CALP Connections: September 2019

Well……That’s a wrap! Where did you go summer?

Welcome Back!

I hope you had some tranquil time, because you deserve it. The more time I spend in the CALP system, the more I realize how tough the job has become. Supporting learners with such diverse needs can be taxing. The opportunity to refuel is a key component to doing the meaningful work in your programs and communities. We want you to have the tools and resources you need to do great things. While we may not be able to provide everything you'd like, please continue to share your thoughts, ideas and wish list for professional development. We trust that you'll take ownership of your own learning in the same way you want your learners to own theirs. See you at Symposium!

It's time for some new stories of great learning. It begins now. Go be awesome!

Doray Veno,
Executive Director, Hanna & District Association for Lifelong Learning
Chair, Community Learning Network

Notice of Community Learning Network's Annual General Meeting

The Community Learning Network Board of Directors invite you to attend our 32nd Annual General Meeting.

Tuesday, September 24th, 2019 - 10:40 am – 12:00 pm

Our AGM will once again be hosted in conjunction with the annual Literacy & Learning Symposium, which will take place from September 24th - 27th.

Important Information About our AGM

• All organizations funded directly through the Government of Alberta's Community Adult Learning Program Grant are eligible to be member organizations of the Community Learning Network. There are no dues or fees associated with CLN membership.
• For your CALP to be considered a Member in Good Standing, your organization must be funded directly through the Government of Alberta's Community Adult Learning Program Grant as of July 1st, 2019, and must have had a representative complete CLN's membership renewal survey. If you are not sure if the membership renewal has been completed, or you have any additional questions, please contact the CLN at 1-877-485-4926 or email office@calp.ca.
• Each member organization in good standing is entitled to one vote on matters that are put before the membership. Under CLN's bylaws, voting privileges are granted to member organizations, not to individuals. 
• If more than one person from your CALP will be in attendance, please delegate one person to act on behalf of the organization for the purposes of voting.

AGM Package

Each CALP should receive the AGM package by direct email sent to the primary contact person we have listed in our membership records. If you did not receive this email on September 3rd, please contact the CLN at office@calp.ca.

The following documents are also available on the CALP Portal for members to review prior to the Annual General Meeting:

• Meeting Agenda
• AGM Minutes (September 2018)
• Audited Financial Statements (2018-2019)
• Operational Budget (2019-2020)
• Nominees for the CLN 2019-2020 Board of Directors

LLS 2019: Board Bursaries, Registration Reminders, Top Secret Announcement Coming Soon...

Hard to believe the Literacy and Learning Symposium 2019 is just around the corner! The CLN staff and board are looking forward to hosting you at another professional development Symposium this year!

Bursaries for CALP-funded Board Members Still Available!

This year, CLN is offering a limited number of bursaries for Board Members of CALP-funded programs or organizations to attend the Literacy & Learning Symposium 2019. The Board Bursary includes:

• Full Symposium Registration Fee (Value: $175.00)
• Registration includes one ticket to attend the Literacy & Learning Symposium Awards Banquet on Thursday evening

Note: The bursary does not include travel and/or accommodation expenses.

There are only a few bursaries remaining! You can apply for a Board Bursary by filling out this form. Successful applicants will receive a coupon code for a free registration within 24 hours, in order to meet the Symposium registration deadline.

Symposium Registration Deadline: Friday, September 13th.

For more information or to submit an application, please click here and scroll down to the "Board Bursary" section.

Coming Soon: Special Symposium Edition of CALP Connections

NEW and IMPROVED Event Features: Later this month, we will be unveiling something new to enhance your Symposium experience. We're just busy putting the finishing touches on it, but we are so excited for the launch that we think it will deserve a special newsletter edition.... Curious?

Watch this space!

LLS 2019 will be a great time to connect and learn together. We look forward to seeing you there!

Psychological First Aid Training for CALPs

As you may remember in the May 2019 CALP Connections we announced a grant we received from the Advanced Learning and Community Partnerships Division of Alberta Advanced Education to support training for CALPs in areas related to mental health and wellness.

At the end of August, we moved this project into high gear. Ten staff from across the CALP system came together in Edmonton for an intensive four days of training, as part of the process to become certified Psychological First Aid Instructors through the Canadian Red Cross.

(Left to right. Back: Corrie, Sharon, Dorte, Nicky, Kim, Monique, Colleen, Odette. Front: Tanya, Teryl, Rochelle, Della)

We would like to congratulate the 10 candidates that just finished the first step - their Red Cross Psychological First Aid Instructor training! 

• Kimberly Belland, Barrhead Community Adult Learning Coordinator
• Teryl Enevoldsen, Fox Creek Adult Learning Program
• Tanya Fontaine, St. Paul Community Learning Association
• Rochelle Galeski, Medicine Hat College
• Della Massey, P.A.L.S. - Project Adult Literacy Society
• Sharon Mickey, LEARN Community Adult Learning Council
• Nicky Peeters, Calgary Learns
• Monique Sedlar, Rocky Community Learning Council
• Colleen Thiessen, Wetaskiwin Community Learning Program
• Dorte Weber, NorQuest College

Between now and June of 2021, CLN will be coordinating the delivery of Psychological First Aid training opportunities in each region of our network. Dates and locations will be finalized and published to the CALP Portal in the coming weeks and months.

Psychological First Aid is a two-day, face-to-face training that touches on the following topics:

• Stress, Distress
• Loss and Grief
• Trauma
• Vulnerable Populations
• Supportive Communication
• Resiliency and Protective Factors
• Self-Care

With trainers from the CALP system delivering this curriculum, we know you will find many connections to the work you do, and to use the skills and knowledge you gain from the training in your role in CALP.

