Social Justice & Sustainability

Professional Development Conference & General Meeting

Vancouver Airport Marriott, Richmond BC

CONFERENCE DAY 1

Wednesday, October 19th, 2022
from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (PDT)

NETWORKING RECEPTION

Wednesday, October 19th, 2022
from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (PDT)

CONFERENCE DAY 2

Thursday, October 20th, 2022
from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PDT)

GENERAL MEETING

Thursday, October 20th, 2022
from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM (PDT)

Topics on Social Justice

It is not enough for BC’s community social service sector to be strong and sustainable. That is an important and worthy goal, but we also need to champion equity and social justice. We need to dedicate ourselves to the kind of systemic change that only happens through a deliberate and enduring effort to address the underlying issues affecting the children, families, and communities we serve. This conference will include speakers and workshops that explore topics like values-based decolonization and how to think about power and inclusion when trying to hire and retain a diverse staff.

Topics on Sustainability

The right to social care is as fundamental as any human right. No person should ever lack the opportunity to receive the care of professional services or engage in the resources of the community. But as our world changes more drastically and quickly than ever, our sector will also need to change. This conference will include speakers and topics on how organizations can prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis and ways to approach an increasingly uncertain future to ensure our clients and communities have access to the services and supports they need where and when they need them.

Event Speakers & Presenters

Opening Keynote

Preparing Organizations for the Impacts of the Climate Crisis
Arden Henley

Workshops & Presentations

Building Inclusive Teams: Hiring and Retaining a Diverse Staff
Tanya Rumble and Nicole McVan
Values Based Decolonization: Taking Steps Towards Tangible Change
Warren Hooley
Facing an Uncertain Future
Arden Henley
Leading Change in Times of Complexity
Kathryn Thomson
Emergency Planning
Alison Poste
Truth Justice and Reconciliation
Leslie Varley and Dr. Cheryl Ward

Closing Session

Conversation Café for Reflection, Connection, and Action
Kathryn Thomson

Alison Poste, BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres

As an Emergency Manager and Certified Business Continuity Professional, Alison is driven by climate leadership and resilience. After a senior civilian role with the Canadian military, Alison co-led the recovery team for the Province of Alberta following the catastrophic 2013 southern Alberta floods. During the fires that ravaged the Fort McMurray region in 2016, she worked alongside First Nations partners, and NGOs to ensure the successful evacuation of the region’s over 90,000 residents. Alison also carried out several roles in recent emergency activations impacting the Lytton First Nation and the Fraser Valley. Alison has received the Premier’s Medal of Excellence (Alberta) and the Individual Contributor Award for the Alberta Public Service, among other awards. Recently, she co-authored an article on best practices in the ‘virtual’ management of emergencies, published in the Journal of Emergency Management. As the current Emergency Planner for the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, she is working with the 25-member Friendship Centres in BC to develop Emergency Plans and increase capacity to prepare, respond to and recovery from emergency events.

Arden Henley, Green Technology Education Centre

Arden is currently the Executive Director of the Green Technology Education Centre (GTEC). Arden’s work has included starting a street-based program for at risk youth; designing, developing and implementing two multi-million-dollar residential treatment centres for children, youth and their families; co-founding a Family Therapy Institute; and initiating a Master of Counselling degree program that is now the largest in western Canada. Prior to GTEC, Arden was Vice President of City University in Canada. He has published numerous articles in professional journals, five book chapters, a book, several op-eds and numerous blog posts at GTEC and Huffington Post. Arden holds B.A. from McMaster University, an M.A. from Duquesne University (Pittsburgh) and a Doctorate in Education from Simon Fraser University.

Cheryl Ward, MSW, RSW, EdD

Dr. Cheryl Ward is Kwakwaka’waka and a member of the ‘Namgis First Nation from northern Vancouver Island. Deeply committed to social justice education, decolonizing anti-racism training, and the development of Indigenous cultural safety pedagogy, Cheryl has more than twenty-five years of experience as an anti-racism educator. In 2008, she joined Leslie Varley at British Columbia’s Provincial Health Services Authority to lead the ideation, pedagogy, curriculum, and facilitation design and implementation of what would become the San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Program. Since 2010, the San’yas program has trained more than 160.000 people across Canada. Cheryl’s interests today include anti-racism education and facilitation, leadership development, and transformative organizational change.

