Helping Our Kids Regulate Big Emotions - Creating a Family Adoption and Foster Care Education

In this course, we will talk about how to help our kids cope with their big feelings through self-regulation.

The instructor will be Dr. Stuart Shanker, a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Psychology at York University, the Founder of The MEHRIT Centre, and author of several books, including Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle. He is also an adoptive dad.

This course covers the following learning objectives:

• List 5 steps to help our kids manage stress.

• Explain the difference between misbehavior and stress behavior.

• Explain what hidden stressors are.

• List 3 techniques to reduce stress.

To register: Creating a Family – HOKRBE

Effective Intercultural Practice - Center for Race and Culture (CFRAC)

This workshop will examine the concept of culture, the effect culture has on one’s personal and professional life, as well as the role that our cultural norms and expectations play in our interactions with others.

It will equip the participants with practical tools to reflect on their programs and services, apply strategies to challenge cultural bias and discrimination, practice intercultural communication to create a more inclusive workplace where colleagues and clients from different cultural backgrounds feel valued and respected.

In this session, participants will:

• Explore culture, cultural norms, and the way our own cultural lens influences our work

• Understand our cultural biases and the way they can lead to discrimination

• Understand intercultural practice in the context of social inclusion and equity

• Use culturally informed practices to guide their interactions for effective intercultural communication

For more information: CFRAC Training

Understanding and Mitigating Bias - Center for Race and Culture (CFRAC)

Taking an intersectional approach, this workshop will help participants to build their understanding of bias and practice steps that can be taken to limit the impact of unconscious biases on our decisions and behaviours.

Participants will enhance their self-awareness of their own biases, build understanding of their social conditioning, and examine behaviour versus intention in professed values and daily behaviours. Through case studies and interactive exercises, participants will identify their biases and assumptions, and learn how strategies to mitigate biases at the personal and organizational levels.  After participating in this training, participants will be able to:

• Understand and define the concept of unconscious bias

• Recognize personal and organizational biases and the way they impact our behaviours, interactions, and decisions

• Identify and use tools and strategies to mitigate their personal and organizational biases

For more information: CFRAC Training

Anti-Racism Education - Center for Race and Culture (CFRAC)

This training aims to empower the participants by focusing on mobilizing anti-racism knowledge and providing tools for prevention, intervention, and meaningful ally-ship.

Participants with varying levels of experience and knowledge of bias, discrimination, and racism will be able to work through the material at a level that is meaningful to them. They will deepen their understanding of racism and its history, how it impacts communities and workplaces, how to support racial equity. After participating in this training, participants will be able to:

• Develop a common understanding of the concepts related to race, racialization, and racism

• Understand the history of racism and current realities in the international and national contexts

• Recognize the impacts of racism on an individual, institutional and societal level and the importance of anti-racism education

• Gain experience with tools for responding to situations of racial discrimination

• Learn anti-racist strategies to support racial equity in policies and practices

For more information: CFRAC Training

Micro-Inequities in the Workplace - Center for Race and Culture (CFRAC)

In this workshop, participants will have a good understanding of micro-inequities, the way they impact individuals and workplaces, how to identify and respond to such behaviours, and how to implement preventive strategies.

A micro-inequity is a behavior, a subtle form of discrimination where a person is singled out, devalued, overlooked, or ignored due to their accent, ethno-racial identity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic class, disability, or membership in a minoritized group. Micro-inequities have negative impacts on workplaces and the wellbeing of individuals and communities. Focusing on education as the key to promoting inclusion and respect, the workshop’s main objectives to enhance the capacity of participants in addressing and challenging discrimination and inequity include:

• Raising awareness around micro-inequities

• Support skill development in the area of anti-discrimination to mitigate and intervene in instances of micro-inequities

• Promoting inclusive communication skills and service delivery

• Leading to new behaviors including reducing discriminatory habits and attitudes

For more information: CFRAC Training

Building Inclusive Workplaces and Practices - Center for Race and Culture (CFRAC)

This interactive workshop will focus on tools to recognize, articulate, understand, examine, challenge, and change workplace practices with the lens of using curiosity, collaboration, and conversation as a response and reinforcing that learning organizations use these moments (of potential constructive conflict) as learning opportunities.

