Students Taking Initiative UBC: Elite Conference 2007

According to Research in Higher Education, a Canadian education journal, 90% of British Columbian high school graduates plan to attend post secondary institutions. Only 50% of these students see post secondary education as a sure step in their future. See what UBC’s Students Taking Initiative is doing to increase the numbers.

An organization that branched out of UBC’s Bhangra Club, Students Taking Initiative came about in 2003 beginning with a group of like-minded students who wanted to make a difference. A few students quickly turned in to over 170 volunteers, and now the group is taking massive steps to engage leadership in teens. UBC’s Vancouver campus provided a perfect setting for a conversation with Monty Raisinghani, the group’s organizer, who told INDI more about the innovative organization.

After the outrage that started in the community over South Asian issues like gang violence in 2003, the founders of the student group took a step to protect the South Asian image. “Indo Canadians were getting a bad reputation, and a lot of people wanted to make a difference,” says Raisinghani. They felt that the right way to make a difference was to promote leadership in teens; to “encourage people to think outside the box.” Raisinghani says that often the media gives teens the wrong image. “The media portrays the in-crowd as kids who are afraid to think outside the box,” he says. Last year, Monty was one of the many volunteers who helped to organize Students Taking Initiative’s Elite Conference. Held at the Sheraton Inn and sponsored by local businesses, this conference was intended to encourage leadership and confidence in teens. Monty informed us that the event accommodated some 300 students, and the kids learned to work in group settings and worked with university level students, doing activities like the Amazing Race to build leadership skills.

This year Students Taking Initiative will hold their second annual Elite Conference. Now bigger and better than ever, the event is to take place on May 11 and 12, 2007 and has an action packed itinerary for all who are involved. The entire weekend is designed to instill character and confidence in the participants. Raisinghani hopes that teens will leave the conference having learned “not to be afraid to be yourself.” He notifies us that Students Taking Initiative are strong believers that “everyone has a skill nobody else has. We want [teens] to be able to take advantage and try new things.” At this year’s conference, over the course of the weekend, students will have a chance to participate in another Amazing Race, and will attend various workshops, a banquet dinner, and a dance with Hip-Hop artist, Rex, for some down time. One workshop in particular, the Elite Survival Guide, not only outlines the importance of post-secondary education, but teaches secondary school students how to survive post secondary life. In a question and answer setting, both secondary school and post-secondary school students will converse about the curiosities and fears of post-secondary education.

At the Elite Conference this year, students can also look forward to hearing keynote speaker Rick Bains talk about Extreme Goal Setting. Rick Bains is a motivational speaker and designer of The Blueprint Mind Performance Program. His program is a Career and Personal Planning program that caters to high school students, guiding them on how to plan secondary school and post-secondary endeavors. He spoke to last year’s group of students and sparked quite a response out of them. David, a workshop participant claimed that Bains’ speech turned the workshop in to something all its own. “This isn’t a workshop, it’s a movement. Rick has fire, passion, and a confidence that is so contagious. He instills it in you!”

Of course, for a non-profit, volunteer based organization, this kind of event would not be possible without the help of some generous sponsors. INDI Magazine is on board with other fellow South Asian businesses such as RED FM and Rhim Jim to support a vital cause – our future. Along with the corporate community’s help, Raisinghani expressed the importance of the South Asian community as a whole to get involved in this movement. “The original motivation for this conference was, ‘what can we do about Indo-Canadian issues?’” he says. It is important to the organization that students and parents in the South Asian community become aware of our positions, and the opportunities we have.

Students Taking Initiative is a model of its own example. Setting high standards for leadership efforts, this organization is teaching young people all over the lower mainland to aim higher. There is an authenticity in this effort that sheds a bright light on the future of today’s youth. This organization is just the beginning of what today’s young people will turn tomorrow into.