Health and Healthcare Systems
COVID-19: Why investing in youth will future-proof the economy
More than one in six young people are out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tackling youth unemployment is crucial to countries’ economic recovery.
Alyssa McDonald
Alyssa McDonald is a career coach, organizational psychology researcher & activist from the Vancouver Hub.
Her work is anchored in almost 10 years in tech, 5 years in management and sustainability consulting, and a forthcoming Master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
Over the last 6 years, she has worked with organizations including Youth Climate Lab, the Canadian Collaboration for Sustainable Procurement, Iron & Earth & the Global Shapers Community to train over a thousand marginalized folks on leadership skills for the SDGs & future of work.
In her coaching practice, she has coached over 100 individuals to build skills, overcome challenges, and thrive in their dream nonprofit, social enterprise, and/or sustainability careers.
She is also completing her master’s research on the role of leadership development within philanthropic and impact investing outcomes, and advocates for greater investment in people to address failure, burnout, and turnover across the impact sector.
Alyssa's passion for coaching and making an impact is fuelled by her own experience overcoming struggle. She was raised by a single mom, a survivor of gender-based violence. She is 5th generation Mi'kmaq from Newfoundland. Similar to many Indigenous peoples, she spent her childhood living below the poverty line—facing food insecurity, homelessness, and challenges accessing clean water and high-speed internet.
She has been an active Shaper since 2017, stepping into the Vice Curator role for the Vancouver Hub in 2020-2021. Favourite moments along her journey include:
1. Facilitating sessions on the Future of Work (2018)
https://toplink.weforum.org/initiatives/explore/a0s680000004HCpAAM/overview
2. Advocating for green skills development for youth (2020) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/covid-19-why-investing-in-youth-will-future-proof-the-economy/
3. Presenting Vancouver's civic engagement initiatives at Shape NA... and getting to share that Jody Wilson-Raybould said our debate was the coolest she had ever been to! (2023)
https://toplink.weforum.org/initiatives/explore/a0s0X00000LmgyiQAB/overview
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