CALP Connections: November 2015

Greetings from the Chair

Star date 2015-16.  These are the voyages of the CLN Board, whose mission is to support those who support the adult learner through leadership, resources, training and connections, to seek out new professional development and training, and to boldly respond to changing needs.

I am very excited to act as Chairperson on the CLN Board during this next exciting and adventurous year.  I am also thrilled to be working alongside a posse of passionate learning advocates, some seasoned Board members and others whose voyage on the CLN Board is just beginning.  I give a warm welcome to Doray Veno, Karen Link, Lil Radley, Lorna Rye, and Jana Thomson.  I look forward to working with this "nothing Borg about them" group in the pursuit of excellence in providing governance to the CLN.  

The new Board of Directors met briefly after our Annual General Meeting to elect the new Executive for the 2015/16 year.  I am pleased to announce the new Executive of the CLN Board is:

Brenda Adams - Chair
Karen Link - Vice Chair
Doray Veno - Treasurer
Lorna Rye - Secretary
I look forward to seeing what this next year holds and look forward to exploring, adventuring, and expanding the learning Universe with you.

Brenda Adams, CLN Board Chair

CLN's 2014-15 Annual Report

At our Annual General Meeting in Calgary, we released our latest Annual Report. Over the last few years, we have been keeping an ear to the ground on new trends in non-profit marketing and creative ways to tell our stories. This year, we are pleased to showcase our own version of the Postcard Annual Report.

New Features Coming to the Portal

The CLN launched the brand new CALP Portal on October 28th, and so far we have been receiving great feedback from you. We couldn't be happier with the result, and we are excited to let you know that there is still more to come:

• Custom email notifications: Starting this week, every user will begin receiving notification emails, based on the preferences you set up in your Account Profile (once a day, once a week or not at all). NOTE: Be sure to add portal@calp.ca to your "Safe Senders" list, so you don't miss any important messages!
• Personalized learning plan: When you log in to your account later this week, you will see a new component at the bottom of your "My Portal" dashboard. Here, you will be able to create your own professional learning goals, record your participation in different training and professional development, and keep track of the learning objectives you complete!
• CALP Micro-learning Minicourse: This course will guide you through Outcomes-based Measurement and Evaluation, in the context of your CALP grant. A series of short online modules will walk you through why we measure outcomes, provide authentic examples of how CALP Programs are collecting data, what we are learning from it, and provide a number of tools and templates that you can adapt for your own Program. We will be launching this innovative e-learning course on November 17th.
• Online payment for event registration: As we transition CALP events to the Portal, you will soon be able to pay by credit card through a secure payment gateway for any of the events and or trainings that have a registration fee.

If you do not have an account to log in and access the "Members" Portal, please contact the CLN at office@calp.ca and we will be happy to create an account for you.

Lois Polege Receives Outstanding Contribution to Community Adult Learning Award

As part of the annual Literacy and Learning Awards banquet on October 15th, 2015, the CLN Board of Directors honoured Lois Polege by presenting her with the Outstanding Contribution to Community Adult Learning Award. Lois is the Adult Learning Coordinator at Flagstaff Community Adult Learning in Killam.

The nomination package that was submitted clearly showed what an impact Lois makes in her community, with letters of support from colleagues, board members and even one of the learners she works with:

"I would like my teacher Lois to get this award. She has taught me English for 3 years. She is kind and teaches me things that help me at the doctors and at the bank. She had a lady from the bank come and talk about things that will save us money. I like learning things that help me live in Canada."

(Left to right above: Nanette Jones, Lois Polege and Val Rathjen)

Recipients of the Outstanding Contribution to Community Adult Learning Award must meet certain criteria, including demonstrated leadership and the ability to inspire their Program and their community. Another of her nominators summed up Lois's inspiration with this:

"Years ago (Lois) coined the phrase, "Everyone Leaves with Hope". This has been Lois' motto in everything she does and the results are seen in the relationships, confidence and dreams that she has helped build within our community."

Congratulations, Lois! You certainly are a worthy recipient of this award!

A Letter from Literacy Alberta

As many of you know, Literacy Alberta has closed down its operations, effective September 30th, 2015. The Community Learning Network would like to share with you this letter from the Literacy Alberta Board of Directors to Alberta's literacy community. Please click here to download and read this correspondence from Don Andrews, Literacy Alberta Board Chair.

The Community Learning Network has been entrusted with many resources from Literacy Alberta, and we are committed to continuing to make these and other resources available and accessible to literacy and learning practitioners, programs and partners.

New Logo Available to CALP-funded Programs

Since we unveiled the new CALP logo last month, we have received a number of requests from organizations who would like to include the provincial branding as part of their own Program's marketing and outreach. We're delighted to have had such positive feedback, and are happy to share the logo with our members for use in their own branding.

The files are available to download from the CALP Portal. Ownership and copyright of the images remains with Community Learning Network, but CALP-funded organizations may use the logo in addition to your own organization's logo and branded identity. The only restriction on the use of these images is that you not alter or edit the logos.

Use of the CALP logo is optional and not meant to replace your logo, but to complement your current materials.

Featured Resource: Techboomers

Techboomers is a free online tool that provides tutorials on popular and useful websites on the Internet, from social networks to everyday tools for getting directions and knowing what the weather's going to be like.

Techboomers courses are well-suited for independent learners, who like to work at their own pace.

The site also has special resources dedicated to 50+ adults who want to become more internet savvy.

You can see their resources and set up a free account online at www.techboomers.com

Dates and Deadlines

Please be sure to go to the "Events" section on the new CALP Portal to keep up to date on upcoming Professional Development and Training Opportunities. www.calp.ca