CLN has also received funds to support CALP staff to take this training by covering the costs to attend and participate. Be sure to keep an eye out, and save some time and space in your own professional learning plan for the year to take advantage of this great opportunity.

Strengthening Literacy Practices Project

Would you like to be part of a project that will help you develop your own knowledge and skills for delivering adult literacy programming?

Well you are in luck! CLN is leading a project to develop a long term competency-based training strategy for CALP staff, facilitators, and volunteers. Over this next year, we will be investigating which core areas of learning (competencies) CALP staff need most to offer effective literacy instruction to adult foundational learners. We are looking for a small cohort of CALP practitioners (staff, literacy instructors, and literacy volunteers) with some experience and work directly with literacy learners to participate in this 10-month blended learning program.  

As a participant in this project, you will:

• explore existing adult literacy research and resources
• reflect on and share what you learn with the cohort
• apply your learning to the ways you work with adult literacy learners
• provide feedback to the project

As a participant in this learning program, you can expect:

• to expand your professional knowledge and practice to work with literacy learners
• a collaborative and supportive learning environment
• compensation for your commitment to the learning and to informing the project
• your expenses to attend face-to-face training will be covered

Watch the CALP Portal in the coming week for further details on the project. For information on Strengthening Literacy Practices Project contact Corrie Rhyasen Erdman at (780) 968-2868 or training@calp.ca.

Holding Safe Spaces for Adult Learners - Exercising our Muscles

Holding Space, as defined by Heather Plett, is “Being willing to walk alongside another person in whatever journey they are on without judging them, making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome.” In our field, we do this daily with the adults who come to us to explore and take next steps in their own learning and life journeys. 

From our own experience in Stettler, we have seen this as we have focussed our programs and support towards more vulnerable learners in our community. There is an increased need to spend more time with each learner, often delving into concerns and challenges in their life that are broader than their learning goals but that directly impact their ability to take the next steps with learning. It also means we have had to have conversations amongst ourselves about where our role begins and ends, about supporting each other in order to sustain our own mental health and not take on too much of each person’s journey.

This is about how we become better equipped to support the whole person that walks through the door while also keeping focus on their learning goals and steps. It is one thing to have a keynote speaker say to us that ‘relationships come first’ and be inspired. It is another thing to equip ourselves to build and hold those relationships in real life, where it is more complex. That is why we felt it was time to implement professional development in this area - we are excited to be working with Heather Plett on adapting her work to the CALP system, as part of the PD Development funding via CLN and Advanced Education. 

Many of us intuitively know that this is the best approach, however I like to say these are muscles that we need to continuously exercise and work to improve in order to continue to be our best as we hold space for others. The learning opportunity we are developing includes a one-day, face-to-face workshop and then eight weeks of self-study, practice, and online peer-dialogue and coaching to support exploration, integration, and application.

Topics that will be covered include:

• ‘qualities’ of the space we hold;
• boundaries and membranes;
• holding space for ourselves while we hold space for others;
• holding spaces that are safe and brave;
• becoming trauma informed;
• privilege, oppression, intersectionality;
• power, status, and rank;
• implicit bias;
• and more

The first pilot begins on October 22nd and goes to December 20th, with two more pilots happening in 2020. If you want to learn more or are interested in participating in a pilot, contact Brenda Barritt at bbarritt@stettlerlearning.com.

Recent Employment Standards Changes (Bill 2) Webinar

The Government of Alberta Ministry of Labour and Immigration has made recent employment standard changes to Bill 2, which was passed on July 3, 2019 and came into effect on September 1, 2019. You can read about the changes here.

To better help understand the changes they are offering two 1-hour webinars on multiple days in September. The Recent Employments Standard Changes in-depth (Bill 2) is offered on Thursday, September 12 at 10:30 am and Tuesday, September 24 at 1:30 pm. The Overview of Employment Standards in Alberta is being offered on Tuesday, September 10 at 1:30 pm and on Wednesday, September 18 at 10:30 am.

To register or for more information click here.

Nominate a Volunteer for the Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards!

Nominate a volunteer from your organization for the Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards!

The Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards recognize extraordinary Albertans whose volunteer efforts have contributed to the well-being of their community and fellow community members.

The success of the Community Adult Learning Program would not be possible without local volunteers who dedicate their valuable time and efforts to adult literacy and foundational learning in your communities. In 2017/18, volunteers contributed approximately 83,858 hours to CALP. Tutors, facilitators, board members, interns, and other volunteers make an incredible impact on the capacity of organizations to run programs and support services for adult learners.

The nomination deadline is September 20, 2019.

For more information click here.

Immigrant & Refugee Mental Health Course

The Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project’s online course is a free, self-directed training that is open to front-line service providers across Canada who are working with newly-arrived immigrants and refugees.

The course offers evidence-based information for you to provide care and support to both immigrants and refugees arriving to Canada. It provides an overview on the social determinants of health and its impact on mental health. It emphasizes the role of the migration trajectory when addressing the mental health of immigrant and refugees, while highlighting the specific needs of sub populations. The course is designed to build your capacity in providing equitable access to support and treatment, while highlighting the necessity of partnerships among sectors.

As a course participant, you are given access to promising practices and resources applicable to settlement and health service sectors in facilitating successful integration. The course’s interactive learning environment lets you engage with experts in the field and thousands of service providers from across Canada. There will be two streams offered: (1) settlement and social providers (2) health care providers.

Visit https://irmhp-psmir.camhx.ca/ and click on the link to sign up to be notified when the course opens for registration. By signing up now, people will receive advanced notice when registration opens. Course registration will open in September 2019.

Check out the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project website for more information.