The Global Virtual Summit for Career and Skill Development is Canada’s largest virtual youth skills summit and in 2026, our objective is to engage over 25,000+ students and young professionals from around the world.
The Summit platform is made to be accessible and equitable to all students irrespective of their background and creates a safe place for diverse communities to share their lived experiences. GELP seeks to foster a global community of practice around diversity, equity and inclusion.
The 2026 Global Virtual Summit theme, Leading with Purpose for a Sustainable Tomorrow, highlights the importance of leadership that is values-driven, intentional, and future-focused.
In today's changing world, leaders are called to create positive impact through collaboration, innovation, inclusion, and responisbility. This theme encourages delegates to reflect on how their actions today can help build stronger communities and a more sustainable future.
Throughout the summit, participants will gain practical insights, global perspectives, and leadership tools to help them lead with purpose in their studies, careers, and communities.
This half-day virtual conference will allow delegates to engage with leaders around the globe in an interactive experiential online environment that will include keynote speakers, professional skill development workshops, networking and career development opportunities.
This opening session invites participants to pause, reflect, and arrive fully into the summit experience. Participants will be guided through practices that encourage reflection and intentional focus, exploring how mindfulness supports resilience and clarity in leadership. By starting with stillness and purpose, delegates are invited to connect their values with their leadership role and consider how their actions contribute to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, setting a grounded and intentional tone for meaningful engagement throughout the summit.
Delegates will be welcomed to the Global Virtual Summit for Career and Skill Development hosted by the Global Emerging Leadership Programs (GELP). Delegates will be introduced to their Summit’s theme, keynote speakers, panelists, workshops and information pertaining to Global Awards.
This session is designed to help participants understand how sustainable change is created in practice, not just in theory. Global leaders from education, industry, and community-based initiatives will share concrete examples from their work across Canada, India, Thailand, the UK, and the Philippines, illustrating how leadership decisions, cross-cultural collaboration, and long-term thinking contribute to sustainable outcomes in learning, work, and innovation.
This workshop centers Indigenous perspectives on leadership, sustainability, and community well-being, grounded in lived experience, cultural knowledge, and intergenerational responsibility. Indigenous leaders and scholars from Canada and other global contexts will share how Indigenous worldviews offer holistic approaches to caring for land, strengthening communities, and sustaining culture, language, and identity.
This session explores how digital innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) are shaping more sustainable approaches across education, industry, and communities. Speakers will examine real-world examples of how AI is being used to improve decision-making, increase efficiency, and address complex challenges related to learning, work, and innovation. Participants will develop a clearer understanding of what AI can—and cannot—do, the skills needed to engage with these technologies responsibly, and how digital tools can support long-term, sustainable outcomes. Grounded in GELP’s values of active learning, global perspectives, and leadership development, this session equips students, educators, and emerging leaders with practical insights to think critically about AI and apply digital innovation in ways that create positive, future-focused impact.
In this showcase, artists will share music and performance as a way of fostering resilience, dialogue, and cross-cultural understanding. This session will highlight how creativity connects people across borders and contributes to the broader goals of peace and community building. By weaving together diverse cultural perspectives, the showcase will remind participants of the power of art to advance the SDGs.
Held in alignment with World Environment Day, this interactive showcase highlights environmental and sustainability projects led by GELP Campus Chapters at colleges and universities around the world. Student leaders will share initiatives implemented on their campuses—such as climate action campaigns, waste reduction efforts, sustainability education, and community-based environmental projects. The session demonstrates how youth-led action on campus can contribute to global environmental goals, turning awareness into tangible impact. By reflecting on project design, implementation, and outcomes, campus leaders will share practical lessons on mobilizing peers, building partnerships, and sustaining engagement beyond a single event. Participants will leave with clear ideas and inspiration to develop or scale environmental initiatives within their own campuses, reinforcing the role of young leaders in shaping a more sustainable future.
This closing keynote brings the summit to a powerful conclusion by exploring the role of conflict resolution, dialogue, and collective leadership in building a more peaceful and sustainable world. Drawing on lived experience and global engagement, the speakers will reflect on how understanding, empathy, and collaboration can bridge divides across cultures, communities, and institutions. Through the perspective of a Cambodian student leader working in conflict resolution, alongside reflections on global partnership-building, this session highlights the importance of coming together across differences—from schools and universities in Canada, India, the Middle East, and Asia, to communities navigating real-world conflict and change. The keynote concludes with a clear call to action, encouraging participants to carry forward the summit’s lessons by fostering dialogue, strengthening partnerships, and applying conflict-resolution principles within their own institutions and communities.
If your institution is interested in partnering with the 2025 Global Virtual Summit for Career & Skill Development, contact GELP today. We would love to collaborate and learn how we can work together to support our common goals.
GELP’s goal is to promote leadership development and to equip global leaders with the tools to create change and impact within their communities.
