CALP Connections: September 2022

It’s the end of summer and September is here,
With another Fall season about to appear.
Across the province CALP doors open wide,
To welcome learners back on inside.

With new programs ready and instructors in place,
We’re ready to tackle this grant year with grace.
We’ve taken some time to practise self care,
Recognizing it’s healthy to be self aware.

Learners are demanding and the world is unstable,
It’s easy to focus on how we’re unable.
Do this; change that. Adjust, move and blend –
Tell me when does the chaos come to an end?

Probably never, it’s now our “new normal,”
But that’s ok, CALPs are used to abnormal.
Like metal that is shaped and forged in fire,
A CALP becomes stronger; their goals, higher.

So as we embrace sweater weather and crisp fall days,
I’m saying “welcome back” in a new kind of way.
I’m hopeful you’re relaxed and your mind is revived,
Ready to welcome this season and truly thrive!

That was fun! I hope my poetry brought a smile to your face.

Just a reminder to Save the Date for the 35th Annual CLN AGM on September 28, 2022. I hope to “see” many of you online for our AGM beginning at approximately 2:30 pm, immediately following the 2022 Literacy & Learning Awards Ceremony. Watch your email for your AGM Package or check out the link in this newsletter.

Colleen Thiessen, CLN Board Chair
Executive Director, Wetaskiwin Learning Program

Welcome Week

CLN is excited for a new year of PD and training with all of you: CALP staff, board members, volunteers! What better way to start off the year than with Welcome Week! Join us online from September 12-16, 2022 for some or all of the Welcome Week events. Choose what appeals to you. Be sure to register so we know you are coming!

Monday, September 12th 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Provincial Kick-Off to CALP 2022-2023 - Hear from Advanced Education and spend some time in breakouts with your regional peers - reconnecting and meeting new folks

Tuesday, September 13th 10:00 am - 11:30 am CALP Guidelines 101 - This introductory workshop is intended for new and experienced CALP staff and board members looking to get better acquainted with the mandate and requirements of the CALP grant

Tuesday, September 13th 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm New CALP Staff Webinar - New staff will gather together with each other and CLN's Regional Support Staff for a warm welcome to CALP and to learn and connect to resources that support on-boarding to CALP

Wednesday, September 14th - Pop in for one or all of these short sessions to make the most of the learning, connecting and resources available to you on the CALP Portal, our one-stop shop for all things CALP

• Portal Bits & Bytes: Find a Resource 9:30 am – 10:00 am
• Portal Bits & Bytes: Register for Events 10:30 am – 11:00 am
• Portal Bits & Bytes: Start or Reply to a Discussion 11:30 am – 12:00 pm

Thursday, September 15th - How do you record and track your learner outcomes through the year? If you have started to use the CALP Database, or would like a refresher, join us for one or all of these sessions to get you started

• Database Bits & Bytes: Entering Learning Opportunities 9:00 am – 10:15 am
• Database Bits & Bytes: Registering Learners 10:45 am – 12:00 pm
• Database Bits & Bytes: Timesheets 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm

Friday, September 16th 9:30 am - 10:30 am Coffee with the CLN Board - Grab a coffee, find a comfy chair and settle in for a candid and informal conversation with CLN’s Board. Members of the Board will share tips about board life and welcome questions and feedback from CALPs.

Registration for all Welcome Week events closes on Friday, September 9 at noon.

New CALP Staff Portal Accounts

Hopefully we have all had a chance to rest and recoup over the summer, and now as a new CALP year begins we look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones!

If you have new staff who need to be set up with a Portal account, please have them submit a request at https://calp.ca/user/request, Accounts are typically activated within 24 hours. 

Stay up to date with the CALP Connections e-newsletter. This monthly electronic newsletter provides updates from CLN including regional training and events, along with highlights from the field. Edit your portal account to make certain that you are receiving the e-newsletter:

Welcome New CLN Staff

Speaking of new friends, we are excited to introduce you to the newest additions to Team CLN! This summer, we welcomed Della Massey as the new Regional Support Staff for the West Region and Ellen Rodgers joined us in September as Program Support in the CLN office.

