2010 Highlights

CSI, organic certifier Keystone Grain, organic grain from Manitoba Posing for the camera

Featured Presentations from the 2010 Conference

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EcoScholar (2010 program applicants)

Root of Change Eco-Scholar Program sponsored by

Laidlaw Foundation

Laidlaw Foundation

What is it For?

  • TO enrich and strengthen the cohort of people entering the organic agri-food system from high school and post-secondary schools in Canada
  • TO engage the creative energy of today’s youth in organic endeavors
  • TO profile growth/employment/career opportunities in organics
  • TO establish a forward-looking network of like-minded people
  • TO present to the organic community the next generation of people for employment or cooperative ventures
  • TO enrich public understanding of organics

Who is Eligible?

  • Tier 1: all students enrolled in a high school in Canada
  • Tier 2: all students enrolled in a post-secondary institution in Canada
  • 15 Tier 1 and 25 Tier 2 ECO-SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE!

What Do You Get?

  • Full admission to the Guelph Organic Conference (http://www.guelphorganicconf.ca/ ) including the Friday night ‘Meet the Presenters Organic Dinner’ and the ever popular ‘Forum’; the Saturday keynote address; and all Saturday and Sunday workshops
  • A pre-keynote Saturday breakfast to meet other Eco-Scholars, program sponsors, The 2010 Conference Manager….and the press,
  • A wrap-up pre-workshop breakfast on Sunday morning to reconnect and brainstorm with new friends and sponsors, and get fueled up for more fantastic workshops
  • Distinctive name badges, tailored business cards, and a certificate suitable for framing
  • In-conference mentoring

How Do You Qualify?

  • You must be enrolled at the time of the Guelph Organic Conference at a high school (Tier 1) or a post secondary institution (Tier 2) in Canada, and must NOT have received a previous Roots of Change/Eco-Scholar Award
  • Your entry essay is a 1-page nomination of a real organic farm, market garden, or other organic enterprise or application in your area or personal background – for a fictitious Organic Entrepreneur of the Year Award .
  • While the Award is fictitious, your nomination will be judged on how well you’ve represented the real farm, business, or other entity you’ve chosen to nominate. Tier 1 entries will be judged and awarded separately from Tier 2 entries.
  • To be considered, your nomination must include the business name, the proprietor’s name, address, phone, and email information, as well as anything else you want to offer in support of your nominee’s excellence.
  • Your application form and entry must be sent to the program coordinator, Martha Gay Scroggins, by email (mscroggi@uoguelph.ca), to arrive (2010 DEADLINE–mid-January).
  • Applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges; awards will be announced no later than a week prior to the conference
  • In accepting the Scholarship, recipients will commit (subject to the weather):
    • to arrive at the Guelph Organic Conference and collect their registration
      materials at the Registration Desk, University Centre, University of Guelph no later than 4PM on Friday, 29 January, 2010.
    • to pay all travel and accommodation/meal costs apart from what is included in the Scholarship
    • to participate with energy, enthusiasm, and perhaps even joyous abandon (!) in this most remarkable opportunity, provided courtesy of the Laidlaw Foundation.

For Further Information
Martha Gay Scroggins, University of Guelph, at 519 635-9125 or mscroggi@uoguelph.ca would be happy to talk with you.