National Conference Workshop Descriptions
Thursday, May 17th
10:30 – 12:00
Surviving to Thriving (see They Are Our Kids)
Tool to Maximize Impact
Cleq’melt - Girls Programming #1 (see #2, #3 as well)
CSI - Community School Investigators
National Programs
Board Development
“FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING”: Journey from Homelessness to a HopeFilled Life
Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary presents an educational and impactful workshop
highlighting their unique continuum of programs that support highly vulnerable
youth and their families through their journey from homelessness to a hope-filled
life. Through prevention, outreach, shelters, and housing, BGCC focuses on
giving hope back to vulnerable youth and their families. Working collectively to
reduce barriers and make services easily accessible and comprehensive, this
integrated approach realizes the potential in every youth and family.
Note: This workshop is linked with the “They are Our Kids” workshop”
TOOL UP TO MAXIMIZE YOUR IMPACT!
Dr. Terry Kelly will offer this workshop as an interactive continuation of the
principles and practices addressed in is keynote presentation. It will also take a
look at the different tools and strategies used and not yet used by staff and
volunteers across the country. Where necessary in the workshop, participants
will be offered assistance to help achieve attitude adjustment, dream adjustment,
holistic balance, a broadened perspective, to remove unhealthy habits, and to
calibrate focus to maximize impact.
CLEQ’MELT: Groups for Aboriginal Girls and Young Women
First Nations Education Council, Interior Indian Friendship Society, Kamloops
School District and Thompson Rivers University have partnered to develop and
implement a unique program to meet the needs of Aboriginal Girls in Grades 412. This workshop will share the set up, design and delivery of the program. We
will share our successes and areas that we continue to develop and strengthen.
Our program is suitable for schools and community.
Note: This workshop is linked with the Girls #2 and Girls #3 workshops
COMMUNITY SCHOOL INVESTIGATORS (CSI) Summer Learning
Enrichment Program
Melissa Foidart and Michelle Schmidt with Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg will
share an innovative program that narrows the opportunity gap and prevents
summer learning loss for 800 children each summer. The CSI Summer Learning
Enrichment Program goes beyond summer camps and programs. When you add
a fun twist to academic instruction and traditional classroom learning, you pique
the interest of kids who in turn are motivated to learn. CSI is an innovative way to
tackle the bigger issue of inequality as we continue the learning process outside
of the traditional school calendar while keeping it fun for our kids.
NATIONAL PROGRAMS 101
Enjoy a fast-paced and interactive tour of National Programs and Resources.
Meet the National Program Team and learn about grant opportunities and
program tools available for your Club. You won’t want to miss it!
BOARD DEVELOPMENT
-- description pending
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1:30 – 3:00
They are OUR Kids – Part I (see Surviving to Thriving)
Jr. Police Academy
Girls Programming #2 (see #1 and #3 as well)
Working with Angry Kids
Ticking Time Bomb
Pointing the Compass North
“THEY ARE OUR KIDS”: Think Tank on Homeless and Street-Involved
Youth in Canada - Part I
No predictable circumstances inevitably lead to youth living on the streets: the
road to homelessness is paved with a complicated network of unfortunate
circumstances and devastating events. In this second national think tank we
continue our dialogue on the unique needs, challenges, and systemic
contributions to youth homelessness. Learning from Boys and Girls Clubs across
the country and local experts, we will discuss how we can achieve real impact on
these issues.
Join a group of your peers in this DOUBLE Session discussion
that will identify common elements of services and approaches that maximize
positive impacts for this population.
The Think Tank structure of the
workshop ensures full participation of audience members and presenters alike in
a rich dialogue on issues facing vulnerable multi-risk youth. This is a DOUBLE
workshop
(Note: This workshop is linked with the “From Surviving to Thriving” workshop”
JUNIOR POLICE ACADEMY Nurturing Relationships and Responsibility
with our Youth at Risk.
The JPA is a unique program co-created in partnership with BGCSJ,
Professional Counselors, Volunteers and the Saint John Police Force.The JPA
focuses on selected Youth at Risk and provides experienced based content and
education in a Choice Theory context, both Social/Behavioral, and Police. The
commitment to these youth is two years with weekly interaction and upon
completion; graduates will become volunteers of the Police Force.
Participants of this workshop will be introduced to this program and have an
opportunity to engage in a demonstration through a ‘JPA Circle’ session .
Girls Programming #2 - Program overview – Hamilton/South Coast
Hamilton East Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club and South Coast Boys & Girls
Clubs will present a collaborative overview of their respective programs. They
will present:
 Why they have chosen to utilize the gender lens and how this fits within
Boys and Girls Clubs philosophy.
