Michelle Dagnino

Michelle Dagnino is a well-known expert on youth culture and Generation Y engagement. Her work as a social justice advocate, speaker, author, consultant, and past Executive Director of Youth Action Network has put her at the forefront of youth culture and trends in Canada and globally.

Dagnino's innovative and thought-provoking work has garnered her over a dozen awards including the 2004 YWCA Woman of Distinction award. Her high profile work also lead to Maclean's calling her "one of the Top 25 Leaders under 30" in Canada, featuring her on their cover. She has been the frequent subject of various newspaper and magazine articles, including cover stories in magazines across Canada, has been featured in dozens of other media; and has been the subject of two documentaries. The Toronto Star named her "a woman to buoy the soul", and the City of Toronto honoured her with the Person's Day Award in recognition of her leadership and contributions to the community. In November 2006 Dagnino was named by The Globe and Mail and the Women's Executive Network as one of Canada's Top 100: Most Powerful Women.

Dagnino's work focuses on providing organizations with the information and resources they need to develop and grow high-performance teams. Her newest book The Changing Face of the Workplace, helps employers navigate the hiring and retaining of Generation Y, provides tools for developing them as leaders in the workplace and in their communities, and strategies for creating strong partnerships amongst co-workers of different generations.

Dagnino is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and holds a Master's degree in Political Science. She has published extensively on issues of youth and civic engagement and workplace development strategies. She writes a monthly column for Workforce Strategies on intergenerational engagement issues.

Connecting with Youth

Amid stories of disengagement amongst our young people, lack of leadership opportunities in the community and workplace, and the worries about the "brain drain," we face the question of: how to do we connect with young people? We need to connect with youth on a more meaningful level – how do we involve them as valued members in the decision making process and encourage innovation and creativity? Michelle has spent her career inspiring youth to take challenges and teaching organizations how to do the same.

Michelle's speaking points include: ·An insight into Generation Y: who they are, what they want, what they need, and how we can help them.

·Trends in the youth movement – what's important and how we can help

·How to engage youth on a meaningful level

·How to be a mentor, how to find a mentor

Engaging Generation Y Learner

Gen Y students (those students born after 1980) not only provide a challenge to traditional education learning and teaching, but also provide a rich context for examining new approaches to quality learning. Recent research suggests that this generation's experiences of schooling are enriched by teaching strategies that have favoured mentorship, encouragement and support. In this workshop Michelle explores the relationship between the learning support provided by education institutions and Gen Y's perceived learning needs, allowing educators and administrators to examine its current learning and teaching practices and to realign these in light of the realities of today's young learner.

Michelle's speaking points include: ·Demographic overview of Gen Y learners: who are they, what are their values, what are their influences, etc.

·Review of the best approaches to meaningful Gen Y student engagement

·How to recognize and respond to Gen Y's particular learning characteristics

Understanding Generational Diversity in the Workplace

Hiring, engaging and retaining staff is a serious issue for us at all times, but even more so today with our robust economy and highly competitive job market. How do employers ensure that young, committed, emerging leaders in their field connect with opportunity and receive the recognition they deserve? This workshop offers exceptional insight into how to engage employees to making the workplace a forum for nurturing leadership, creativity and innovation. Michelle's speaking points include: ·Demographic overview of the workforce

·How can understanding generational diversity strengthen the leadership role within the organization?

·How to identify young leaders and include them in the process of coming together to explore and create solutions for the future.

·With such distinct backgrounds and characteristics, what are the motivational techniques that best work with each generation to maximize workplace relationships?

Waiting on the World to Change: Creating Leadership Now!

Youth leadership – undoubtedly a topic that's been done again and again. But what does Michelle have to say on the subject that's any different? Michelle attacks the issue of youth leadership from a different perspective, looking at how youth engagement can solve bigger societal problems and ask how to bring marginalized youth into the equation. Innovative leadership means reaching out to those who have little opportunity to be active and contributing citizens in society – people who have never been interested or have never been given the opportunity to contribute. Michelle reaches out to these youth talking about changing their lives first – and then changing the world. This topic is appropriate both for young people and those who work or are involved with youth.

Michelle's speaking points include: ·Philosophies of change: how has leadership been historically envisioned – a critical examination of what's worked and what hasn't

·What current forms of leadership look like – great examples of innovation and creativity from around the world

·How to get young people engaged

·Why young people must be part of the movements for social justice

What Motivates Gen Y - The Factors that Affect your Workplace

This is the first time in history that we have four generations in the workforce simultaneously. We have Baby Boomers overseeing Generation Y. We have Generation Y overseeing Baby Boomers and Traditionalists who could be the same age as their grandparents. Studies have shown that about 75% of the workforce says they are only modestly engaged in their work. These employees have their eye on the exit. More than ever before, employees need to know how their jobs connect with and to the organizational strategy. Yet while it's widely recognized that the relationship between employees and managers is the most important engagement factor it also shows up as the 1 reason people leave their jobs. Michelle's speaking points include: ·What makes this generation tick?

·Developing an effective and harmonious work environment for Gen Y

·Understanding the impact of new media like MySpace, Second Life & YouTube?

·Providing strategic solutions to improve organizational and people performance.

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