Inspiring youth leader Hannah Alper on campus March 19

She’s recognized by youth across Canada and around the world for her work on environmental initiatives. She’s also branched her interests into the areas of anti-bullying, wildlife conservation, fair trade, the importance of education, and eco-friendly living. She has more than 10,000 Twitter followers and has spoken before thousands at We Day celebrations across North America.

Oh, and she just turned 12 .

Her name is Hannah Alper, and she’s the Toronto dynamo who has developed into a face and voice of youth activism — not just for Canadian youth, but for others around the world. She is considered an eco-warrior, a changemaker, and an activist. And she’s called on often to inspire and motivate people of all ages to become leaders, to identify their passion and to take action.

On March 19, Hannah will visit the University of Calgary campus to share her experiences.

For Hannah, the road to leadership began at age nine, when she began her blog, CallMeHannah.ca, in order to share her growing concern for the environment and the effects of environmental destruction on the habitats and lives of animals.

From there she organized a Shoreline Cleanup in her community, became a World Wildlife Federation Earth Hour team captain, and this year she'll be the official “eco-blogger” for the JUNO Awards for the third time.

Hannah’s talk at the University of Calgary is part of a speaker series sponsored by the Werklund Youth Leadership Centre (YLC). “Hannah is a strong example of how everyone has the potential to be a leader and demonstrate leadership — at any age, and at any time,” says Brittany Harker Martin, director of the YLC.

“Youth can — and do — lead, and Hannah shows the enormous impact youth can make when they take action.”

The invitation to the afternoon event is open to everyone, and registrants are encouraged to bring guests aged 10-25.

According to Martin, “the Werklund Youth Leadership Centre’s vision is to become a primary hub for youth, educators, students, community partners, and researchers interested in youth leadership education.

“And,” she continues, “this event is designed to engage all of those groups, especially youth, connected through the campus community and beyond.”

Although admission to the event is free, registration is requested and seating is limited. Register online, and please consider bringing a donation to the Campus Food Bank.