A great BIG thank you
I am so honoured to be part of something bigger than me, something more important than me; the 40th edition of the Ontario Student Leadership Conference (
OSLC) was a STUpendous success!
Erin Marshall, Ash Baer, Ian Tyson, Nick O'Malley, Christine Fry, Jenna Anger, Kara Gunnarson, Lizzie Arnold, Sydney Shepherd, Mikey McMurran, and Hayley Press came together to pull off an exceptional 3 days. There are hundreds more people to thank from our hard working volunteer team, Spirit Leaders, dedicated teachers, amazing student leaders, inspiring speakers, to our dozens of sponsors and partners. I think it was the smoothest one in 20 years. To think that we have 2,000 spots pre-registered for 2019 is a testament to the quality of... EVERYTHING!
I said to our crew on the final day that I wish Don Wilson could be here to see what OSLC has become. When he started the event in 1979 as a class project at Sheridan College there were about 100 people registered. To see that now we have more than 2,300 attending and involved would blow him away.
I am always interested in watching people tell the world they are trying to better themselves, make more money, and be more successful. They shout out to the world through social media, "Look at me! Look at what I am doing to make ME a success."
I wonder if Don had that attitude when he started this conference, of doing it for himself, wether it would have succeeded. Everyone has their own needs and desires. Some people NEED to be applauded, need to fit in or feel popular. Others need to figure out how to change the world for the better and do it for the BIGGER cause.
I think there is a need for both. We need the Barak Obamas of the world who can rally the masses, who will be the spokespeople for the better. When I think about Barak, it's not about him it's about US or WE.
I decided a couple of years ago to stop speaking at schools and start focusing on reaching more humans with a vision of hope and being better. My goal is to reach 1 million humans a year. I don't need to be onstage, I need to be in the mud. It's stressful and tiring and I am not sure I am really all that good at it. But I know I have a passion for it.
WE need to be better as a human race together. We are, at the end of the day, one species. We need to care about each other, the planet, and our collective survival (animals and humans). Our arrogance in being self-absorbed and self-promoting will, at the end of the day, be the end of us.
I hear too many adults say, "Our generation screwed this planet up, it's up to your generation to fix it!"
Why?!?!?!??
Are you dead? Are you checking our next week? Why can't you clean up your own mess like we tell 6 year olds to do?
At the end of the day, I struggle watching those people shout out, "Look at me!" or, “Buy my get-rich, be-successful, build-a-business quick system!” Maybe we should be excited and focused on doing something for the planet and for each other.
Thanks to all who support what YLCC does everyday and really support my silly idea of doing what's right.
I don't need to be Craig Kielberger, or another famous figure head and be told I am great. That's not what I need. I hope that when I disappear, fade away, finally retire, that OSLC keeps going and changing lives. That I am the guy someone refers to as I did about Don Wilson: ”I wonder what Stu would think of OSLC today and how much it has grown from it's humble days of just 2,200 student leaders in Niagara Falls... "
See you in 2019! If you haven't registered... maybe you should!
In leadership and gratitude,
