Keynotes

Louise Kent

As a speaker at the O Ambassadors Roots of Action speaking tour - a joint event of Free The Children and Oprah's Angel Network - Louise Kent has spoken to student leaders across Canada and the United States. As an emerging singer-songwriter of socially conscious music, she has also performed for audiences of over 8,000 at Me to We Day events — sharing the stage with Sarah McLachlan, The Midway State, ill Scarlett, Canadian Idol winner Theo Tams and Mia Farrow, just to name a few – Louise is poised to take the world by storm.


Nick Czernkovich

York University alumnus, Nick Czernkovich is a meteorologist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, who in the past year has dedicated much of his time to working with Missionaries of the Poor (MOP), an international monastic order dedicated to serving the "poorest of the poor". Having always been involved with volunteer work in Canada, Czernkovich's job at the CBC has given him the opportunity to extend his reach across the Atlantic. After joining MOP in a visit to Kampala, Uganda in the winter of 2008, Czernkovich became inspired to help the underdeveloped community of Kampala by promoting and raising money to build a orphanage that would house otherwise homeless children. Taking his own initiative, Czernkovich started Adopt-a-Mission to help raise funds.

Randy Williamson

Graduate of the Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, Randy has been an investor in and director of many private companies, and has devoted a substantial amount of time to community organizations, including Founding Chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters Alumni, Chair of St. James Cathedral's Investment, a member of the Dean's Advisory Council at Osgoode Hall Law School and the Strategic Planning Committee of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, just to name a few. This exhaustive list of accomplishments is just the beginning of why Randy was selected as one of this year's keynote speakers. In 2002, Randy was honored with Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Medal for Community Service and was twice named as Big Brother of the Year in Toronto.

Michel Chikwanine

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Michel grew up amid the great atrocities of the Great War of Africa. Witnessing the torture of his father, the rape of his mother, and enduring torture of his own, Michel was carried away to become a child soldier but escaped to become a political refugee at the mere age of 11. Today, Michel is an accomplished motivational speaker, addressing audiences across North America. He has spoken to more than 100,000 people and was also a speaker at the O Ambassadors Roots of Action speaking tour. Sharing his personal story, Michel has captured the attention of national media, including CBC, CTV, and major newspapers. Michel's passion and belief in the possibility for change make him a remarkable individual and humanitarian.