This is a People Link community bulletin about bullying reduction, diversity and inclusion, social justice, and lifelong learning, cultural, and professional and personal development opportunities (posting for December 15, 2014).
This bulletin contains the following 12 items:
- ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY (Kentville, NS, December 16, 2014)
- LEARNING SPECIALISTS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA CONFERENCE (Guelph, Ontario, May 11-13, 2015 — proposal deadline, December 19, 2014)
- MEDITATION AND GENTLE YOGA WORKSHOP (Fredericton, January 9-10, 2015)
- EVA’S INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS YOUTH HOMELESSNESS (Application deadline: January 15, 2015)
- ORANGE DOOR PROJECT FUNDING FOR WORK ON YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
- PATHWAYS FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN CONFERENCE (Melbourne, Australia, March 17-18, 2015)
- CAMPAIGN 2000 REPORT ON CHILD AND FAMILY POVERTY
- HEALTH EFFECTS OF INCOME INEQUALITY
9. SASKATCHEWAN GOVERNMENT ENDORSES 10-YEAR MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS PLAN - ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF FOOD BANKS 2014 HUNGER REPORT
- THE WHY ACT NOW (WELLNESS AND HEALTH IN YOUTH – ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES IN TRANSITION NOW) PROJECT
- BRITISH COLUMBIA MOVES FORWARD IN PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF VULNERABLE CITIZENS
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- ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY (Kentville, NS, December 16, 2014)
The Municipality of the County of Kings and the Race Relations & Anti-Discrimination Committee would like to invite you to the third discussion of their speaker series.
The discussion “Addressing Homelessness in Our Community” will take place at the Soup Kitchen at St. Joseph’s Church on Belcher Street in Kentville from 3 – 5 p.m. on December 16th. John Andrew of Open Arms will lead the discussion and speak about homelessness – what it is like, what it takes to turn lives around, and what each of us can do to change things for the better in our communities.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend this important discussion, and asked to help spread the word to others and circulate the attached invitation widely in your networks.
Please RSVP if possible to Adam Daniels at adaniels@county.kings.ns.ca or call 902-690-6133.
We look forward to seeing you there.
The Kings Action Plan Team
http://hpclearinghouse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/OpenArmsInvite.pdf
- LEARNING SPECIALISTS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA CONFERENCE (Guelph, Ontario, May 11-13, 2015 — proposal deadline, December 19, 2014)
The Learning Specialists Association of Canada biannual conference will be held May 11-13, 2015 at the University of Guelph in Ontario. While proposals on any topic relevant to our practice are welcome, we are particularly interested in sessions which reflect the conference theme of Transitions: People, Practice, Profession.
Call for proposals deadline: December 19, 2014
The conference will feature a number of streams including:
* Assessment
* Learning Centre Coordination/Management
* Learning Strategies
* Peer-to-Peer Assistance
* Student Populations
* Student Resources
* Students with Disabilities
* Writing
* Other – please specify on the proposal form
as well as four session formats:
1. Workshop – 60 minutes
Inspire your participants to roll up their sleeves and immerse themselves in the luxury of an hour of focused quality time developing ideas, strategies, or tools they can use in their practice. A high level of interactivity is anticipated.
2. Panel – 60 minutes
What better way to come to grips with a topic, issue or interesting problem than assembling a group of keen, passionate colleagues with something to contribute? A panel is an ideal way to elucidate the complexities of a timely issue. Please allow ample opportunity for the audience to ask questions of the panel.
3. Practice Exchange Discussion – 60 minutes
Have you got lots of questions but not many answers? Engage the savvy minds of your colleagues and facilitate a give-and-take group discussion on a hot topic of your choice.
4. Information Session – 25 minutes
Are you longing to share a recent programming innovation, technological wizardry, or fascinating research project? Here’s your chance to showcase your latest and greatest project, inspiring insight, or trendy tech tool.
Please visit the conference website to access the online proposal form<http://www.learningspecialists.ca/pages/lsac2015/proposals>. Each proposal will be blind-reviewed by an independent committee. Results will be communicated by January 30th, 2015.
For more information about submitting a proposal, please contact:
Maryann Kope
Chair, LSAC 2015 Conference Planning Committee
University of Guelph
mkope@uoguelph.ca<mailto:mkope@uoguelph.ca>
519-824-4120 ext. 58313
- MEDITATION AND GENTLE YOGA WORKSHOP (Fredericton, January 9-10, 2015)
January 9 – 10, 2015
Described as a “gift to myself”, this workshop gives you a time to explore how gentle yoga can melt tensions out of your body. Then, you deepen this practice with a guided meditation based on traditional yoga nidra and modern-day applied psychology. An extended lunch on Saturday gives you time for quiet reflection. It is truly a retreat without leaving the city!
Friday: 7 – 9 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 12:30 pm
2:30 – 4:30 pm$85 for the whole workshop or $35 per section
Location: Lokamotion Complementary Health Studio
151 Main Street
www.lokamotion.caTo Register: Contact Nancy at lavalee@nbnet.nb.caor 453-1482.
**Please note that many people are sensitive to scents. We maintain a scent-free environment. Avoid wearing scented products on the day of your class.**
About Nancy
After completing over 800 hours of teacher training in hatha yoga, meditation, and yoga philosophy from the Yoga Center of Calgary, Nancy certified in 2001 and has been teaching mostly gentle and pre- and post-natal yoga since. In April 2014, she completed Level I of iRest Yoga Nidra teacher training at Kripalu, which qualifies her as an iRest Teacher-in-Training. She also holds a B.A. and B.Ed. Nancy’s personal philosophy toward yoga is one of finding ease in movement and breath for all body types and conditions, which complements with bringing the mind to rest through meditation.
