‘Refilling Your Basket’ – Register For Our June Networking Event

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Each year, The Federation’s June conferences are an opportunity to examine current and emerging issues—the things that you, our members, tell us you want to hear and learn more about. But after 15 solid months of working through a chaotic pandemic in which we have often lacked control and understanding, one thing many of us need to focus on is depleted energy levels.

That’s why the theme of The Federation’s Virtual June event is Refilling Your Basket. It is a networking event focused on stories and practices and activities (and prizes) that we hope will help to restore and inspire you and your colleagues. The Federation team has designed this afternoon with intention—a few hours of connection and care—so that it will create and restore energy rather than consume it.

What to Expect

The past dozen months have been a year like no other. Not just because of the pandemic or because of the social upheaval, but because of the way this sector of committed and compassionate people came together to build a stronger, more sustainable, more caring place for all of us to live. This event is striving to embody that spirit.

On Wednesday, June 23 from 12:30 to 5:00 PM (PST), we will celebrate our accomplishments, share stories of compassion and commitment, and create moments of joy and surprise and delight—refilling your baskets with restorative energy and inspiration.

  • Dr. Dustin Louie, the instructor of The Federation’s Transformative Reconciliation program will host our opening ceremony and introduce our theme of restoration.
  • Stories from the sector will celebrate and honour the amazing things we have accomplished and created and learned throughout the pandemic.
  • A virtual treasure hunt will create opportunities to connect with colleagues and give you the chance to win PRIZES.
  • Breakout rooms hosted by Federation members will share new and promising practices, honour the work of colleagues, harvest knowledge and insights that have helped people get through the past year, and host fun games.
  • And more!!

Register Now

Registration for the June Virtual Event is open now on The Federation website. The event will take place online using Zoom. You can also view and download a PDF copy of the full agenda and schedule for the afternoon on the event web page.
And even though you may not be travelling to this year’s June event, The Federation’s Travel Subsidy is still available to help offset the costs of participation for Federation members (especially smaller, remote, and Indigenous organizations). The application form [PDF] is available here. For more information, please contact The Federation office.

Thank You

Thank you to Schmunk Gatt Smith & Associates and FortisBC for sponsoring this event to ensure that Federation members can participate at a low cost. Both Schmunk Gatt Smith & Associates and FortisBC will host breakout rooms where they will share information about their programs and offerings for organizations and/or low-income families.

And many, many thanks to you, our members, for ensuring that your programs and services continued to operate in the spirit with which they were created throughout these truly challenging times. Thank you for going above and beyond during an unprecedented crisis. And thank you for your patience and compassion and creativity—for living into what altogether better is all about. I look forward to seeing you all (online) in June.

Rick FitzZaland
Executive Director

New Community Social Services Training Fund Workshops & Webinars

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A couple of months ago, we announced the launch of a series of learning and development workshops focused on coaching, leadership, and human resources management to complement the two main funding streams of the Community Social Services Training Fund. As those cohorts wrap up this week, I am happy to announce the next series of training opportunities that will be offered in partnership with Volunteer BC.

Two free webinars and three workshop programs will explore various aspects of volunteer management and how organizations can adapt their volunteer-adjacent programs in a pandemic/post-pandemic world.

From volunteer recruitment and retention, to risk management, to creating culturally inclusive volunteer programs, these learning opportunities will help organizations design and run programs that respond to community needs in times of crisis, recruit and retain volunteers while keeping health and safety a priority, and plan ways for new and returning volunteers to re-engage with programs and communities safely.

These offerings are open to all community social service organizations across the province and will address training needs and skill gaps identified in the Social Services Labour Market Research Project and the extensive Community Social Services Training Fund survey that took place in 2020.

1. Volunteer Management: Workshops & Webinar

Participants can explore this topic through a free two-hour webinar and/or apply to participate in a two-part workshop series that will take place in 3-hour virtual synchronous seminars over a two-week period. Dates, times and application information are on The Federation website.

The free webinar will be a condensed version of the workshops, giving a brief overview of how organizations can plan their volunteer programs to meet new and emerging community needs. The workshops will focus on two key aspects of volunteer management: (1) planning a volunteer program and (2) volunteer recruitment and retention—exploring how service delivery has changed, and what that means for volunteer engagement. You can learn more, register for the webinar, and apply to participate in the workshops here.