Supervisors and employees will consider their separate but interconnected roles in creating and maintaining inclusive workplaces. Participants also will have the opportunity to apply these concepts in the context of their personal life in addition to their work, as we know that the ‘person’ and the ‘worker’ are one and the same, and that there are no clear boundaries between what we bring to work and what affects us in environments outside of the workplace.

In this workshop, participants will:

• Gain a deep understanding of key concepts around diversity, inclusion, and equity

• Learn how to apply the EDI framework to build stronger and more productive teams

• Work in groups on goal setting around creating and maintaining an inclusive and effective organizational culture

For more information: CFRAC Training

Unmasking Micro-Inequities - Center for Race and Culture (CFRAC)

Learn about micro-inequities, how they impact others, and how to hold people accountable for them.

The Centre for Race and Culture has developed a series of educational workshops and free open-access resources for service providers and the general public in Edmonton, Alberta under the name Unmasking Micro-inequities. This project supports participants to learn ways to hold themselves and others accountable when faced with everyday moments of discrimination—specifically micro-inequities—in their own lives and workplaces. We define micro-inequities as subtle, indirect, and often unintentional practices or behaviours that communicate bias or prejudice against members of marginalized groups, making them feel belittled, excluded, disrespected, or disadvantaged. These discriminatory acts occur across power dynamics, impacting members of marginalized groups such as women, 2SLGBTQ+ folks, people with disabilities, religious minorities, and persons living in poverty. By learning about the interplay between macro- and micro-level inequities, participants will learn why micro-inequities are not small or insignificant, but harmful. Together, we will explore the various forms of micro-inequities and the power dynamics that inform them, along with strategies for recognizing and meaningfully responding to incidents of micro-inequities. Educational content will include definitions, up-to-date theory, and a broad range of examples and stories, all contextualized to the realities we face in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Using an engaged approach, opportunities for self-reflection, sharing experiences, discussion and action-planning will be woven throughout the workshops and resources. 

We will learn: 

• What micro-inequities and microaggressions are;  

• How to recognize and unmask them;   

• Why and how they are harmful; and, 

• Strategies for intervening in them (as bystanders, allies and targets) 

For more information: CFRAC Training

KAIROS Blanket Exercise – Reach Edmonton

The KAIROS Blanket Exercise is a workshop that explores the nation-to-nation relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Blankets arranged on the floor represent land and participants are invited to step into the roles of First Nations, Inuit and later Métis peoples. The workshop helps people to understand how the colonization of this land impacts those who were here long before settlers arrived. It engages people’s minds and hearts in understanding why the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples is often broken and how we can take an action together.

The Blanket Exercise is available for community organizations in Edmonton and surrounding areas upon requests. The cost is subsidized by REACH for non-profit organizations that work with vulnerable populations. It is recommended that groups have a minimum of 12 participants.

If you are interested in having Blanket Exercise for your team, please contact Rie Nakai at rie.nakai@reachedmonton.ca.

To register: KAIROS Blanket Exercise – REACH

Intercultural Learning and Social Justice Workshops – Multicultural Health Brokers Co-Operative

These workshops intend to increase knowledge and build skills of participants in understanding social and cultural identities and how they influence experience of privilege, oppression and marginalization. 

These workshops explore broader issues of inequities and the complexities of building intercultural alliances to achieve social justice and change

Workshops can include:

• Integrating a racial equity lens in policy and practice 

• Organizing culturally diverse communities for change

Interested? Individuals and organizations interested in accessing our Journeys program can contact MCHB for public offerings and customized workshops for organizations. For more information contact Arlyn at mchb@mchb.org or call 780-423-1973.

Website page: MCHB - Journeys to Intercultural Wisdom and Equity

Skills Building Workshops – Multicultural Health Brokers Co-Operative

The skills building workshops will enable participants to apply intercultural strategies and tools in various areas of practice. 

We recommend that individuals complete the Foundations of Intercultural Practice Workshop to maximize the learning experience.

The suite of skill building workshops include:

• Intercultural communication – communication styles, verbal and non-verbal communication and intercultural communication bridging strategies 

• Intercultural planning and engagement – designing and evaluating programs and services across cultures, engaging people and communities from diverse cultural backgrounds

• Cultural mediation and brokering – the concept and practice of acknowledging and bridging differences in a variety of context 

• Trauma-informed workshop – focusing on the unique causes and impacts of trauma on immigrant and refugee populations..