Della Massey, West Region

I love to learn, have great conversations and build meaningful relationships, so I think that I have the perfect job!  Read more about Della here. 

Ellen Rodgers, Program Support 

I have a passion for working in community services, and I am so excited to now join CLN as Program Support and gain even more wonderful experience! Read more about Ellen here.

Notice of Community Learning Network's Virtual Annual General Meeting

The Community Learning Network Board of Directors invites you to attend our 35th Annual General Meeting virtually, which will be hosted in conjunction with the Literacy & Learning Awards Ceremony, which will take place on Wednesday, September 28th, 2022.

Important Information About our AGM: 

• All organizations funded directly through the Government of Alberta's Community Adult Learning Program (CALP) 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 directly funded through the Government of Alberta's Community Adult Learning Program Grant as of July 1st, 2022, and must have had a representative complete CLN's membership renewal.
• If you are not sure if the membership renewal has been completed, or you have any additional questions, please contact the CLN office at 1-877-485-4926 ext. 1 or email ed@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 at time of registration.

Important Notes About the “Virtual” Format of our AGM:

• When you join the online AGM, voting delegates will be confirmed as you enter the virtual AGM room. Further details will be provided when you login.
• Please ensure only one person from each member organization is responsible for voting.
• Voting will take place using the “polling” feature in the Event Mobi Platform.
• An online moderator will monitor the chat box/Q&A feature throughout the meeting, to ensure that members still have the opportunity to ask questions “from the floor”.

CLN 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 do not receive this email by end of day on September 6th, 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 CLN Annual General Meeting:

• Meeting Agenda
• AGM Minutes (September 2021)
• Audited Financial Statements (2021-2022)
• Operational Budget (2022-2023)
• Nominees for the CLN 2022-2023 Board of Directors

Click here to download the CLN AGM package. 

Celebrate With Us

In addition to the AGM, CLN is pleased to host the annual Literacy & Learning Awards Ceremony on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 28th.

Please join us as we celebrate the incredible achievements of some very remarkable people in Alberta’s Literacy and Foundational Learning community! This year’s celebrations will include Outstanding Contribution to Community Adult Learning Award and the 2022 Council of the Federation Literacy Award. We look forward to celebrating the impactful work happening across the province and invite you celebrate with us. https://calp.ca/events/annual-literacy-and-learning-awards-amp-cln-agm-2022.htm 

Upcoming Fall Professional Development Opportunities

Check out the events and start dates for this fall’s PD opportunities for CALP staff, volunteers board members, instructors and facilitators. Follow the links for more details. Register now to ensure your spot!

Sept 20 (3 sessions) –Tech Talk - This training is for CALP staff to gain the understanding they need to be flexible and adaptable when training others in technology, and to enhance existing classes or design new ones that better address the rapid changes occurring in the world of technology. The instructional approach is transferrable across digital devices and applications. Please take note of the dates for this training. It compresses 3 sessions over 2 weeks.

Sept 23 – Digital Divide Practitioner Tool - How can practitioners support the successful online delivery of adult foundational learning programs? Grounded in the direct experiences of adult foundational learning practitioners in Alberta, Monica Leong will share the wise practices, strategies, and guiding principles that practitioners use to support effective online delivery of CALP programming. (Hosted by Calgary Learns) Check Calgary Learns website for additional Professional Development opportunities. https://calgarylearns.com/ 

Sept 27 (5 Tuesdays)  – Introduction to Adult Foundational Learning - This CALP required training aligns with the Government of Alberta Community Adult Learning Program (CALP) Guidelines and is intended to give CALP-funded practitioners fundamental knowledge for supporting adult foundational learners in communities across Alberta.

• Register for the AM session
• Register for the PM session 

Oct 5 (3 Wednesdays) – CALP Essentials for Family Literacy Programs - In this participatory training, CALP-funded staff will learn what family literacy programming is, how well suited it is to the needs of adult foundational learners and their families, and which practices support effective CALP-funded family literacy programs. This is a CALP required training for organizations who deliver family literacy programming.