2. Risk Management: Workshops & Webinar

Like the above topic, participants can explore this issue through a free two-hour webinar and/or apply to participate in a two-part workshop series that will take place in 3-hour virtual synchronous seminars over a two-week period. Dates, times and application information are on The Federation website.

The free webinar will be a condensed version of the workshops, offering an introduction and overview to the content—looking at the different ways organizations are thinking about their volunteer programs and planning for volunteers to return safely. The workshops will take a high-level look at risk as it relates to community social services organizations. Participants will learn how to identify and assess risk by using simple tools and real-life case studies. You can learn more, register for the webinar, and apply to participate in the workshops here.

3. Culturally Welcoming, Inclusive Volunteer Programs

This two-part workshop series will take place in 4-hour virtual synchronous seminars over a two-week period. (There is no accompanying webinar.) It has been designed to assist volunteer managers in building culturally inclusive volunteer management practices into their programs to help them better attract and retain newcomers, refugees, and Indigenous groups as volunteers while also presenting a more welcoming and inclusive face to their community. You can learn more, register for the webinar, and apply to participate in the workshops here.

Other Updates and Thanks

And if you haven’t already done so, please visit the Community Social Services Training Fund page to learn more about the two different grant streams that organizations may apply for—the Support for Certification/Education Individual Grant and the Organizational Training Grant.

As of April 2021, organizations can apply for both grants in the same fiscal year—you no longer need to choose between the two funding streams. Plus, the funding amount for the Support for Certification/Education Individual Grant has been increased to $15,000 to support training for up to 10 individuals.

Funding for these workshops and seminars and the Community Social Services Training Fund grant streams has been provided by The Province of British Columbia as part of an initiative to respond to the training and development needs of those who work with some of BC’s most vulnerable people. You can learn more about these investments here.

Additional learning and development opportunities will be announced and offered between now and March 2022, so stay tuned for future updates and bookmark this page on The Federation website.

I would once again like to thank our sector partners at the Social Service Sector Roundtable for their help in making these opportunities possible. If you have any questions or concerns about the Community Social Services Training Fund or other Social Services Sector Round Table initiatives, please feel free to contact me.

Rick FitzZaland
Executive Director

Register to get your COVID vaccine

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Over the next few weeks, a significant increase in vaccine supply will become available to British Columbians. More than 1 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine are set to arrive in May. As such, the province is accelerating its vaccine delivery to people throughout the province to get vaccines into arms as soon as possible.

“With each person who is vaccinated, we are all safer. Let’s continue to do our part – to get vaccinated when it is our turn, use our layers of protection and follow all of the public health measures we have in place.”   – Dr. Bonnie Henry

The best way to ensure your vaccination and reserve your vaccine dose is to register on the Get Vaccinated website or by calling 1-833-838-2323. Everyone 18 and older should ensure they do this right away.

Getting vaccinated is easy and safe. And you can help even more by passing on this information to your colleagues and helping your friends and family complete their registration, book an appointment, and get the vaccine as well. If you would like copies of the print-ready posters below to put up in your organization, please email marshall@fcssbc.ca.

You can learn more about how to get vaccinated, what information you need to register, what to expect at the vaccine clinic, and more all right here. Additional updates for specific groups and populations are highlighted below.

BC Immunization Plan Updates

Member Webinar: Vaccine Info for Employers

Please join us on our next ‘COVID-19 and Your Organization’ call on May 13th at 10:15. We will be joined by Natasha Jategaonkar from Mathews Dinsdale Human Resources Lawyers who will speak to vaccination employee privacy and answer questions from members. You may also find helpful information in their previously-recorded webinar: COVID-19 and Vaccines: What An Employer Needs to Know.

The webinar for Federation members will take place on Zoom from 10:15 to 11:15 next Thursday. You can find all the details and information about how to participate on our Webinars page. The ‘COVID-19 and Your Organization’ calls are open to everyone; notes and recordings are shared on the private Member’s Page of The Federation website.

The Federation is in close communication with Immunize BC and will continue to be informed when pop-up clinics happen and will pass this info along to members. If you have any other questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me.

Sherry Sinclair
Director of Programs & Services