Pick Your Path through Strategic Conversations
Welcome to the Strategic Conversations zine—a flexible, reflective resource created with Community Adult Learning Program (CALP) staff in mind.
This isn’t a guide you read front to back. It’s more like a good conversation: it can start anywhere, begin at any time, go in unexpected directions and be returned to again and again.
How to get the most out of it:
Flip Through Freely
Start anywhere. Whether you have a few minutes or an hour, there’s something here
for you:
- A deep dive
- A quick insight
- A downloadable tip sheet
You’ll find all of this within the pages of our zine. Let curiosity guide you. The “right” page is the one that speaks to you in the moment.
Practice Reflection
This zine is built around reflective practice— both self-reflection and critical reflection.
Use it to think about:
- Your approach to adult foundational learning
- Your relationships within CALP
- The spaces you create
- The assumptions you hold
Peer Learning
These articles are perfect conversation starters. Discuss them:
- In professional communities
- At team meetings
- During a coffee break
- On a walk-and-talk
As prompts for professional development
Share your thoughts. Listen to others. Pay attention to your response. Sit with the tension.
Let the zine spark real dialogue that deepens your practice.
Explore by Theme
Each article is tagged with themes.
learner-centred - B D F G I K M N
strengths-based - A C E H J L O
establishing trust - G K L N O
building relationship - B D E F
planning for learning - A J M
welcoming space - C H I
humane - B D G H
radical - L M N
relational - C E F K
hopeful - A I J O
Don’t worry about overlaps—these themes are interconnected, just like the work you do.
Return Often
This is a resource designed to grow with you. Come back for:
- Inspiration
- Possibilities
- Further learning
- Reflection
Sometimes the article you didn’t know you needed becomes the one that shifts your perspective. Use this zine as a living resource that supports your professional learning, your team, and most importantly, the adult Albertans your program serves.
Article Index
The complete zine plus individual articles can be downloaded and shared as needed - online or in print.
Note: Downloads will display in single pages when viewed in browser. Downloads will display in spreads once opened in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Quick Scroll to Each Article (click on letter)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
Strategic Conversations
Developed for CALP Staff by CALP Staff
A zine (pronounced "zeen") is a small, self-published, often non-commercial booklet or magazine created by one or a small group of people, usually featuring a specialized or unconventional subject matter.
Now What? Supporting Adult Learning
Submitted by: Berneice Gowan
Themes:
strengths-based
planning for learning
hopeful
The Priority of Being Welcoming
Submitted by: Veronica Fukuda & Michelle Gietz, Brooks Community Adult Learning Council
Themes:
learner-centred
building relationship
humane
Inside Voice Podcast
Submitted by: Lee & Kurt Holfeld
Themes:
strengths-based
welcoming space
relational
Holding Space in Learner Intake Podcast
Submitted by: Flagstaff Community Adult Learning (FCAL) Team - Lois Polege, Treena Brooke, Val Rathjen
Themes:
learner-centred
building relationship
humane
Connection, Reflection & Relationships-
Why it Matters
Submitted by: Kim Heatherington
Themes:
strengths-based
building relationship
relational
Co-Writing Stories of Conversation
Submitted by: Tanis Harms
Themes:
learner-centred
building relationship
relational
The Brain Story and How it Relates to the Intake of Adult Foundational Literacy Learners
Submitted by: Rochelle Galeski
Themes:
learner-centred
establishing trust
humane
Creative Brave Spaces -
An Indigenous Perspective
Submitted by: Tamara Argue
Themes:
strengths-based
welcoming space
humane
The Importance of Being Relevant
Submitted by: Emma Dabrowski
Themes:
learner-centred
welcoming space
hopeful
Pathways to High School Graduation
Submitted by: Odette Lloyd
Themes:
strengths-based
planning for learning
hopeful
Reclaiming the Self: Why Self-Concept is the Hidden Heart of Adult Learning
Submitted by: Heidi Grogan
Themes:
learner-centred
establishing trust
relational
The Power We Bring: Positionality and the First Steps of Learning
Submitted by: Rochelle Galeski
Themes:
strengths-based
establishing trust
radical
Adaptive Learning: A Game-Changer in Adult Literacy
Submitted by: Kristin Dmytriw
Themes:
learner-centred
planning for learning
radical
White Spaces & White Fears:
Speaking from a North African Woman
Submitted by: Amira Nanis
Themes:
learner-centred
establishing trust
radical
Where You End and I Begin
Submitted by: Lisa Berry
Themes:
strengths-based
establishing trust
hopeful