 Some of their own successes on this “journey” (potentially touching on the
types of infrastructure necessary to support successful programs
Note: This workshop is linked with the “Cleq’melt” and Girls #3 workshops
WORKING WITH ANGRY KIDS
Nada Banic, a family counsellor at South Coast BGC, will provide participants
with tools that will train them to stay calm during participants outbursts and teach
them how to help a child express and use anger in a healthy way. Participants
will increase their self-awareness, learn how to manage their own anger and how
to ensure a child’s safety while they are angry. Participants will gain the skills to
teach children healthy ways to respond to frustration and how to deal with
unpleasant feelings more effectively.
A TICKING TIME BOMB - Children's Mental Health By recognizing and adapting to mental health distress or disorders in children
aged 6 to 12, you could be defusing a ticking time bomb! Join LJ Bartle as she
addresses this critical need and highlights HIGH FIVE®'s new leading edge
training, Healthy Minds for Healthy Children. Designed for coaches and
recreation providers this session will provide insight and engagement strategies
for common mental health distress or disorders that children could be
experiencing. Participants will:
 Identify their critical role in fostering children's mental health
 Gain knowledge about children's common mental health distress and
disorders
 Experience easy to implement engagement strategies
 Use a Strength-Based Decision Making Model to engage children
 Gain communication strategies for discussing sensitive topics with
children and parents
POINTING THE COMPASS NORTH: Aligning Strategic Plans Across the
BGCC Movement for Maximum Impact.
Strategic Planning is often believed to be so complex as to require high priced,
external consultants to lead the process. One of the benefits of being part of
Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada is most of the hard work has already been done
using input from clubs across the country. Western Regional Director, Karen
McCallagh, will show the benefits of using the national strategic plan as the
framework for developing your local plan and getting your Club’s compass
pointing north again. Join us for an informative, engaging, hands-on workshop
that demystifies strategic planning and strengthens the impact of work we
collectively do as a movement.
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3:30 – 5:00
They are OUR Kids – Part II (see Surviving to Thriving)
Youth Engagement Symposium
Girls Programming #3 (see #1 & #2 as well)
Branding/Website Templates
Step It Up
Create Your Annual Fundraising Plan
“THEY ARE OUR KIDS”: Think Tank on Homeless and Street-Involved
Youth in Canada - Part II
This is the second half of a DOUBLE workshop.
YOUTH ENGAGEMENT SYMPOSIUM (Y.E.S.)
Robert Cyr from Kawartha Lakes will explain how a committee of representatives
from 7 agencies, 2 school boards and 25 youth launched the first Y.E.S. event in
2010 and played host to 145 youth and 120 professionals. The impact of this
event was felt across the community and highlighted the Boys & Girls Club
movement as a leader amongst youth serving organizations. This workshop will
take you through the development process, as well as the successes and
challenges faced. You will be provided with the tools to replicate your own
version of this event at your Boys & Girls Club
GirlsProgramming # 3 - Roundtable - facilitated discussion
Roundtable Discussions on Girls’ Programs facilitated by Beth Malcolm, and
involving all 6 presenters from the first two workshops. Some examples of
questions to help frame the discussion include:
 What are some other current successes /challenges .
 What types of resources do people have/want?
 What type of supports are needed?
 How it may impact your organization.? Your community?
Note: This workshop is linked with the “Cleq’melt” and Girls #2 workshops
*BRAND/WEBSITE TEMPLATES … description pending
“STEP IT UP!” – Bully Prevention Systemic Program
Heidy Wager and Cindy Smith Cohen from the Boys and Girls Club of Dawson
Community Centre in Verdun, Quebec will highlight how this holistic program was
based on information and intervention strategies from leading researchers, as
well as organizations such as PREVNet. The program includes workshops,
parent child activities, special events, training sessions and an 8 step Bully
Prevention Plan. The activities were created using the Transformative Learning
Model; learning through experience, reflection and interactive games. The
workshops are intended to make an impact on staff, families and members, in
hopes to empower them to STEP IT UP against bullying by making changes in
their own lives at work, school or in their communities. A tool box of intervention
strategies will be discussed including a guide to identifying characteristics, signs
and risk factors of members involved in bullying situations.
CREATE YOUR ANNUAL FUNDRAISING PLAN FROM SCRATCH
This workshop will present a systematic way of creating an annual fundraising
plan for your Club. The six-step planning process is based on the realities of
your Club’s funding base, infrastructure and fundraising team. The focus of this
approach is on strategies for building a base of individual donors in order to
create a reliable and repeatable source of income.
Participants will be asked to bring information about their Club’s revenue and
expenses to use in developing their own plan. Participants will take away a
custom-tailored fundraising plan to guide their fundraising efforts in the years to
come.
