LEED's Anniversary!

It’s LEED’s 2nd Birthday! A reflection on our first two years as an organization.

April 27th, 2026

Every fall I was answering the same questions, typically from a parent or their child, either at a community picnic, or through a text on Facebook messenger: “What should I/my child take in high school to get to where they want to be after graduation?” Each time, I did my best to respond, but I quickly realized I didn't have all the answers. Youth in our communities have dreams that go far beyond the single path I have chosen to take. I also knew it wasn’t just me and that my friends were getting the same questions in their own communities.

When I was presented with an opportunity to create a grant-funded initiative through Actions for Healthy Communities (an organization dedicated to uplifting youth and communities in Edmonton), I was inspired to turn those conversations into something more impactful. What if, I thought, there was a space where families could come together and explore what high school could look like for their kids? I brought a friend (Berenika!) along to the yearly Youth Forum for the ELYCA (Empowering Leadership in Youth through Community Action) program, and there, Linking Education in Edmonton was born.

We grew quickly from a team of 4 to 6 in our first few months, and now 15 passionate individuals by the end of our second year. This year alone, we hosted six workshops across both public and private settings. We held our University Admissions Workshop in September. In January, we hosted our annual High School Programs, Scholarships, Research, and Volunteerism Workshop. In March, we launched our new Resume and Cover Letter Workshop in collaboration with Bridging Milestones. The remaining three workshops were smaller sessions tailored to communities seeking a personalized understanding of how the Edmonton high school system is structured as it was completely new to them.

LEED has become much more than navigating high school pathways. It is also about connecting youth within our communities, whether it is by welcoming new participants, partnering with other youth organizations, or continuously growing our team.

Something I take great pride in is the diversity within our team. We have members currently in both high school and university. Our university students take the lead, mentoring younger members through team workshops and opportunities to build various skills. We intentionally create space for everyone on our team to step up and lead, as no organization can truly thrive when leadership sits with only one person.

To my administrative team, Aditi and Berenika, thank you for continuously being the backbone of LEED alongside me, spending your busy hours managing our team, whether through budgeting, grant writing, or representing LEED at networking events. To our social media team, Shreya, Krisha, Aryan, and Yuvasri, thank you for always posting the most engaging Instagram reels and graphics that ensures a great audience turnout to each of our events. To our events team, Naivedhya, Zoya, Khushi, Natalie, and Isabelle, thank you for ensuring our events are engaging and run as smoothly as possible. To our outreach and website team, Marina, Jeeya, and Aarambha, thank you for hitting it spot on with our monthly newsletters, getting the word out to our stakeholders and collaborators, as well as creating a beautiful and informational website.

To our participants and volunteers, thank you for your continuous support and thoughtful feedback. As well, we are grateful to our mentors at Action for Healthy communities for providing us with workshops in team management and networking opportunities that have been essential to LEED’s growth. I am deeply grateful for the vibrant connections we have built, both within our team and with every person who has attended our events.

I am beyond excited to see how Linking Education in Edmonton will grow as an organization, and how we will broaden our reach to be even more impactful in our community in the years to come.

On behalf of our team, thank you for being part of our journey!

Samriddhi Shrestha,

LEED President