• Practice-specific workshops – parenting in two cultures, family violence prevention across cultures, chronic disease prevention in culturally diverse communities 

The length of any of these workshops can vary from 2 – 6 hours depending on the interests and preferences of participants and requesting organizations.

Interested? Individuals and organizations interested in accessing our Journeys program can contact MCHB for public offerings and customized workshops for organizations. For more information contact Arlyn at mchb@mchb.org or call 780-423-1973.

Website page: MCHB - Journeys to Intercultural Wisdom and Equity

Foundations for Intercultural Practice Workshop– Multicultural Health Brokers Co-Operative

This foundational workshop will increase your knowledge about interacting, relating and communicating with culturally diverse people. 

Participants will be able to:

• Incorporate diverse cultural contexts in their work and practice

• Be more confident to address cultural issues in a personal and professional context 

Topics may include:

• Overview of Diversity and Immigration

• Cultural Self-Awareness

• Cultural Knowledge

• Introduction to Intercultural Learning and Development

Interested? Individuals and organizations interested in accessing our Journeys program can contact MCHB for public offerings and customized workshops for organizations. For more information contact Arlyn at mchb@mchb.org or call 780-423-1973.

Website page: MCHB - Journeys to Intercultural Wisdom and Equity

Rights of Young People & In-School Human Rights Practice – John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Advocacy

Using diverse and age-appropriate educational resources and fun interactive activities, we guide the exploration of various issues and elements of human rights relevant to schools and the communities where they are located.

JHC was founded with a core principle of creating space for young people to engage in and know their rights and responsibilities in community.

 JHC can support young people, teachers and school administration in implementing human rights and peace education while creating human rights communities. JHC’s education team uses human rights-based approaches and tools to help your school and students advance a culture of inclusion and equity. We create processes and sessions to build Rights Respecting Schools where everyone is respected, included, valued and belongs.

These courses include:

• Human Rights and Peace Education for Educators

• Human Rights and Peace Education for Young People

• Digital Literacy and Online Safety

For more information: JHC – RYPISHRP

To register: JHC – Workshop Google Form

Building Equity, Diversity and Inclusion through an Anti-Oppressive, Human Rights Framework – John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Advocacy

These workshops aim to explore the complex nature of oppression and support the creation of anti-oppressive strategies in different contexts.

Organizations can either select several sessions to inform and guide the building of an anti-oppressive strategic plan, or one or a few sessions that help them increase awareness and understanding, incorporate changes in their practices, and introduce a human rights culture for individual and organizational growth.

These courses include:

• Fundamentals of Anti-Oppression

• Anti-Racism—Learning to Confront the Uncomfortable

• The Not So “Micro” Aggressions

• Building a Rights-Based Organization

• True Colours Personal Development

• Understanding the ‘-isms’ and Learning How to Respond

• Confronting Ableism: Developing a Culture of Inclusion

For more information: JHC – BEDIAOHRF

To register: JHC – Workshop Google Form

Peace Building and Transformative Dialogues – John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Advocacy

Guided by human rights principles and anti-oppressive practices, JHC supports organizations and grassroots communities in designing and facilitating safe and brave spaces for difficult conversations conducive to integrating human rights into their policies, practices, and guidelines, solving tensions, and engaging in strategic planning.

Human Rights facilitation processes are conducive to action, foster collaboration, and center on the voices of all members of the group, especially those of equity-deserving groups.

These courses include:

• Human Rights Facilitator: Level One

• Advanced Human Rights Facilitation

For more information: JHC – PBTD

To register: JHC – Workshop Google Form

Human Rights as a Tool for Advocacy: Stride Training – John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Advocacy

JHC has developed a series of trainings to provide opportunities for community-based advocates or organizations to strengthen their awareness and understanding of human rights and discrimination, network with other advocates and organizations, and build skills to advance the rights of historically marginalized community members using the human rights mechanisms that exist for accountability.

