Social Responsibility

What can one person do?

Social responsibility, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and simply being a good citizen of the earth and our world are not just words, they require action. Debbie's values of meaning, perspective and innovation are at the heart of what she strives to offer in these areas in her professional and personal life.

Debbie has a particular interest in youth development and youth leadership. She has been actively involved for over 15 years in fostering an engaged community for summer swimming encouraging and supporting the development of swimmers, finding opportunities for them to lead and grow, challenging them to do their own personal best. Recently she offered a workshop for a group of youth leadership facilitators from Leaders Today, an incredible youth leadership organization that is associated with Free the Children.

Debbie uses her talents to help non-profit organizations and provides complimentary workshops, design support, or coaching. Most recently she provided a session for Leadership Vancouver and helped out the Vancouver Rape Relief Crisis center with a design for their international conference.

She tries to tread lightly on the earth, recently moving with her family to a smaller home located walking distance to all shopping, biking and taking transit where possible.She has taken up an interest in container gardening- growing herbs, tomatoes, and lettuce for summer salads. Recycling, reducing at a personal level and simply trying not to buy more than is really necessary. Learning to buy local where possible. Is it enough? No, but it helps in some small way. Just like every action we take toward being a better leader of people- the small things count the most. Appreciation, recognition, encouragement, modeling, doing what we say- all these personal attributes create the strong self-awareness required of leaders in our complex society.

DP Leadership's non-profit charity of choice is the Joe Opatowski scholarship fund (Joes's Dream Fund) at Free the Children. All proceeds from her first ebook Your Career Coach are donated to Joe's Dream Fund. To find out more about Free the Children and Me to We check out the links below.

A special note: Debbie's daughter Emily was a Motivational Speaker and Youth Leadership Facilitator for the Go Global Tour at Me to We in 2008-09. She travelled extensively in Canada and the US, as well as to India, Kenya, Ecuador, and Mexico speaking to youth, facilitating workshops and leadership academies, and leading groups of youth on service leadership and cultural travel.

Debbie volunteered at We Day September 29,2009. A gathering for 16,000 youth at GM Place in Vancouver with the Dalai Lama, Jane Goodall, Mia Farrow, Marc and Craig Kielburger. What a profoundly hopeful experience.

Links to Special Interests of DP Leadership Associates

Free the Children

Me to We

Dalai Lama Center

Sustainability and Social Committment

DP Leadership Associates strives to use sustainable practices, committed to the following:

1. Workshop materials and office supplies where possible are eco-friendly, recycled and reused where possible

a. Recycled, no ink, flip chart paper: standard charts are reused between workshops where possible, all used paper is recycled or home composted.

b. Photocopy paper used is recycled, post consumer waste paper where possible

c. Binders are not purchased for workshops. They may be reused or not used at all.

d. Eco-journals are used for workshops so participants can create their own notes, reflections, and action items and are used between multiple workshops.

e. Where possible other supplies are environmentally friendly, file folders are reused.

f. Reusable sticky is used for hanging flip chart paper rather than tape.

g. Powerpoint slides are not printed for notes. They are edited and summarized with information from the workshop and subsequently emailed to participants.

h. Where possible supplies are purchased that are made locally with sustainable materials and designed for reuse where possible.

i. Refreshments provided for workshops are locally grown or manufactured. For example: chocolates from Brockmann’s in Tilbury, fresh vegs/fruit in season grown locally, cheese from Saltspring Island.

2. DP Leadership’s home office location provides for no commuting, other than to client locations and meetings booked efficiently to reduce travel. Where possible communication is done through technology to minimize impact on the environment. Transit is taken when at all possible. Home office meeting space was renovated by local contractor using sustainable materials. Office furniture was designed and made locally. Home office is well insulated with separate heating controls, natural light provides lighting on bright days. All files are kept electronically rather than printed, unless required. . Home garden uses composted office paper and vegetables and fruit are organically grown. All cleaning and personal products in home and office are eco-friendly.

3. The Tri-namics book was printed on recycled, 100% post consumer waste paper. All future books and resources will be either created electronically as e-books or printed in the most current sustainable method.

DP Leadership’s social responsibility is providing volunteer time whenever possible to non-profit organizations in support of their leadership and organizational learning needs. The focus and interest is on youth leadership and Debbie has facilitated sessions with youth organizations and currently mentors individual youth leaders. A number of Tri-namics books have been donated to organizations and individuals. Proceeds from Debbie’s e-books are donated to a charity of choice or Free the Children/MetoWe.

DP Leadership Associates +++Delta+++British Columbia+++Canada