Happy New Year! As we kick off 2026, we are ready to launch into a new era for EWB: one filled with promise, grounded in our values, rooted in impact, and focused on driving systemic change.
| Happy New Year! As we kick off 2026, we are ready to launch into a new era for EWB: one filled with promise, grounded in our values, rooted in impact, and focused on driving systemic change.
We began the year with a bang at xChange 2026 in downtown Toronto – our first in-person national gathering in 6 years! The room was buzzing with EWB magic from start to finish. Over two energizing days, more than 200 delegates came together, including chapter members, alumni, and supporters from 30+ chapters, stretching from Victoria, BC all the way to Charlottetown, PEI. |
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| xChange 2026 was special. We proudly held our first Baobab Ceremony in over three years, welcoming more than 40 EWBers to take or renew their pledge. We were also joined by alumni across generations, including EWB Co-Founders George Roter and Parker Mitchell. With a successful conference in the books, we are carrying strong momentum into 2026.
Our community is as united as it has ever been – let’s capitalize on this moment, together! |
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New Beginnings, New Programs
2026 is shaping up to be a transformative year. We announced two exciting and innovative new programs at xChange 2026:
The Systems Change Engineering Certification:
A national, cohort-based leadership program designed to equip the next generation of engineering leaders with the skills, mindsets, and networks needed to drive systemic change in their communities.
The Global Innovation Fellowship:
an engineering and innovation program that connects engineering students in Canada with their counterparts in Africa to investigate global development challenges and engineer community-centred solutions for systemic impact.
Both programs will launch in May 2026, with the goal of building systems-change leaders and fostering the next generation of socially engaged engineers. |
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From 2025 Wins to 2026 Impact
Our Engineering Brighter Tomorrows program is moving full steam ahead. With word from EWB Zambia that our second solar system at Kanyena Primary School is now up and running after the holiday break, we’re excited to expand this program in 2026 – using renewable energy as a catalyst for systemic change. |
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| Our Flip the Switch Campaign is going strong. Our community took collective action at xChange, writing postcards to Prime Minister Carney to urge Canada to prioritize Canada–Africa trade and investment in a changing global order. Our chapters are now gearing up to take this energy back to their communities, as they prepare to meet with their MPs in the coming months. |
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Your Generosity: Holiday Giving Update
All of this builds on the success of our holiday giving campaign. In 2025, we set out to raise $250,000 in celebration of 25 years of EWB – and we did just that!
Over the summer, our alumni community raised $100,000 to get us started. Over the holidays, you—our EWB community – collectively raised another $100,000, half of which was generously matched by a group of long-time EWB donors to get us over the finish line. This support gives us a strong foundation as we head into 2026. |
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Some New Faces At National Office
We’re also thrilled to share that we’ve welcomed three new staff members to National Office to help deliver an ambitious 2026 programming: |
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| Laurel Pierroz-Wong, former EWB Waterloo Chapter President, and Saskia Van Beers, former EWB UofT Chapter President, have joined as Community Coordinators for the Systems Change Engineering Certification Program.
Luke Cowan, 2018 Junior Fellow and former EWB UofT Chapter member, is joining as our new Operations Manager. |
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| 2026 is shaping up to be a great year. As I shared at our 25th Anniversary Gala last weekend: at 25 years, EWB Canada is at a rebirth. A renewal. But today, as we enter 2026, we are no longer rebuilding EWB Canada. We are building EWB Canada anew: fit for the challenges of our time, grounded in the foundation our alumni have laid, and powered by a community of change-makers ready to engineer an equitable and sustainable world.
The future of EWB is in our hands. Thank you for being part of it. |
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