These courses include:

• Human Rights 101: Understanding the Architecture and Role of Human Rights

• Anti-Oppression in Human Rights Advocacy

• Human Rights 102: Filing Human Rights Complaints - the Ins and Outs

• Beyond Quick Fixes: Embracing a Human Rights Approach to Poverty

• Human Rights 103: Taking Action on Human Rights

For more information: JHC - Stride Training

To register: JHC – Workshop Google Form

Foundations of Community Engagement – Tamarack Institute

Join Tamarack's Lisa Attygalle, Director of Community Engagement, in this online course designed to build a foundation of knowledge and practice for your community engagement work.

Through video lessons, case studies, readings, and activities, you'll dig into the role of community, who should be engaged, community engagement techniques, how to overcome challenges, and how to evaluate your engagement activities.

LESSON ONE: THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY
Before jumping into engagement techniques, we'll go over how the role of the community, and the relationship between community and those doing the engagement work.

LESSON TWO: KNOW YOUR 'WHY'
Good community engagement outcomes require that you understand why you're engaging - we'll cover various engagement goals or purposes, and how they change what techniques you should use.

LESSON THREE: HOW TO ENGAGE
We'll outline several Community Engagement techniques and how to use them effectively.

LESSON FOUR: WHO SHOULD BE ENGAGED
We'll outline the various lenses you should use to analyze who has been invited to your engagement, who should be involved, and what you can do about it.

LESSON FIVE: OVERCOMING ENGAGEMENT CHALLENGES
We'll go over a selection of key challenges that most Community Engagement practitioners deal with, and how to approach those challenges efficiently, and from a posture of learning.

LESSON SIX: EVALUATING ENGAGEMENT
How can you tell if your engagement work has been effective? We'll analyze a few different approaches to evaluation, and equip you with practical tools for evaluating your engagement activities.

To register: Tamarack Institute - FCE

Foundations of Collective Impact – Tamarack Institute

This online course is designed to help you learn at your own pace as you work on developing and implementing a successful Collective Impact initiative.

Join Tamarack's Sylvia Cheuy, Director of Collective Impact, in this course designed to build a foundation of knowledge and practice for your collective impact work.

MODULE ONE: Why Collective Impact?
This module will define Collective Impact and distinguish it from other forms of collaboration. It will also explain when Collective Impact might be the right approach and highlight 3 mindset shifts that are important to ensuring that Collective Impact initiatives reach their full potential.

MODULE TWO: The Essential Elements of Collective Impact
This module of the course will review and explain the essential elements of the Collective Impact framework – its 3 pre-conditions and 5 conditions – and what each contributes to the framework. We will also profile how the practice of Collective Impact is evolving and review the refinements introduced with Collective Impact 3.0.

MODULE THREE: The How Part 1 | Creating Your Common Agenda

This module takes a focused look at the Common Agenda condition of Collective Impact – what it is, and its role within a Collective Impact initiative. This module will introduce you to tools and resources to help you facilitate the development of a Common Agenda, along with stories and examples of their development process.

MODULE FOUR: The How Part 2 | Data, Shared Measurement, and Continuous Learning

This module explores the use of data and shared measurement in the work of Collective Impact. Discover how data can be used to develop and build consensus, in the creation of the Common Agenda. Also, explore the important role that data and shared measurement play in measuring the progress and impact of a Collective Impact initiative.

MODULE FIVE: The How Part 3 | Building Your Backbone Infrastructure

The module of the course defines a Backbone within a Collective Impact Initiative and unpacks its role and function. Describing the process of Collaborative Governance and the role that the CI Initiative’s backbone plays in animating the work of collaborative governance as well as resources to support the implantation of collaborative governance and the work of the CI Backbone

MODULE SIX: Exploring the 5 Phases of Collective Impact

This module offers learners a big-picture overview of a Collective Impact Initiative through its 5 phases of maturity. There are 4 “pillars of success” that, together create a strong foundation – and are always areas of focus – in the work of Collective Impact. However, the work of each pillar changes over time. Understanding the 4 pillars of success AND how each unfolds across the 5 phases of a Collective Impact Initiative helps you to better anticipate, plan for, and ensure adequate resources to support your CI Initiative.

To register: Tamarack Institute - FCI

Foundations for Building a Neighbourhood Strategy – Tamarack Institute

This foundational course will walk you through 6 modules that will help you to define your reason, build the case for a neighbourhood strategy plan, and think about the development of the strategy.

