Michelle Dagnino

Michelle Dagnino is a Gen-Y innovator, speaker, writer, lawyer and social entrepreneur as well as an high-respected expert on youth culture and Generation Y engagement. She has spoken to thousands of people around the world from students to educators, from workers to bosses about the issues affecting Gen Y, also known as Millennials, also known as "those kids living in your basement." She uses statistics, compiled as psychographics and demographics to tell the stories of the generations. These fact-based, funny, and inspiring presentations leave audiences laughing, and empowered with new knowledge to take to their workplaces, schools, homes and communities.  +

Michelle was the recipient of 2004 YWCA Young Woman of Distinction award, and in 2006 was named by The Globe and Mail and the Women's Executive Network as one of Canada's Top 100: Most Powerful Women. The Toronto Star named her "a woman to buoy the soul", and Maclean’s magazine named her one of Canada’s top 30 under 30. She was also the subject of two documentaries.

Through her public speaking engagements, workshop trainings, advocacy, and outreach work, Michelle motivates those around her to develop sustainable leadership strategies that promote forward thinking and nurture passion, dedication and innovation. Michelle is also a bilingual speaker - able to deliver her presentations in either English or Spanish.

As a social entrepreneur, author, speaker and consultant, Michelle works with individuals and organizations across the country and internationally to educate, inspire change and create educational and outreach programs that support the community. Her ground-breaking strategies foster social transformation and acceptance of cultural diversity that enable individuals, social groups and corporations to create programs that help build neighborhoods.

Michelle is recognized as a leading youth culture and generational change expert with invitations to speak and consult with companies and organizations worldwide, including at the World Urban Forum, the Global Partnership International Forum, the International Association for Public Participation, the UN General Assembly Special Session on the Child, and the UNESCO Youth Forum. Her dedication to her work has garnered her many awards and spotlighted her as one of Canada's leaders in social activism.

Michelle holds a Masters of Arts in Political Science, and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Bar in 2007. She has published extensively on issues of youth and civic engagement and workplace development strategies. She writes a monthly column for Workforce Strategies on intergenerational engagement issues.

She is also a frequent consultant on issues of program evaluation, youth work, organizational governance, and board development.  --

About Michelle:
Michelle Dagnino is an expert in everything Gen Y related, and loves to talk about how to engage them in school, workplaces and the community. She offers inspiring and highly effective presentations on how to work with Gen Ys within a diverse, multi-generational workforce.

The Corner Office is Up for Grabs: Managing a Multi-Generation Workforce

One of the most important and prevalent factors affecting the workplace is the diversity of age of workers--from new young workers to baby boomers to individuals on the verge of retirement. In an interesting--and challenging--twist on the multi-generational workforce, you now have the potential of having four generations in your workforce, with each generation having its own expectations, habits, work styles, and beliefs. This presentation delves into ideas and innovations to handle the attitudes, meld the differences, and help the generations understand each other a bit better.

They took the corner office when you weren’t looking: Gen Y in the Workplace

That was then, this is now. Get ready for the generation revolution as half of Boomers now working are set to exit the workforce by 2015. The workforce dynamics are always changing – but none more so than the influx of Gen-Yers that are going to make up the majority of the workforce in the next decade.  Gen Y-ers represent a new class of employee – one schooled in technology, positive affirmation, collaboration and high expectations of success. How do you make it work for you and for them? This presentation arms you with all the information and tools you needs you need to make Gen Y-ers – and those working with them – happy in your workplace.

Gen Y in School: The 21st Century Learner

Gen Y (aka Millennials) students not only provide a challenge to traditional education learning and teaching, but also provide a rich context for examining new approaches to 21st century learning. Recent research suggests that this generation’s experiences of schooling are enriched by teaching strategies that have favoured close mentorship relationships, online learning tools and experiential learning. In this workshop discover strategies to increase millennial students' engagement with their school communities and explore their learning needs, allowing educators and administrators to develop its current learning and teaching practices in light of the realities of today’s young learner.

Connecting With Youth: Community Strategies for Meaningful Youth Engagement

Amid stories of disengagement amongst our young people, lack of leadership opportunities in the community and workplace, and the worries about the lack of opportunities for our youth,” we face the question of how to do we connect with young people? We need to connect with youth on a more meaningful level – how do we involve them as valued members in the decision making process and encourage innovation and creativity? This workshop reviews the fundamental concepts of youth engagement and considers the ways in which your organization’s capacity-building, outreach and recruitment strategies can contribute to creating access, equity and inclusiveness for all youth.

The Apology Project: Strategies and Solutions for Dealing with Bulllying

While the issue of bullying has been in the media spotlight more recently, it is a problem of all generations. Cyber tools have made the bullying more invasive than ever before, but the cause roots are the same - regardless of background factors - and we can begin to address them through effective tools of youth engagement. For both bullies and the bullied there are strategies for overcoming their struggles and insecurities. In this presentation, Michelle draws on 15 years of experience as a youth worker, and as one of the country's leading experts on youth engagement, to deliver a series of scenarios dealing with both bullies and the bullied. Providing strategies to employ both in school and at home, Michelle willsupport participants to think about practical ways to help youth overcome the causes and impacts of bullying.

Michelle Dagnino is represented by K&M Productions for speaking engagements. For more information, speaking fees & booking Michelle Dagnino, simply contact us.