Theme: Switch

This year’s theme is “Switch," capturing the moment when a healthy dissatisfaction with the status quo sparks young people to take actions to bring change to the issues and ideas they are most passionate about.

Masonic Temple
888 Yonge St.
Toronto, Ontario, M4W2J2
Canada

Rhythm Works

Dancer

At the age of 19, Troy Sexton was the youngest to join international percussion sensation STOMP. He currently runs Rhythm Works, with Sheldon De Souza -- his Partner in Rhythm -- which is involved with many organizations including BluePrint Pathways, the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario’s Sound Off campaign, and Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Notable TV credits include Dancing with the Stars (Poland), So You Think You Can Dance (Australia), Much On Demand (Canada), We Day 2010 (Canada), Zoink’d (Canada, YTV), as well as music videos for artists Rich Kidd, The Used, and USS.

Blake Fly

Event MC

Blake is a huge fan of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is heavily lactose intolerant and his favourite movie is admittedly The Notebook. Blake has been a TEDx conference host, a featured TEDx speaker and is the author of “The Campus Life Guide.” He has even shared the stage with CBC’s Rick Mercer. Blake spent nearly a decade living, learning and leading in university residences as a Residence Advisor, Don and then in his first career as a Residence Manager of one of the country’s largest student buildings. During his university days, Blake lived with over 6000 roommates and in that time he lead groups of students on service learning trips throughout the USA and The Dominican Republic. Blake is known for his creative approach to community building, both back in school and in present day. He transfers his lessons from campus life to his daily life.

Daniel Rodic

Co-founder of Exact Media

Daniel Rodic is the Co-Founder of Exact Media, his third company in the marketing and technology industry. His clients include global brands such as L'Oréal, Unilever, and P&G, while top-tier retailers such as Gilt.com, Zulily.com, and Walmart are just some of the recognizable partners in Exact Media's delivery network. Daniel's first company DineWithMe, a mobile marketing solution for restaurants, was funded by The Next 36. Daniel represented Canada at the 2013 G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Summit in Moscow, Russia.

DJ Cunningham

CEO of LEARNstyle

DJ is a pioneer in the use of assistive technology to support learning disabilities and the co-founder of LEARNstyle. DJ is revolutionizing the methodology for determining a student’s preferred learning style with a web-based, gamified inventory tool called PULSE (Personal Use Learning Style Evaluation). When deployed, PULSE will provide the possibility of substantial operational efficiencies for schools to achieve improved student success and achievement. DJ is currently featured as a MaRS Education Changemaker.

Eric Wood

Founding Executive Chef of FABARNAK & Hawthorne Food and Drink

Chef Eric brings community and social enterprise to the food industry. His restaurant Hawthorne Food & Drink features a 3-month skills training program to build up careers, while FABARNAK provides a safe work space for youths. Eric is also involved in several regional and national social enterprises, including as the director or the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel, and Motel Associations Board. Currently Eric is working on the soon-to-be-opened Maple Leaf Tavern, as well as maintaining his role as Executive Chef of Port Restaurant.

Julielynn Wong

Physcian & founder of 3D4MD

Julielynn Wong, MD, MPH, is a Harvard-educated, award-winning public health physician, innovator, and educator. She founded 3D4MD (www.3d4md.com), which creates 3D printable medical supplies to deliver healthcare in the most challenging places to those who need it the most. Ms. Wong was recently honoured as a United Nations Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Distinguished Fellow.

Kat Sandler & Tom McGee

Writer, director and co-founder of Theatre Brouhaha

Kat Sandler is a writer, director, and artistic director at Theatre Brouhaha. She has staged ten original plays in the last four years, winning multiple awards. She was a member of the 2014 Tarragon Playwrights Unit, and her play, Mustard, will be produced there in February. Tom is the co-founder and associate artistic director of Theatre Brouhaha. A dramaturge, playwright, puppeteer, and producer, Tom is also the co-creator and artistic director of a company that adapts and performs Shakespeare for young audiences. Recently, he worked as an arts consultant on John Tory’s successful mayoral campaign.

Luke Anderson

Founder of StopGap Foundation

In 2011, Luke founded the StopGap Foundation which has launched Community Ramp Projects across Canada. StopGap builds brightly coloured single-step ramps to increase accessibility and start conversations about an inclusive society. Luke has a history of speaking on behalf of the Rick Hansen Foundation, and recently appeared on The Agenda with Steve Paikin. StopGap has been covered in the Toronto Star, CityTV, Global News, CBC, Now Magazine, and CTV’s Canada AM.

The Templeton Philharmonic

Comedy duo

The Templeton Philharmonic are a comedy duo from Toronto, comprised of Gwynne Phillips and Briana Templeton. They’ve picked up several awards for their sketch work including “Best Comedy Duo” at the LA Comedy Festival, and “Producer’s Pick” at Toronto Sketchfest. In addition to their sketch work, the pair star in their original web series “Womanish” on CBC. This fall, they will be featured at Generator, a live show hosted by astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield at Massey Hall.

Tom Emrich

Founder of We Are Wearables

Tom is a passionate writer, consultant, and community builder. He founded We Are Wearables, an organization that rallies the tech community together to discover, discuss, and demo wearable tech, quickly becoming the largest community of its kind in the world. Tom writes regularly about wearables and other emerging technologies for MobileSyrup, BetaKit, Design News, and Designers of Things. He also works with startups and large organizations as an advisor and consultant.