Common Purpose has facilitated leadership development programs to students in “magnet cities” around the world, including Johannesburg, Oxford and Singapore, but this is the organization’s first GLE in Canada. According to Common Purpose, a magnet city attracts students from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities. This diversity is important to Common Purpose because the organization was founded with the goal of helping people collaborate to solve common problems. It was diversity that attracted the organization to Montreal and Concordia.
“Concordia embraces diversity, both in terms of the range of nationalities who study there and in terms of the range of academic programs offered,” said Coxall. “At Common Purpose, we believe that most problems – and their solutions – spread across boundaries, and therefore the next generation of leaders need to be better at crossing boundaries in order to solve these. A university which is both international and interdisciplinary in nature is working toward similar goals, and that’s why we chose Concordia.”
Being chosen to host Canada’s first GLE reflects Concordia’s international reputation. It also reinforces the university’s commitment to dynamism and innovation.
"I think it's exciting for Concordia to be chosen,” said Andrew Woodall, dean of students. “It's great for Montreal to join the network of magnet cities. Among other things, the GLE will provide our students and those from other institutions with tools and skills such as cultural intelligence which will be essential to leading in the 21st century."
The GLE is taking place November 18-21 and will bring together 100 of Montreal’s aspiring student leaders. Given the challenge, “What makes a smart city?” participants will take a closer look at how Montreal functions. Over the four days, they will engage in problem-solving discussions, delve into case studies and gain hands-on experience by heading off-campus with 10 senior executives from the Power Corporation of Canada.
Students will also have the opportunity to learn from and network with representatives from businesses and organizations across Montreal. In addition to the Power Corporation of Canada, some of the participating organizations include Cities for People, Glencore, Hacking Health, the John Molson School of Business, the McConnell Foundation and Recode.