Kathryn Thomson, LeadershipMind

Kathryn Thomson, B.Ed, M.A., is relentlessly curious about human behavior in organizational and community settings and is deeply passionate about helping people think and act creatively, courageously and collaboratively wherever they are. She is a co-founder and principal at LeadershipMind Consulting and draws on research and insights from neuroscience and developmental psychology in her practice. Kathryn is currently engaged in research and teaching about the role of radical listening in creating sustainable solutions at work and in the world. She was a senior faculty member in the Centre for Leadership at the Justice Institute of British Columbia for 25 years and is a founding member of Ethelo, an e-democracy platform designed to help organizations and societies tackle complex problems and make better decisions together. Kathryn has 25 years of experience in creating and delivering highly successful strategic planning, visioning and stakeholder engagement processes in both corporate, educational and non-profit settings. In addition, Kathryn develops and delivers curriculum on a wide range of topics including collaborative leadership, critical thinking, building healthy teams and navigating conflict. She is passionate about helping people think, talk and act for more sustainable, healthy results—in communities and in the world. View her TEDx talk about the role of listening for healing social and political divides in our world. Kathryn lives and works on the island of ,Nexwlelxm (Bowen Island) on the unceded and ancestral territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish Nation).

Leslie Varley, BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres

Leslie Varley, an urban Nisga’a woman has roots in matrilocal coastal fishing communities of the Northwest coast. In her social justice work she links arms with likeminded leaders committed to advancing necessary social change. She heads up the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, an umbrella organization advocating for services and supports for the 25 Indigenous services centres throughout BC. Leslie brings an ambitious and determined decolonizing anti-racist focus to her volunteer community work. Her favourite places are the inlets coves and bays on the southwest Pacific coast. Her education includes a Master’s in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University.

Nicole McVan, United Way Greater Toronto

Nicole McVan is a strategic non-profit leader with 20 years of experience in Canada and abroad. Their experience spans many areas including corporate philanthropy, individual and community-based giving, volunteer development, national event management, and alumni giving. They are currently the Vice President, Philanthropy and Marketing at United Way Greater Toronto raising over $100M annually to support the community. As a white, able-bodied, transgender and non-binary person, Nicole uses an anti-oppressive lens in building philanthropy and marketing plans to work with and for communities. Nicole regularly speaks and writes on the topic of equity, privilege, and power dynamics for fundraising publications and at conferences and learning events. They hold a master’s degree in Non-profit Marketing and Fundraising from City University of London and is currently working on a certificate in Community Engagement, Leadership and Development at Ryerson University to build their knowledge of how to work with and for communities for lasting change.

Tanya Hannah Rumble, Toronto Metropolitan University

Tanya Hannah Rumble is a racialized settler of multi-ethnic origins living in Tkaronto. She is a fundraising leader who has raised millions for some of Canada’s largest charities including Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, McMaster University and now the Faculty of Arts and Yellowhead Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University. As a racialized philanthropy professional, Tanya is honoured to share her influence and insights on the topics of inclusion, equity, and access; and power, privilege and fundraising. She graduated with an Hons. B.A. Political Science from McMaster University, earned a Graduate Certificate at NYU in Marketing Communications, and is currently enrolled in the Masters of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) at Carleton University.

Warren Hooley

Warren Hooley is a 36-year-old man from the (Okanagan) Territory in Penticton, British Columbia. Having mixed roots of Okanagan, English and Ukrainian and growing up in both western and indigenous worlds, Warren sees himself as a bridge, helping both sides move from polarity to deeper connection. For the past 10 years, Warren has passionately facilitated over 2000 workshops on the topics of Compassionate Communication, Indigenous ‘Allyship’ and Decolonization. Today, living in Vancouver BC, Warren is dedicated to helping create a world where everyone can thrive and succeed to their own definition. His work is focused on teaching the tangible skills for healthy, happy and sustainable relationships.

Hotel Booking

Book your guestroom at the Vancouver Airport Marriott from $269.00 CAD per night. Reserve your room online or call 1-877-323-8888 and indicate that you are a FCSSBC conference delegate. The guestroom block cut-off date is Saturday, September 17th.

Networking Reception

A complimentary Networking Reception sponsored and hosted by NucleusLabs will take place from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Wednesday evening at the Vancouver Airport Marriott. Many thanks to our friends at NucleusLabs for their support!

