Junto Montréal
David, Board member since 2015.
1- David, can you tell us about your involvement with Junto Montréal? What made you decide to get involved?
It all really started with me just attending the conferences. I thought they created a great platform where people could get together and engage with the speakers. The speakers that Junto invited were always very generous with their expertise and I found that the conferences provided a good opportunity for members to expand their knowledge base on a wide-range of subjects and to connect with other curious and driven individuals. So, it was my own experiences at Junto that made me want to get involved and help out. I’m really passionate about finding new speakers, putting together the conferences and handing all the logistics.
2- What is Junto Montréal mission?
Junto Montreal engages in and wants to promote the idea of intellectual philanthropy. We invite speakers to freely share their knowledge and expertise with our members because we believe that knowledge is the key to both individual and social progress. The mission is to provide a space for open-minded and eager individuals to compound their knowledge by listening to and engaging with the speakers, and with each other. Our conferences expose our members to new ideas or ways to deal with old problems. Junto is really about transformative knowledge-building.
3- Why is community engagement important to you?
I think it’s important to get involved. It doesn’t have to be related to your work. In my case, this is exactly what I wanted: to give back to the community right here in Montreal and directly see the result of my involvement with the success of the events created.
There are several ways to give back to the community. You can do so through your local community, a foundation that is close to your heart, etc. Above professional engagement, I think it’s important to get out of your comfort zone and meet people with different backgrounds to expand your network. Junto Montreal allows me to do it all.
4- What have you learned from your involvement?
I’ve learned so much through the conferences that Junto organizes. Our format is a lot like a TED Talk but with the added benefit of being able to network and interact with the speaker by asking questions. Our members are also great sources of knowledge and the informal discussions we hold afterwards are very interesting and enlightening.
The beauty of Junto is that the subject matter is very diversified and people who attend are genuinely interested in the topics. There really is something for everyone, we’ve had conferences on things like Bitcoin, 3D printing, drones, artificial intelligence, tea, leadership, and even magic!
Beyond that, my implication on the board has reminded me that diversity is a strength for any organization. Having people with different perspectives and experiences really adds value to the decision-making process. Similarly, the success of any organization (or business for that matter) relies heavily on the engagement of its members, clients or employees. Junto is a great example dedicated people turning ideas into a reality.
5- Any exciting events coming up for Junto Montréal?
We have some interesting and diverse events lined up!
- January 29th: Philippe Bourque – Chorusmaster and conductor
Wherein guests will discover the depth of conducting an orchestra.
RSVP :
https://juntoavecphilippebourquechefde.splashthat.com/
- February 12th: Daniel Novak – CEO of Crickstart
The event will explore the role insects can play to fight global food supply shortage.
RSVP:
https://insectsthefutureoffood.splashthat.com/
- End of March: Gabriel Filippi – Author and speaker
Gabriel is the first Quebecer to climb both faces of Everest. He will discuss the many challenges he faced throughout the course of his adventures.
For more information on the speaker: http://www.gabrielfilippi.com/