Since our inception in 2006, the Werklund Foundation's impact has grown exponentially. Similar to our businesses, our foundation is entrepreneurial in nature. We invest in and grow initiatives with the capacity to yield the highest returns on our most important asset, our youth.

Our goals include providing students and educators with world-class training; conducting research to continuously improve and develop leadership resources; and ultimately to empower students with the confidence, resilience and motivation necessary to realize their potential. We achieve this through meaningful and sustainable partnerships with educational institutions, other foundations, and community initiatives.

Our 15 million dollar endowment is skillfully invested to maximize our impact by supporting education initiatives that share our core values.

Below are the primary initiatives we support:

The Werklund Foundation's Centre for Youth Leadership Education The Centre at the University of Calgary conducts original educational research related to youth leadership with the purpose of ongoing program improvement and development.

Telus Spark We are also proud to be a partner in imageinaction with TELUS Spark, the New Science Centre in Calgary, Alberta to develop a distinctive and exciting Learning & Leadership Centre. The result of this collaboration will impact broad and diverse audiences and will influence our universal understanding of the fundamentals of leadership and the emotional dynamics affecting it. The Centre features an interactive learning exhibit and integrates innovative technologies and a media centre designed to help children and youth understand how they learn and develop critical thinking skills.

AWALI As a lead investor, the Werklund Foundation has helped AWALI establish Aga Khan University's Institute for Educational Development in East Africa. Additionally, the Foundation supports AWALI Reads, a targeted literacy intervention program in Tanzania that significantly improves the education outcomes within this region.

Empowering Minds™ The Werklund Foundation founded and operates Empowering Minds™, a youth leadership education initiative. The mission of Empowering Minds™ is to deliver proven and innovative leadership programs that develop the confidence, motivation and resilience necessary to thrive in today's world.