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1)     A Journey to Hope: From Child Soldier to Activist  An uplifting and inspirational speech that will give you the tools to start making a difference today. Inspiring for all audiences   A former child soldier, Michel Chikwanine has already endured and overcome unimaginable pain and struggles. His passion and belief in the possibility for change makes him a truly remarkable individual and humanitarian.   In this 50-minute uplifting, inspirational, and deeply personal speech that will bring forth laughter and emotions from all audiences, he details his incredible story of being a child soldier, his miraculous escape and subsequent fight to end an issue that has affected his entire life. He details his fight with trauma and how drumming and storytelling have helped him find healing and purpose.  

2)     How Resiliency helps Overcome Adversity:   Adversity comes in many distinctive forms and impacts people in various ways. The hardship of one person may be perceived by some as misfortune, while the suffering of others may be viewed by others as misery on an unimaginable scale. Whatever struggles a person has faced, whether it is cancer, or other health problems, addiction, abuse, life changes, the steps needed to overcome hardship include not just understanding how to cope with the remaining pain, but also being able to use the knowledge of that pain and adversity to build a resilient character.   Michel Chikwanine’s childhood was characterized by incredible upheaval and hardship. Despite his traumatic childhood, he’s succeeded against all odds. This speech focuses on how through his community, his family’s courage and fierce determination he was able to build such a resilient character that has catapulted him into such a success story.   In his deeply moving and inspirational talk, he will speak about how each of us at some point in life will face hardship, whether big or small, physical or emotional, and how learning to overcome it and find strength in it can help people gain personal growth.   Ideal for groups looking for help on how to overcome adversity and achieve resiliency skills that impact the quality of leadership and company community, and result in healthier attitudes and peak performance from individuals as well as teams.

 

3)     How Canadian Diversity Helped Me Succeed:   On January 21^st 2001, Michel and his family arrived in a cold winter in Ottawa. A world so different to the one he had grown up in the Democratic Republic of Congo and his subsequent life in a refugee camp. Hoping for a better life in a country that he had heard was incredibly multicultural, Michel found himself in difficult experiences as his accent and his culture made him stand out in schools and spaces, he had looked forward to being in.   In this speech Michel speaks about how his Canadian community rallied around him to help him overcome racism, discrimination, graduate high school and attend one of the biggest Universities in the world. He highlights why it is essential to embrace what makes us each unique in an ever-shrinking world that now encompasses people from different walks of life. He emphasizes that cultural diversity accepts and values contributions from a wide variety of cultures while actively cultivating welcoming environments. Diversity affords people the chance to learn about other cultures, to appreciate the ways their own cultural ideas affect their beliefs and to minimize discriminatory attitudes.   Ideal for groups looking for a mix of inspiration and information, this presentation is suitable for organizations seeking to understand how diversity can be an asset for them, teachers from elementary and middle schools that are interested in speaking about diverse students, bullying, and what it takes to help new students succeed.  

4)     Courage to Overcome Fear An uplifting and inspirational speech that will give you the tools to overcome your fear to succeed. Inspiring for all audiences   Michel Chikwanine’s childhood was characterized by incredible perseverance and courage. Despite his traumatic childhood, he’s succeeded against all odds. This speech focuses on the story of a young Congolese man guided by family, courage and fierce determination.   In his deeply moving and inspirational talk, he will speak about overcoming fear, personal perseverance as important personal pillars, that are key to being successful in any industry.   Ideal for groups looking for a mix of inspiration and information, this presentation is also suitable for elementary and middle schools that are interested in speaking about bullying, overcoming fear and succeeding.  

5)     Leadership   Having grown up under a dictator who exemplified all the qualities of a terrible leader. In this uplifting, inspirational, and deeply personal presentation, Michel looks at inspiring African leaders that have left positive legacies across the Continent of Africa, the meaning and importance of leadership. Ultimately, he highlights ways we can learn from their qualities in order for us to be more effective leaders – in the world and in the workplace – because the ability to lead isn’t just for special people, but a quality all of us possess.  

6)     Refugee to Author: My Canadian Journey   In 1998, Michel and his family were forced to leave everything they’ve ever had because of his father’s work as a Human Rights Activist. In this presentation, he highlights the difficult journey refugees have to make for survival, his journey to Canada where he was accepted and encouraged by a community that embraced and helped him thrive. He highlights how his life journey inspired him to write his award winning first book, Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War.   Ideal for groups looking for a mix of inspiration and information, this presentation is also suitable for elementary and middle schools that are interested in speaking about bullying, overcoming fear and succeeding.