You may be thinking: highlights and 2020 in the same sentence?! Despite a challenging year in so many ways for all of us, the ELN has done our best to make the most impact we could. And boy, was there impact!
We launched new programming, hosted thirteen events, and brought hundreds of rising leaders to the (virtual) table with decision-makers and city-builders.
This year, the ELN…
- Welcomed over 450 new rising leaders to the network, bringing our membership to over 2700 rising leaders.
- Kicked off the year with almost 100 ELNers attending the one and only in-person event of 2020, the annual ELN Snowcial.
- Heard from the network at the beginning of the pandemic, through focus groups and an online survey, about how to adjust ELN programming to meet the unique needs that the pandemic brought forward.
- Hosted a mental wellness series that connected 100+ emerging leaders to mental wellness professionals for advice on supporting themselves and their communities during the pandemic.
- Included the voices and ideas of 30+ diverse ELNers in CivicAction’s Re:Action COVID-19 response work, including the Re:Action Forum and Task Force.
- Brought over 300 rising leaders to the virtual table through Digital Dish to connect with decision-makers and city-builders from Toronto, Mississauga, Ajax, and Hamilton.
- Hosted Real Talk discussion groups on reconciliation in action and anti-Black racism in the GTHA, spotlighting Black and Indigenous rising leaders to share their perspectives, ideas, and experiences.
- Connected 30+ Black rising leaders to C-suite leaders from across the GTHA for networking and professional development opportunities through a new pilot program.
- Continued to offer networking and professional development opportunities through digital mentorship, sector-specific discussion groups, and our Summer Social.
- Facilitated learning and discussions on racism through internal anti-oppression, anti-Black racism, and Indigenous cultural competency trainings, and hosting #ELNonline: Reads, a virtual book club for our network to read and reflect on The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole.
To each and every one of our ELN members – thank you for making the most of this year alongside us. We look forward to continuing to make impact and connect, develop, and activate the GTHA’s rising leaders in 2021!