Conference Agenda

Information & Registration

Event Registration

Registration is now closed. See you in Richmond!

When

Conference Day 1
Wednesday, October 19th
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (PDT)

Networking Reception
Wednesday, October 19th
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (PDT)

Conference Day 2
Thursday, October 20th
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM (PDT)

General Meeting
Thursday, October 20th
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM (PDT)

Where

Vancouver Airport Marriott
7571 Westminster Highway
Richmond, BC

Cost

Early Bird Registration (Before August 31st)
Federation Members & Partners: $300
Non-Member/Public: $350

Standard Registration (After August 31st)
Federation Members & Partners: $350
Non-Member/Public: $400

Contact

For information or questions about your registration or payment, please email kathy@fcssbc.ca or contact The Federation office.

Travel Subsidy

The Federation’s Travel Subsidy is 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, contact The Federation office.

Team Seminar Listening Corporate Conference Concept

October General Meeting

The Federation’s October General Meeting will follow the conference on Thursday, October 20th. The General Meeting will include a lunch break at the beginning for those staying after the conference. You can indicate if you are attending the General Meeting as part of your conference registration.

The General Meeting Agenda will be emailed to Federation members prior to the event but below is a brief overview of some of the key items that will be covered. Please note: The Federation General Meeting is for members and invited guests only.

Ratification of New Members

Organizations that have applied to join The Federation will be reviewed and ratified by the membership so they can join our growing network.

Address from the President

New Federation president Kendra Gage will speak to the membership about our organization’s goals and strategic direction.

Organizational Update

Federation Executive Director Rick FitzZaland will update the membership on Federation initiatives that are underway (or upcoming) as well as key advocacy issues.

Event Payment & Cancellation Policy

1. If you register online and you choose the “pay by check” option, your registration confirmation is your invoice, and payment is due upon receipt. Please ensure that your payment reaches The Federation office PRIOR to the date of the event. If payment is not received in our office by the start of the event, you will be invoiced for your registered amount PLUS a $25.00 administration fee.

2.Registrants who cancel 30+ days prior to the event will receive a refund less $25.00 per person administration fee. Registrants who cancel 15-30 days prior to the event will receive a 50% refund less $25.00 per person administration fee. There will be no refund issued if cancellation occurs within 0-14 days of the event. Relevant dates for each event will be posted on the event registration page.

3. If you register online and choose the “pay by check” option and do not cancel within the above-noted time frames (see #2), you are responsible for the registration fee and will be invoiced accordingly.

4. Registrations are transferable to a different person for the same event. Please contact The Federation office for assistance with this. Registrations are not transferable to another event.

5. Registrations made after the on-line closing date and non-registered at-door arrivals (space permitting) will be invoiced at the full event rate plus a $25.00 per person administration fee.

6. Credit card payment is accepted on-line only and is not accepted at the door.

Professional Development Conference & General Meeting

Vancouver Airport Marriott, Richmond BC

CONFERENCE DAY 1

NETWORKING RECEPTION

CONFERENCE DAY 2

GENERAL MEETING

Topics on Social Justice

Topics on Sustainability

Event Speakers & Presenters

Opening Keynote

Workshops & Presentations

Closing Session

Hotel Booking

Networking Reception

Conference Agenda

Sponsors

Information & Registration

Event Registration

When

Where

Cost

Contact

Travel Subsidy

October General Meeting

Ratification of New Members

Address from the President

Organizational Update

Event Payment & Cancellation Policy

Contact Info

Reconciliation

Resources

About The Federation

Professional Development Conference & General Meeting Vancouver Airport Marriott, Richmond BC

CONFERENCE DAY 1

NETWORKING RECEPTION

CONFERENCE DAY 2

GENERAL MEETING

Topics on Social Justice

Topics on Sustainability

Event Speakers & Presenters

Opening Keynote

Workshops & Presentations

Closing Session

Hotel Booking

Networking Reception

Conference Agenda

Sponsors

Information & Registration

Event Registration

When

Where

Cost

Contact

Travel Subsidy

October General Meeting

Ratification of New Members

Address from the President

Organizational Update

Event Payment & Cancellation Policy

Contact Info

Reconciliation

Resources

About The Federation

Professional Development Conference & General Meeting

Vancouver Airport Marriott, Richmond BC