Michelle Dagnino, MA, JD, is a young social entrepreneur, author, lawyer, consultant and speaker. Michelle is the former Executive Director of Youth Action Network (YAN), a national charitable organization dedicated to youth activism and empowerment. Michelle has been a social justice advocate since her teen years, and has founded and led several award-winning organizations including Aspire, an international mentorship organization, and Where is the Love, a program using images from hip hop to teach media literacy and critical thinking. Currently, Michelle is the Executive Director of Ashoka Youth Venture, the world's leading social entrepreneur non-profit organization.

Michelle's innovative and thought-provoking work has garnered her more than a dozen national and international awards including the 2004 YWCA Woman of Distinction award and the Rotary Youth Impact 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 the cover of the magazine.

Michelle is recognized as one of the leading youth culture experts in the country, and has been the frequent subject of various newspaper and magazine articles, including cover stories across North America, and has been featured on CBC Metro Morning, Global Television, CityTV, TVO, CNBC, MSNBC, the Today Show, and The Hour, among dozens of other media. She has also been the subject of two documentaries.

The Toronto Star named Michelle "a woman to buoy the soul," while the City of Toronto honoured her with the Person's Day Award in recognition of her leadership and contribution to the community. In November 2006, Michelle was named by the Globe and Mail and the Women's Executive Network as one of Canada's Top 100: Most Powerful Women.

As a role model to young people across North America, Michelle inspires individuals to do something about the problems surrounding their communities. She teaches them how to create solutions that are sustainable, inclusive, and focused on positive change.

Michelle is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and holds a Master's degree in Political Science. Her first book on hip hop activism was published in the Fall of 2006, and her second book on Generation Y engagement is being published in 2009.

Engaging the Millennial Learner

Gen Y (aka Millennial) students 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 favored close mentorship relationships, online learning tools and experiential learning. In this workshop discover strategies to increase millennial students' engagement with their school communities and explore their learning needs, allowing educators and administrators to develop its current learning and teaching practices 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.