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Friday, May 18th
10:30 – 12:00
Stronger Connections – Part I
Be Green, Make Green
Raising Self Awareness
Information Management
Impacting Families
Governance, Strategy, Results
Be Good to Yourself
CREATING STRONG CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CLUBS - Part I
Several staff from western Canada will facilitate this round table discussion
focused on envisioning supports and mechanisms that augment our existing
regional and national “meeting” formats and promoting a “ground swell” of
collaborative approaches by establishing intentional relationships around
common interests. This is a double workshop. Part II is Saturday morning.
BE GREEEN, MAKE GREEN, and have fun doing it!
Join presenters from SIFE Memorial to experience Be Green first hand! Come
along and participate in some “on your feet” activities that will show you how
much fun it can be to learn about the environment! As a highlight, participants
will learn the economic benefits of being green and how to generate money for
their club.
RAISING SELF ESTEEM THROUGH CREATIVE FITNESS ACTIVITIES
Not every child is athletic, but every child deserves to have a positive experience
in being physically active! Lynn Campanella, of LettuceMakeThyme will
introduce us to many unique, instant activities that you can introduce to students
immediately! These activities not only help raise the student’s self-image, but
also help to develop healthy habits that will last a lifetime! You don't have to be a
fitness expert to understand the positive benefits these wonderful fitness
activities create. To some Play is just a four-letter word, but to those who know,
Play is an important tool that opens the door to new imagination, creativity,
healthy physical activity and self-confidence. Get ready to move!
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, FRIEND OR FOE….”
With the increasing demand for outcome information how can you implement a
database system that will help you improve your communication, service delivery
and outcome measurement? A group of staff from western Canada will help to
answer this critical question and will include a presentation and open discussion
on the process that the presenters have gone through to evaluate options and
determine the best organizational fit. The panel will discuss their experiences on
the development and implementation of their database systems and provide
insight into how, why, and what needs to be considered to ensure that your
investment in these tools can have a significant and positive long-term impact for
your club.
IMPACTING FAMILIES: Creating Connections with Families
This workshop will look at how attachment theory not only plays a fundamental a
role in parenting, but how it can also make a significant impact in the work clubs
do with parents and families. Deena Ropp-Reis, BGCC Pacific Region will
provide numerous opportunities for staff to share their challenges in working with
parents and families and how attachment theory and empathetic practices may
assist in addressing these challenges
GOVERNANCE, STRATEGY, RESULTS – Getting It Done!
Key personnel from the Greater Victoria Club will outline critical success factors
and principles for good governance, sound management and outstanding
operations in multi-service clubs.This workshop will demonstrate the translation
of policy into the critical role that each “partner” play in an organization to serve
the mission – Directors through governance, CEO/ED’s through strategy and
program staff through operations to achieve meaningful results.
BE GOOD TO YOURSELF
Working with children is a rewarding but often very challenging job. In our desire
to provide the very best we often forget about ourselves and our own needs.
When our needs are neglected and our limits extended, we become stressed and
burned out. Self-care is an essential ingredient for providing good service and
having the most positive impact on the people we are working with.
Nada Banic, from South Coast will help participants to increase their selfawareness and gain new skills.
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Saturday, May 19th
10:30 - 12:00
Stronger Connections – Part II
Spirit Within
Building Brighter Future
Improving Impact
Keeping Kids Safe
Growing Organizational Capacity
Technology –
CREATING STRONG CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CLUBS - Part II
This is the second half of the workshop presented Friday Morning.
THE SPIRIT WITHIN: the Medicine Wheel at Boys and Girls Club
Join cultural facilitator and educator/storyteller Walter MacDonald White Bear in a
workshop based on the Medicine Wheel- stories and songs that have been
passed on through traditional leaders to educate and build bridges of
understanding with people from all walks of life.
BUILDING A BRIGHTER FUTURE – Self Esteem and Body Image
Did you know that one in four boys between 10 and 14 years old diet despite
being a healthy weight? That boys and girls who diet are at 324% greater risk for
obesity than those who do not diet? Poor body-image leads to individuals not
voicing an opinion, avoiding academic, social and economic opportunities. How
do influences from family, peers, and the media, including Facebook and other
social media, impact self-esteem and body-image? Merry Bear, director of
NEDIC (Nation Eating Disorder Information Centre) will help us explore the
many influences on self-esteem and body-image, and their impact on how girls
and boys navigate their worlds. Learn engaging, interactive strategies to discuss
the issues and to increase resilience.
