Matt Tod

Title: Speaking and Leadership Facilitator
Interesting Fact: As a camp counsellor, Matt had a game similar to dodge ball named after him—it was called “Tod’s Ball”.

Matt is an energetic and enthusiastic motivational speaker who strives to incorporate humour and laughter into all of his speeches. He brings his energy and talents to Free The Children, where he inspires youth across North America in his position as an outreach coordinator. With his passionate belief in the importance of a challenge, Matt’s personal goal is to share his life experiences with youth in hopes that it will motivate them to view challenges as opportunities.

Matt grew up Orillia, Ontario. His first real experience with youth leadership came in Grade 10 when he wrote an essay about what leadership meant to him. This speech led Matt to become the only student from his school chosen to attend the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) conference held in Jackson’s Point, Ontario. The conference motivated Matt to become more involved in his school and community, and soon afterwards he ran for Student Council, got involved with the local youth centre and become an active member of his high school’s Athletic Council. After high school, Matt went on to graduate with a degree in psychology from the University of Guelph. His love and appreciation for public speaking came to him in university when he found himself doing numerous presentations for various courses. It was here that he discovered the excitement of speaking about issues he was passionate about, as well as realized that humour made certain topics much more interesting!

Matt holds a deep appreciation for the smaller things in life: great conversation, meeting new and inspiring people, and laughing with friends. In his spare time, Matt enjoys staying active and is always looking for new and fun activities. Some of his favourite pastimes include “free-writing”, running, playing rugby, snowboarding and listening to all genres of music.