YouToo Conference - Keynote

February 29, 2008 marked the date of the first of six CIDA sponsored YouToo High School Engagement Conferences organized by the Global Stewardship Program. The day started off at 9:00 am at Byrne Creek Secondary School, Burnaby, B.C., with frenzied postering, lots of coffee and pre-conference set up. Our keynote speaker, Sol Guy, from 4Real Productions arrived to deliver his presentation at 9:30. He began with video clips from his company's brand new documentary film 4Real. Our cool factor went way up.

Though we had 60 students registered to attend the full day conference, when they started to line up to sign in, they seemed only marginally excited. After all, just another Friday at school. Or so they thought. But then they met Sol; a tall skinny guy in a cap and jeans, who brought out clip after video clip of him and Usher, him and The Rascals, and a whole cast of hip hop dudes. The kids started to wake up. Sol's credibility went way up and the guy beside me said to the guy sitting next to him, "Hey, this is some dude".

They listened to Sol as he told us about his first trip to one of the poorest countries in the world, Liberia, where he heard about and saw the effects of conflict diamonds for the very first time. "And then I went back to L.A and there was P.Diddy and 50 cent with ropes of diamonds around their necks, and I got confused ... I got so confused all I knew was that I had to do something to change the world in some way..."

And he told us about how he found his way to be part of social change; how he went from small town B.C to hip hop music manager for some of the largest labels in North America; to the producer, directer and face behind a social change project called 4Real. A project that involves young leaders from eight countries around the world, a Vancouver production crew, Media organizations (National geographic,CTV and MTV), celebrities, and a whole lot of heart and soul.

By now he had everyone's attention and we knew we were off to a good day.