IMPROVING IMPACT
There is broad agreement that afterschool programs can play a significant role in
achieving positive outcomes for young people, but to do so it is critical that the
program be of high quality. Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada has developed an
Outcomes Framework which aims to define how Clubs support the healthy
development of young people and suggest ways in which Clubs can measure
outcomes and improve quality using existing program assessment tools. Join this
session to learn more about BGCC's National Outcomes Framework and how
Club staff can use it to enhance the quality of your programs.
KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE – A Proactive Approach
Many of the children who access Boys and Girls Clubs come from environments
where they have the potential to be vulnerable to situations that may cause them
harm. The key to decreasing this possibility is to take a proactive approach to
educating and empowering children, caregivers, significant adults and service
providers to raise their awareness about the risks, signs and symptoms that
make children vulnerable. In this workshop, Kim Collister of Boys and Girls
Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton and Area will provide some tools to
use in teaching children how to be safe, teaching caregivers, volunteers and
other important individual in children lives how to respond to disclosures and
teaching service providers how to identify when a child might be at risk or
experiencing an abusive situation and what some of the traits are related to
predators.
GROWING ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY - One Name, One Brand, One
Vision
Three Senior Staff will tell the story of how Okanagan Boys & Girls Clubs,
through amalgamation, mergers and partnerships with other clubs and societies,
has increased our organizational capacity to serve 11 towns and cities within the
Okanagan Valley, at over 31 service locations. We will focus on the guiding
principles of Club Development that reflect the needs of individual communities,
and are anchored in sound community development approaches. The principles
used by Okanagan, including mutual respect, a community asset based
approach, the importance of a Vision Statement, community based governance,
and cohesive administrative structure will also be discussed.
TECHNOLOGY … description pending
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2:30 - 4:00
Clubs with Camps
Aboriginal Engagement
Race for Kids
7 Billion & Counting
Making Our Mark with Decision Makers
Retention Through Employee Engagement
Technology
CLUBS WITH CAMPS – A roundtable on innovation, programming and partnerships
Staff from Victoria’s Metchosin Camp will facilitate the opportunity for clubs with
camps/outdoor centres to meet and share successes and challenges re: program
development/innovation, facility design/development, partnerships, staff
development and revenue generation. Participants will share unique
contracts/services (i.e. contract work with Youth Justice, Parks, Government,
Ministries and various levels of Education.) Each participant will share a brief
overview of their camp/centre including facility, programming, staffing structure,
clients served and partnerships.
ABORIGINAL ENGAGEMENT
In 2011 Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada commissioned a study to:
 Deepen our understanding of the needs of Aboriginal children and youth
and their families
 Deepen our understanding of the service gaps for Aboriginal children,
youth and their families
Come join our panel as we highlight the findings of this report and engage in a
discussion to help us formulate recommendations to guide our future work in
providing services in this area.
RACE FOR KIDS 2013 – A greatER time to change lives!
Are you interested in learning more about Race for Kids? Does your Club want to
get involved in 2013? This workshop will provide an overview of how Race for
Kids works and how to get on board. There will be a panel of Club staff running
their first Race for Kids event on June 2 to discuss the successes and challenges
we encountered during the inaugural year and how we will work to create an
even better event in 2013.
“SEVEN BILLION AND COUNTING”: the impact of sex, prevention,
education and
harm reduction for youth.
Youth aged 12 - 19 years are at the fabulous age of experiencing adventure as
they
widen their world with increased exploration. When it comes to sexual
exploration,
tattooing and body piercing, we need to be in a position to provide up-to-date
factual
information, education on risks, and potential consequences. This interactive
workshop, present by Sally Errey from Williams Lake, will share how we educate,
provide resource materials, harm reduction supplies and information sessions to
youth and work collaboratively with other community agencies. Come and play
“Sex in a Cup” and learn how we can better serve youth and their families at this
critical time in development.
MAKING OUR MARK WITH DECISION MAKERS- How to get in their face
and on their agenda
Rachel Gouin, Manager of Research and Public Policy, Boys and Girls Clubs of
Canada will provide some concrete ideas for how to make Clubs more visible
with decision-makers so that they call on our expertise and knowledge and so we
can call on them when we need them. Clubs will be provided lots of opportunity
to share and learn about the various ways Clubs are already engaging with
decision-makers with the goal of collectively identifying areas of opportunity for
impact on public policy at municipal, provincial and federal levels.
RETENTION THROUGH EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Calgary’s Manager of Human Resources – Nikki Malcom will explore what
Performance Management is and how agencies can develop their own system
that will help strengthen the competencies specific to their agency. Participants
will walk away with tools and resources to help them create their own
performance management system that will support their organization
TECHNOLOGY … description pending
Note: 4:30 – 6:00 Grocery Foundation – by invitation