Howdy!
February was another extremely productive and fulfilling month for me. I spent more time public speaking and attending events than usual, and I am grateful for the many opportunities to connect, share ideas, and keep building momentum.
What I’ve Been Up To 📈
TEDx talk (TEDx Ecole Mission Secondary), titled Digital Sustainability: The Missing Piece of Tech and AI Literacy.
TEDx YouTube video link coming soon… in the meantime, check this out:
I'm proud to have attended The Age of Artificial Intelligence event at the Vancouver Amazon HQ, organized by WOMEN IN TECH ® Global! I met the BC Minister of AI and New Technologies, Rick Glumac, and had a conversation with him about the environmental cost of AI and how youth need to be represented in the upcoming BC AI Advisory Council. Read my LinkedIn post about the event.
At Oasis of Change, we’ve been working on an impact dashboard that will be released very soon to show all of our tree-planting stats for increased transparency.
I spent a lot of time working with the Vancouver Public Library (VPL) as a member of the Youth Advisory Group (TAG), focusing on how to make the library a safer and more supportive space for teens. We created a project called Power Hour — a focused, one-hour study session to help teens make real progress on their schoolwork in a quiet, encouraging environment. I even designed a logo for the program, inspired by the VPL logo. I may also be doing a presentation/workshop about AI for youth at the end-of-cycle event for the advisory group.
I was a guest on a podcast with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. They graciously hosted me, and we first connected after we both received awards at the 2025 Vancouver Awards ceremony. Link coming soon!
Achievements & Highlights 🚀
We completed our 2025–2026 fiscal year tree planting at Oasis of Change.
Results will be released in the next monthly update — stay tuned!
Featured in the Mission City newsletter for the TEDx event!
Read more: https://missioncityrecord.com/2026/02/28/speakers-discuss-state-of-education-at-event-organizer-by-mission-students/
Mission students organized an event focused on the state of education featuring six speakers: Dr. Shahana Alibhai (top left), Gabriel Dalton (top centre), Jeremy Ellis (top right), Angel Ahuja (bottom left), Tracy Loffler (bottom centre), and Miriam Bozman (bottom right). Top Lessons From This Month 💡
Every opportunity builds on the others. If I had not started Oasis of Change, I would not have received the Impact and Innovation Award. If I had not attended that award ceremony, I would not have recorded the podcast with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. And, I’m so excited to find out who will come across that podcastepisode - it could be someone who wants to collaborate, donate, or help plant more trees. The future holds more possibilities than we can imagine.
Get yourself out there, even when time is tight or things do not look perfect. Do not wait for the so-called perfect time. I had only two weeks to prepare for my TED Talk, which was very short notice. Some people get four months, but I chose to step up. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I committed fully, practiced every day, and delivered it. It turned out better than I expected, and the feedback has been very encouraging. It is normal to feel nervous beforehand, but if you push through, it is worth it.
Quotes 💬
“The fastest way to grow your business: Ask your best customers why they chose you, then tell that story to everyone else.”
— Matt Paulson
“Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about un-becoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place”
— Paul Coelho
“I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.”
— Blaise Pascal, mathematician and physicist
Curious about my past adventures?
Catch up on all my previous updates in the newsletter archive. You never know what gem you might find!
Shoutouts 👏
for script feedback and coaching on my TEDx talk.
for producing such a wonderful event, which he invited me to speak at:
Albert Stoynov for being my photographer at the TEDx event.
for being my day-1 supporter, and coming along for the TEDx experience.
What’s Next? 🚀
We will be releasing our 2025–2026 fiscal year report and video for Oasis of Change Inc., highlighting our initiatives, including our tree-planting efforts.
We also have several upcoming collaborations that will be announced publicly in the coming months. #oasisofchange
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Onwards and upwards,
Gabriel Dalton
P.S. Want more behind-the-scenes? For more in-depth discussions, check out my LinkedIn or Medium profiles.