Ian Hill
Award-Winning Fair & Ag Society Advocate
You Make The Difference Canada
Beating Burnout: Sustaining Passion in Challenging Times
Breakout Session with Award-Winning Fair & Ag Society Advocate Ian Hill Passion fuels our fairs. It’s what drives board members, staff, and volunteers to give their time, energy, and heart to their communities. But with rising demands, shrinking volunteer bases, and financial pressures, burnout is no longer just a possibility—it’s a reality. Left unchecked, it drains
energy, diminishes effectiveness, and threatens the long-term future of fairs and agricultural societies.
Burnout isn’t just fatigue—it’s when the energy is gone but the demands keep coming. It shows up as exhaustion, disengagement, and doubt. If unaddressed, it doesn’t just sap energy—it dismantles identity. That’s why leaders must learn to recognize it early and act before it takes hold.
In this breakout session, award-winning advocate Ian Hill will share practical strategies to prevent burnout and reignite energy. Drawing on decades of leadership, he’ll show how individuals and boards can build “burnout immunity plans” to thrive under pressure.
What You’ll Learn:
• Spot the early warning signs of burnout.
• Create a Personal Burnout Immunity Plan by reconnecting with your WHY, setting non- negotiable boundaries, practicing strategic self-care, and scheduling regular recharge rituals.
• Develop an Organizational Burnout Immunity Plan by clarifying expectations, defining roles, setting achievable goals, and aligning boards and volunteers with purpose.
This session is designed for fair leaders, staff, and volunteers who want to sustain passion and protect their well-being while leading with clarity and purpose.
About Ian Hill
Humanitarian. Business Leader. Award-Winning Social Innovator. World
Record Breaker. These are just a few of the words often used to describe
Ian Hill.
Most known across Canada as the founder and volunteer CEO of Let Them
Be Kids, Ian led an initiative that built 168 playgrounds, skate parks, and
fitness parks in communities from coast to coast. His work was recognized internationally as one of the most innovative social leisure programs in the world.
Ian’s dedication has reached over 700 Canadian communities, leading
initiatives across Alberta, Ontario, and nationwide in partnership with
governments, industry, and local leaders. From building capacity in small
towns to advancing Empowering Minds to reduce suicide and strengthen
rural mental health, Ian has spent decades strengthening the backbone of
Canada.
That commitment has earned recognition at the highest levels:
Humanitarian of the Year by the National Council for Community and
Justice and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, the Alder Business
Leaders Award presented by Canadian business legend Harry Rosen, and
a nomination for the Prime Minister’s Social Innovator of the Year Award.
Most recently, Ian was honored with the Alberta Association of Agricultural
Societies Lifetime Merit Award for his significant and lasting contributions to communities across the province of Alberta and across the country.
Now, Ian brings all that experience, passion, and unrelenting drive to You
Make THE Difference Canada — launched because he believes Canada’s
greatest asset is found in its people, especially in its smaller towns and
rural communities. They are the ones who make the difference, and this
national effort exists to rally them, strengthen agricultural societies and
fairs, and ensure these iconic institutions remain the fabric of our country
for generations to come.