rise.
Julian Compton – Move for Change
During a period of intense conversation regarding systemic racism and anti-Black sentiment, Julian sought a way to transform dialogue into tangible action. He committed to running and donating $1 for every kilometre he moved to a different charity and non-profit, with a strong focus on supporting BIPOC youth. Among his initiatives – raising funds for improved athletic infrastructure at his former high school to help youth train, grow and build confidence.
Youth Innovators
A highlight of last year’s conference returns. The Youth Innovation Showcase features exceptional young leaders presenting early-stage projects that address critical issues around the globe. Projects include: an AI-powered learning platform designed to help bridge critical learning gaps in mathematics and science; an initiative that addresses food security by extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables; and a long-range drone system designed to detect potential forest fires before they spread. And after inspiring Rotarians at the 2025 District Conference, Emmy, Amrutha and Veera (pictured here) return with an update on their progress, demonstrating how they invested the $5,650 crowd-funded by Rotary members to advance their prototype fishing net which helps deter endangered sharks and reduce commercial bycatch.
International Panel
Four Rotarians talk about their projects, their impact, and the people who make them happen.
Patti Lee – Cambodia
Started in 2011, the project has 5 schools, complete with sanitation facilities for 650 students, and 18 employees, all Cambodian, teaching English, hygiene & sanitation and computer skills. Reusable feminine hygiene kits have kept girls in school, while scholarships and financial assistance has helped students and teachers further their education. The project has provided dozens of families with private toilets and over 30 government schools with proper sanitation equipment and wells for water, while also digging wells and installing water towers for local health centres.
Richard Mewhinney – Uganda
Richard Mewhinney visited Ongutoi in February 2009 and since then has successfully implemented projects that include a local Health Centre which improves the lives of residents and an income generation project focused on water collection storage and irrigation of an orange orchard, which is yielding revenue that continues to grow as the trees mature. This is an example of Creating a Lasting Impact!
Steve Rutledge – Laos
Laos remains the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world after the secret war of the 1960s and 70's. Since 2010, “Adopt A Village in Laos” has assisted in the recovery efforts, providing thousands of rural village families with water filters, constructed toilet banks with running water, and built permanent water supplies for villages. The charity also builds schools, community centres, provides scholarships for students, and distributes reusable feminine hygiene kits, wheelchairs and medical and school supplies.
Janet Thorstenson – Dominican Republic
The District 7070 International Project in the Dominican Republic started in 1998, providing hope and dignity to sugarcane workers in the rural areas around Consuelo in the heart of the Dominican Republic. Part of the initiative, the “Sew Girls Can Go To School Project” provides reusable feminine hygiene kits sewn by Rotarians across the district, helping combat poverty by keeping girls in school. Water, Latrines, Solar lights, Medical and Education assistance are also a key focus of the project.
Sunday
GEM MUNRO – Empowering children through education in Bangladesh
Through their organization, the Amarok Society, Gem and life-partner Tanyss are filling the growing learning gap in the developing world by reaching millions of marginalized children for whom a quality education is inaccessible. But rather than opening schools for children, it opens schools for destitute and illiterate mothers, who in turn teach everything they learn to the children of their neighbourhood, creating a sustainable culture of education from within the family.
Cynthia Reyes and Lauren Reyes-Grange – Myrtle the Purple Turtle
Hear how a young girl’s experience bringing her Black doll to school spawned a best-selling series of children’s books by a mother-daughter team about friendship, kindness, inclusion and self-esteem. Their Myrtle the Purple Turtle series has been praised by children, parents and grandparents, teachers, librarians and book reviewers around the world.
Shayne Smith
Shayne Smith believes that life has no limits. At four months, he contracted a rare form of meningitis, resulting in amputations of his legs, left hand, and some fingers in his right hand. Encouraged by his mother, Jo-Ann, Shayne didn’t let that stop him. At age eight, he took up wheelchair basketball, which led to a 17-year career that included the Canadian National Junior Team. Then at 25, he discovered wheelchair rugby, also known at “Murderball” for its rough-and-tumble nature, finding international success with Team Canada, including a 5thplace result at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. In 2023, Shayne was named Toronto’s Para-athlete of the Year.
Conference Breakout Sessions
Jacquie Compton – Art Therapy
Jacquie Compton is a Registered Art Therapist and a Certified Advanced Practitioner in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. At the Toronto Art Therapy Institute, she teaches a course on anti-racism, anti-oppressive practice and cultural humility in art therapy. Born in Toronto but growing up on the island of St. Lucia, Jacquie has always had a deep passion and curiosity towards what makes us uniquely and beautifully human and believes that play is a vital source of wisdom which helps us navigate understanding and learning about ourselves and our world in a deeply-integrated way.
David Lockett – PACT Urban Peace
David Lockett is a long-time Rotarian, co-founder of the PACT Urban Peace Program and author of “Survival of the Kindest: How Companies like yours can save the world.” The program supports and empowers youth, families, and seniors through community programming, food security initiatives, youth life coaching and mentorship, and experiential learning opportunities. PACT creates strategic community partnerships with organizations that share its values and goals. It’s been acknowledged by the UN for its work and was presented with the Rotary Urban Peace Award named after past Rotary International President, Canadian Wilf Wilkinson
Joanne Serkeyn – Human Trafficking
Joanne Serkeyn is a member of the Rotary Club of Lincoln and Governor for 2026/27 of District 7090. A longtime member of the Hamilton Police Force where she’s the DNA coordinator in the force’s forensic unit, she’s noted a connection between missing persons cases and human trafficking. Joanne is focusing on a districtwide initiative against human trafficking. “People think they can’t make a difference,” she says. “But together, we can move the needle. We have a social responsibility to protect our young. We have an opportunity to be proactive.”
Honouring Indigenous Peoples – The Youth-2-Youth Experience
Every year, the Youth-2-Youth Experience brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth, fostering reconciliation, cultural understanding, and environmental stewardship through immersive learning. The Experience is a program of the Rotary-led intitiative, Honouring Indigenous Peoples. We’ll find out how the experience has changed their lives.
Jessica Murphy - Educating for Bright Futures
For more than 30 years the Toronto agency, LiftED, has been giving students in underserved communities expanded opportunities to learn and explore their full potential by providing free, out-of-school literacy and leadership programs where they learn new skills in a safe and engaging environment. Jessica Murphy is LiftED’s Executive Director.
Hannan Yousaf - Educating for Bright Futures
Hannan Yousaf is a LiftED alumnus now studying at University and has returned to LiftED as a mentor. He’ll share how his early opportunities shaped his trajectory.
Leora Schaefer – Creating Meaningful Dialogue
As our society becomes more polarized, and we live in echo chambers that reinforce our own strongly held positions, engaging in dialogue across our differences has become increasingly difficult. In our classrooms, fear of conflict has led schools to become places where discussions are silenced. During this session Leora Schaefer, Executive Director of the education and professional development organization Facing History and Ourselves Canada will share a new dialogue framework, the “Quad of Discourse,” designed to support human connection and conversation for all of us, even in our most challenging moments.
Entertainment
ENTERTAINMENT -- The Yes Men Improv Troupe
Lots of laughs on Saturday night with the Yes Men Improv Troupe. Neil Crone, Kevin Frank and Patrick McKenna are veterans of Second City, creating an electrifyingly funny, fully improvised show! Household names in the Canadian Television and film biz, the Men collectively bring over a thousand years of Improv Comedy experience to the stage… in dog years!