• Register for the AM session
• Register for the PM session 

Oct 25 (3 Tuesdays) – Adult Literacy and Learning (A.L.L) in Family Literacy Programs - CALP-funded family literacy programs are a safe, welcoming entry point to learning for adult foundational learners. This training will provide tools to address the ‘how to’ deliver fun and engaging programs that align with the CALP Guidelines. It builds on concepts from the CALP Essentials in Family Literacy Programs training.

Future Professional Development Opportunities 

Watch for these popular trainings over the coming year! Registration opens the month prior to the start date.

Introduction to Adult Foundational Learning (required training) 

• November 9, 2022 (5 Wednesdays)
• January 26, 2023 (5 Thursdays) 

 CALP Essentials for Family Literacy Programs (required training for organizations offering family literacy programming)

• January 25, 2023 (3 Wednesdays)

Tech Talk

• December 8, 2022 (2 Thursdays, 1 Tuesday)
• April 5, 2023 (3 Wednesdays)

Holding Safer Spaces

• January 17, 2023 (11 Tuesdays)

Adult Literacy and Learning (A.L.L.) in Family Literacy Programs

• March 2, 2023 (3 Thursdays) 

Holding Safer Spaces: Open Circles

“What does it mean to hold space for someone else? It means that we are willing to walk alongside another person in whatever journey they’re on without judging them, making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome. When we hold space for other people, we open our hearts, offer unconditional support, and let go of judgement and control.”  Heather Plett (author & co-founder of the Centre for Holding Space)

New this year! These 90 minute Open Circles are for anyone who is interested in exploring, understanding, sharing ideas, and gaining new perspectives on topics that impact the work we do in CALP organizations and programming. Each circle will pull from the themes covered in Heather Plett’s book “The Art of Holding Space”, which is the basis of the full Holding Safer Spaces training. The Open Circles will be modeled after the Circle Way, which invites participants to “ask for what you need and offer what you can.” If you’ve been curious about the full 11 week course, this is your opportunity to get a glimpse of what to expect.

Thursday, October 6 - Curiosity, and it’s role in our work 
Tuesday, November 15 - Taming Your Advice Monster 
Tuesday, December 6 - Boundaries (with guest speaker Heather Plett)

Strengthening Literacy Practices Cohort

CLN is looking for CALP practitioners (staff, literacy instructors, and facilitators) with some literacy experience, and who work directly with literacy learners, to participate in this 8-month blended learning. 

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 
• expenses covered for attending face-to-face training

"I was able to build skills to increase my confidence, help my volunteer tutors, make me more willing to try new things and open up new avenues of learning that I didn’t know existed!"  (past participant)

Check the CALP Portal here for further details on the training. For information on the 2022-23 Strengthening Literacy Practices training contact Rebecca Still at (780) 554-6376 or literacy@calp.ca.

Literacy in Action

These past two years have been challenging for not only Community Adult Learning Programs and their staff, but also for learners. We are hearing more and more about the impact of the pandemic on our mental health. We know that strong literacy skills increase our ability to improve and maintain our mental health.

Frontier College is hosting a forum on this very topic on October 5, 2022. The forum will explore the relationship between literacy and mental health during and following the pandemic. To read more about the Literacy and Mental Health forum and to register, click here.

If you are unable to attend the forum, check out the Discussion Paper connected with the forum. This paper is easy to read with great information on the connection between literacy and mental health,  and is full of ideas that you can use with learners in your organization.

Frontier College is Canada’s longest standing literacy institution. You can read more about the beginnings of this College in Allan Quigley’s e-learning Building Literacy: A Learner-Centred Guide for Teachers, Tutors and Practitioners of Adult Literacy.

For more information, contact Rebecca Still at (780) 554-6376 or literacy@calp.ca.

Other noteworthy dates this month: 

September 8th - International Literacy Day 

September 22nd - Skills for Success Day 

Update from Symposium Planning Committee: Literacy and Learning Symposium 2023

Reminder: The next Symposium will be held in May 2023

Welcome back CALPs! As mentioned in the June newsletter, we’ve planned another “pulse check” survey before we start our focused Symposium 2023 planning.
As part of CLN's planning process for future events, we'd like to ask for your thoughts about the next Literacy & Learning Symposium, at this point in time, through a quick survey. This survey is just a snapshot in time, to let us know what your thoughts and feelings are today.