The foundations for building a neighbourhood strategy course is for:

• Individuals who want to make their neighbourhood a better place

• On-the-ground staff to support residents to build a plan

• Municipal staff who have been tasked with putting a plan together

Have you been tasked to develop or want to build a vision and organize activities that will deepen a sense of community in your neighbourhood or town/city? How do you build the case to the decision-makers that this is a good idea?

The course brings Collective Impact and Asset-Based Community Development together to focus on building a plan with residents at the centre.

MODULE ONE: What is a strategy?
Have you ever developed strategies that end up going nowhere, sitting on a shelf? or wonder why the strategy did not work? This is because we did not take the time to reflect on what is a strategy, why we want to develop one, how to involve people in planning for a strategy and how to sustain the strategy. In this module, we will talk about what is a strategy, why develop a strategy and the different types of strategies.

MODULE TWO: What problem are you solving with a strategy?
Understanding why you want to develop a strategy is important. Is it because it's an internal organization request, is it because you are seeing the problem in your neighbourhood or you have been doing random activities and what to bring it together for a common agenda? The reasons why you are doing a strategy are really important to help you know how to put it together.

MODULE THREE: Communicating to your why
The next step is to understand the level of support for the potential neighbourhood strategy and communicate why it is important to have a strategy. You will need to think about different neighbourhood stakeholders, champions, or partners whose opinions on the issue are important.

MODULE FOUR: Engaging champions
In this module, we are going to focus on building your list of individuals whom you think should be involved in the development of the strategy and how to engage with them. It is so important to engage diverse perspectives and people and groups from across all sectors and bring their voices together. We encourage you to think about diversity- this means figuring out how to go out of your way to reach those who are not normally involved or the unreachable.

MODULE FIVE: How neighbourhood strategies get done
This next module takes you to the next step which is how to create your strategy. More specifically how to develop a strategy with the community at the center. We are going to talk about Asset-Based Community Development and Collective Impact.

MODULE SIX: Putting it All Together
Understanding the purpose and having support for your strategy will go a long way in the development of a strategy that is useful. This module is the last one in this course. It's about putting everything you learned together and what better way than to share case studies of those who have built strategies to inspire you?

To register: Tamarack Institute – FBNS

Ending Poverty Pathways – Tamarack Institute

To support government, business, non-profit, and lived/living experience leaders to understand, advocate for, and advance high-impact ending poverty pathways in their communities. 

LESSON ONE: The End of Poverty
Begin with some inspiration, as you learn about what Canada has accomplished so far. Explore the changing role of municipalities, and how Saint John and Hamilton have moved the needle toward ending poverty in their communities.

LESSON TWO: Ending Working Poverty
Learn how governments, employers, and non-profits can end working poverty through increased minimum wages, reformed income supports for full-time decent work, and equitable hiring and procurement policies.

LESSON THREE: Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments Ending Poverty
Apply a Collective Impact lens as you explore the role of the federal government in ending poverty and learn about the critical links between provincial/territorial poverty reduction plans and the essential place-based work of communities.

LESSON FOUR: Cities and Communities Ending Poverty
Learn why cities and communities are so well-positioned to assess local challenges, harness community assets, and bring people together across sectors to nudge policy and systems change.

LESSON FIVE: Big Ideas for Ending Poverty
Explore three big ideas: Basic Income as a transformational approach to ending poverty; Quebec's innovative child care model; and, Built for Zero Canada's data-driven national change effort for ending homelessness.

This course is available to use at your own pace, but you'll be learning alongside a diverse group of Tamarack Institute learners. Engage in comments and questions on the online platform, and join us for monthly Q&A sessions for a deeper dive into the content and to get more personalized insights.

To register: Tamarack Institute - EPP

Resolving Conflict - Charity Village

In this course, learners will explore the topic of conflict resolution and recognize what conflict is and what causes it.

Additionally, they will learn about the different types of conflict and their impact on the workplace environment. Lastly, learners will learn to develop skills that will support them with conflict resolution methods and processes.By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Recognize what conflict is and what causes it

• Review different types of conflict and their impact

• Determine best ways to action it and set goals

• Develop skills to set action plans and follow-up processes

To register: Charity Village - RC