Community of Learning Conference: Leadership in 2021
Family Service Canada’s 2021 Conference explores Leadership in 2021. Keynote speakers are Sacha Médiné and Kendal Netmaker.
Thank you!
Thank you to each of our speakers and presenters and everyone who attended and participated in Leadership in 2021 on March 11. We appreciate all of your contributions and look forward to continued conversations about equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Watch for future virtual events and gatherings from Family Service Canada and other opportunities to connect and grow as leaders of family service organizations.
Keynote Speakers
Sacha Médiné
Racially just leadership after 2020: Answering the call of an uprising
Sacha is a Black counsellor, supervisor, and educator based in Vancouver, on unceded Coast Salish territories. His work and activism are focused on providing support and solidarity to individuals, communities and organizations impacted by, struggling for liberation from, or seeking to be accountable to their participation in systems of structural violence such as White Supremacy, Patriarchy, and Settler Colonialism.
In addition to his counselling and consulting practice, Sacha is currently an associate faculty member at the City University of Seattle’s Master of Counselling program and a clinical instructor with the UBC Medical School Department of Family Practice.
Kendal Netmaker
The Leader Within
Kendal Netmaker, from Sweetgrass First Nation, Saskatchewan, is one of Canada’s leading entrepreneurs and speakers. He was raised by a single mother who cared for Kendal and his three younger sisters while growing up in poverty and few chances for opportunity.
He is the author of Driven to Succeed. To date, Kendal has founded and invested in 5 businesses and won over 25 business awards, including runner-up as the YBI Global Entrepreneur of the Year & one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40®. Kendal speaks professionally to thousands of people each year on resilience, leadership and the power of telling your story.
Attend the Annual Community of Learning Conference
A Community of Learners is a group of people who share values and beliefs and actively learn from one another.
The Family Service Canada community is interdependent. Each of us is responsible for receiving and sharing resources and points of view while sustaining a mutually respectful environment.
Technology makes it possible to connect across distances and throughout the year, but in-person connection is essential. Our annual Community of Learning Conference provides that connection and supports our development of trust and relationships.
Every year, one member hosts the conference—welcoming conference attendees to their city or town.
The Community of Learning Conference is Different Every Year
We build our conferences around a theme or prevalent issue. Agencies or subject matter experts facilitate learning sessions and lead discussions. In the past, content shared at the conference has included
- Practical learning around essential non-profit functions like fund development or governance.
- New initiatives like multi-agency collaborations.
- Service opportunities like the F&ST program or different approaches to single-session counselling.
- New research in areas like neuroscience and brain development that impacts how we serve families.
Every conference also includes ample opportunity to connect in smaller groups. Whether you want to discuss a specific issue or relax in your peers’ company, you’ll find it.
Dinner, drinks, and opportunities to experience some of what the host city offers are just some of the other aspects of the conference.
The Conference is Open to Non-Members
The Community of Learning Conference is a Family Service Canada offering that is open to members and non-members alike. If you’re interested in the theme or topic, you’ll find valuable information and discussion. We’ll also benefit from hearing your perspective.
If you’re considering membership, attending the conference is a great way to meet current members and experience our community.
Our next conference will be in October 2020. The event will be virtual to protect everyone’s health. We hope to return to an in-person event early next year in Vancouver.