Background Information: The Literacy & Learning Symposium is an annual province-wide professional development and training event hosted by the Community Learning Network focused on literacy and foundational learning for adults. The Symposium has been attended by up to 300 participants, including Community Adult Learning Program (CALP) staff, adult and family literacy practitioners, college educators, volunteers, government representatives and more. Prior to 2020 the Symposium was always held as an in-person event and for the past 2 years it was held as a virtual event. The last Literacy & Learning Symposium was held in September 2021 and the next Symposium is being planned for May 2023.

Purpose of Survey: We are seeking input from CALPs about how to structure our May 2023 Symposium as well as gathering an estimated number of possible attendees.

Survey runs: September 1-12, 2022

We really want to hear from each of you! Please take a few minutes to complete the “Symposium 2023 Point in Time Survey” located here: https://calp.ca/submissions/symposium-2023-point-in-time-survey

And of course, if you would like to share additional thoughts, or keynote speaker/presenter ideas, or if you have any questions, please contact Pat Halewich, Symposium Lead, at pdevents@calp.ca.

Thank you in advance for your input and feedback! Wishing you a wonderful start to a fall filled with possibilities!

Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC) Membership: Expression of Interest

On behalf of Alberta Advanced Education, Community Learning Network is seeking staff and/or board members of CALP-funded organizations to complete and submit the attached Expression of Interest to be considered for membership on the CALP Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC). Membership is for a two-year term, with one meeting held in person (October) and two meetings held online (February and May). PDAC has greatly appreciated and benefited from the unique regional perspectives of CALP staff who have participated in the committee, and looks forward to continuing conversations to strengthen CALP professional development in the province.

Committee Purpose: PDAC provides a formal, ongoing platform for stakeholders involved in the development and/or delivery of literacy and foundational learning to come together to share perspectives and information on the professional development (PD) needs of the CALP system, the effectiveness of current system investments to meet those needs, and to provide advice to Alberta Advanced Education on priorities that could advance the CALP system vision.

Alberta Advanced Education will determine membership to ensure broad-based representation from across the system with the following perspectives:

• Experience in the delivery of Literacy and Foundational Learning, including a range of modes of delivery
• Understanding of CALP PD needs
• Ability to provide strategic provincial and regional perspectives
• Ability to provide strategic urban and/or rural perspectives
• Ability to provide strategic Indigenous perspectives

Please see the PDAC Terms of Reference, where you will find information about the committee objectives and administration, as well as the roles and responsibilities of its members. Please note, PDAC members are reimbursed for all travel, accommodation, and meals incurred as a result of PDAC meetings.

PDAC is currently seeking non-permanent members representing the following perspectives:

• CALP-funded organization – East region
• CALP-funded organization – Central region
• CALP-funded organization – North region
• Granting Council-funded organization – Urban Edmonton

To submit your expression of interest, please complete the online form at https://calp.ca/submissions/pdac-expression-of-interest. The deadline for submissions is September 14th.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to share your perspectives, and help to shape the CALP professional development system in Alberta.

This Month's Spotlight

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) Call to Action #80 which recommends a statutory holiday to “honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”

Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30th. On this day, you are encouraged to wear orange to raise awareness of the very tragic legacy of residential schools, and to honour the thousands of Residential School Survivors. 

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led, grassroots commemorative day that honours the children who survived residential schools and remembers those who did not. This day relates to the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation, on her first day of school, where she arrived dressed in a new orange shirt, which was taken from her. It is now a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

Learning and commemorating the truth of our history from First Nations, Metis and Inuit knowledge keepers is an important part of the path to reconciliation. Join the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to memorialize the children lost to the residential school system and honour Survivors and their families during Truth and Reconciliation Week (Sept 26-30, 2022). https://nctr.ca/education/trw/

As always CALP staff who are interested in learning and unlearning are welcome to attend Ask Us Anything About Metis and Indigenous Worldview. This month's special guest is Elder Dave Matilpi.