Tbaytel supports Leadership Thunder Bay in helping local people learn about the issues affecting our community and give them the skills they need to resolve them.
Leadership Thunder Bay was developed in 2003 to encourage our community to think about the future. With the help of local organizations such as Tbaytel, Leadership Thunder Bay's eight month program helps to encourage participants to challenge themselves and the current thinking surrounding issues facing Thunder Bay.
As Community Wellness Director for Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Alarice Petawanikweb has her hands full delivering demanding programs over a vast territory that includes forty-nine communities. But just a few years ago, Alarice reveals, “I was very comfortable in my routine and not ready to step outside my bubble.” But with the encouragement and belief of her supervisor who “inspired me to challenge myself and go for it,” Alarice signed up for Leadership Thunder Bay.
"It’s people – regular people – that make Leadership Thunder Bay what it is," says graduate Stephanie Reid. "People from different jobs, pay scales, and ways of life, coming together to share their collective experience to make the whole group more knowledgeable and more excited to do things in the community."
Matthew Villella doesn’t mince words when he says, “Leadership Thunder Bay changed my life.” After graduating from Lakehead University with an education degree, he and others faced a bleak Thunder Bay teaching market. Wanting to stay in the city where he was born and raised, Matthew spent years working at a job that he knew wasn’t quite the right fit. “I had no real direction,” Matthew recalls. “When I heard about Leadership Thunder Bay I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn more about Thunder Bay and help build my community.”