On March 5, 2025, students, teachers and staff from secondary schools across the Greater Toronto Area gathered for the 42nd annual World Affairs Conference (WAC), organized by Branksome Hall and Upper Canada College. This year’s theme, WAC to the Future, encouraged participants to think critically about the path ahead and sparked conversations about how to work together to shape a better future.

The conference opened with an inspiring keynote address by Bill Weir, CNN’s Chief Climate Correspondent and host of The Wonder List with Bill Weir. He began with a simple yet profound question—“What do we need?”—setting the stage for a discussion on the urgency of adaptation in a rapidly changing world. Through personal stories from his decades-long journalism career and reflections on our planet's state, Weir illustrated the scale of environmental challenges and called upon today's youth to shape a more sustainable future. Weir closed with a powerful metaphor, likening our world to a bowl of soup—where every component, from individuals to entire ecosystems, is interconnected.

Branksome Co-Chair Ruhani said of the experience: “What has stood out to me the most during my second year with WAC is the fact that it's not often you find a room of young people who are so curious, motivated and driven to make the world a better place; let alone 1,000 of them in one place!” Co-Chair Katherine, who attended her third WAC, shared, “While I don’t expect attendees to now feel obligated to single-handedly solve climate change or inequality, many of them will be encouraged to make their marks in the future.”

Throughout the day, students attended talks from distinguished local, national and global leaders, including Keith Pelley, CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment; Emma LOZHKIN’17, Branksome alum, youth Olympian and engineer at NVIDIA; Jeremy Wang, COO of Ribbit, innovating autonomous vehicles; John Sitilides, geopolitical strategist for the Biden and Obama administrations, and more.

After a successful day, the conference closed with an inspiring closing keynote by Dr. James Orbinski, former president of Doctors Without Borders and a renowned physician, humanitarian and global health advocate. Dr. Orbinski shared insights on the importance of putting in effort with good intentions, and striving to care about the world and the communities in which we live: “The world is a scary place, but there are good people out there who care for the world and its communities.”

The 2025 World Affairs Conference wrapped up with more than one thousand future leaders inspired and motivated to work toward building a better world. As Canada’s longest-running student-led conference, WAC is a testament to the power of youth leadership and collaboration. This year, more than 50 Branksome Hall students dedicated their time and talents across a range of committees to make the event a reality.

The day ended with a lively post-conference reception for speakers, senior leadership and community members at Branksome Hall. With remarks from the WAC Co-Chairs, Bill Weir, Deputy Principal Amanda Kennedy and Principal Grace McCallum, the evening recognized the contributions of all organizers of the World Affairs Conference. With WAC 2025 being Principal McCallum’s first-ever, she shared that the conference was a true testament to her belief of “not underestimating the power of young people and the youth of today.”