- EVA’S INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS YOUTH HOMELESSNESS (Application deadline: January 15, 2015)
Eva’s Initiatives, the Sprott Foundation and Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group, are pleased to offer four awards of $25,000 each for organizations working with homeless and at-risk youth.
The goal of the awards is to recognize community initiatives that are:
- Moving beyond responding to the most basic needs of homeless and at-risk youth
- Demonstrating significant impacts in the lives of vulnerable youth
- Delivering programs or services aimed at preventing youth homelessness for example when youth are vulnerable do to encounters with criminal justice system, mental health crises, or when exiting from foster care, for example
- Breaking the cycle of homelessness among youth by integrating supports such as: housing, education, employment, family connections, and interventions to address mental health concerns and/or addictions. This may also include strategies aimed at harm reduction and increasing the social inclusion of marginalized youth.
This is an Awards program, not a funding stream. The objective is to showcase and celebrate programs in Canada that have demonstrated impact in ending youth homelessness in their communities.
Organizations may self-nominate their own program or initiative.
“Initiatives to prevent, reduce and end youth homelessness are indeed bold,” noted Maria Crawford, Executive Director of Eva’s Initiatives. “These awards are a way to recognize, honour and encourage organizations doing pioneering work that contributes to the national goal of ending youth homelessness.”
The deadline for applications is 9 pm EST, Thursday January 15, 2015.
5. ORANGE DOOR PROJECT FUNDING FOR WORK ON YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
- PATHWAYS FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN CONFERENCE (Melbourne, Australia, March 17-18, 2015)
The number of children in Out of Home Care is constantly increasing. Both government and community service providers are finding it difficult to build organisational capacity whilst at the same time ensuring the safety of children in care.
The Pathways for Vulnerable Children Conference will examine the latest strategies promoting collaboration and innovation to improve service delivery and quality of care for vulnerable children.
You will learn how to:
* Build organisational capacity to improve quality and safety of care
* Strengthen relationships and partnerships to drive better outcomes
* Promote innovation to improve programmes and service delivery
* Improve stability and permanency of care
Featuring expert analysis from:
* Dr John Simmonds, Director of Policy, Research and Development, British Association for Adoption and Fostering, UK
* Robyn Miller, Chief Practitioner and Director Office of Professional Practice, Department of Human Services, VIC
* Simone Walker, Executive Director Safe Home for Life, Department of Family and Community Services, NSW
* Professor Muriel Bamblett, Chief Executive Officer, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency
For full information: http://outofhomecare.com
- CAMPAIGN 2000 REPORT ON CHILD AND FAMILY POVERTY
- HEALTH EFFECTS OF INCOME INEQUALITY
- SASKATCHEWAN GOVERNMENT ENDORSES 10-YEAR MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS PLAN
… [the] Commissioner of the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan, today submitted her report… recommending improvements to how the province responds to people with mental health and addictions issues… The Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan outlines 16 recommendations that fall into seven categories: Enhance access and capacity and support recovery in the community; Focus on prevention and early intervention; Create person and family-centred and co-ordinated services; Respond to diversities; Partner with First Nations and Métis Peoples;
Reduce stigma and increase awareness; and Transform the system and sustain the change. [The Health] Minister… received and endorsed the commissioner’s report, emphasizing the government’s commitment to improving its response to people with mental health or addictions issues… Working Together for Change: A 10-Year Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan for Saskatchewan is available online at:
www.saskatchewan.ca/live/health-and-healthy- living/mental-health-and-addictions-action-plan. http://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2014/december/01/mental-health-action-plan
- ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF FOOD BANKS 2014 HUNGER REPORT
The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) released its 2014 Hunger Report today, revealing that almost 375,000 individuals – more than one third [of which are] children – are turning to food banks each month. This year’s report also finds a 20 per cent spike in first time use and illustrates some surprising statistics about who is going hungry, and why poverty and hunger numbers haven’t dipped since the 2008 recession… One of the main factors contributing to food insecurity has been unstable employment. Currently 1.7 million jobs in Ontario are considered insecure, and since 2008, of the jobs created in Canada, 80 per cent have been temporary positions, contributing to the pervasive problem of hunger in Ontario… Some of the highest numbers of food bank users in Ontario are women over 18 (45 per cent), children (35 per cent), people with a disability (30 per cent), new Canadians (10 per cent) and First Nations persons (6 per cent). University students and senior citizens in rural communities remain two of the fastest growing groups of food bank users… To download the full 2014 OAFB Hunger Report, please click HERE.
- THE WHY ACT NOW (WELLNESS AND HEALTH IN YOUTH – ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES IN TRANSITION NOW) PROJECT
Alberta Centre for Active Living
…The WHY ACT NOW project aimed to identify the diet, physical status and health needs of urban Indigenous and non- Indigenous youth in Edmonton, Alberta. During the first phase of the project, we interviewed 54 key informants to identify positive and negative influences on the health of urban youth and opportunities for improvements. The second phase of the project involved one-on-one interviews with 553 Indigenous and multi-ethnic youth (aged 11-23 years) in Edmonton… Compared to non-Indigenous youth, Indigenous youth had: higher rates of pre-hypertension (23.4% vs. 17.2%) and hypertension (8.1% vs. 4.6%), higher mean hours per week of sedentary activity/screen time (46.3 hours vs. 42.7 hours), higher daily consumption of regular soft drinks (1.5 times), more immediate family members with diabetes (23.4% vs. 14.8%), higher proportion of youth with waist circumference measurements >102 cm for males and >88 cm for females (24.5% vs. 6.0%), similar proportion of overweight youth (17.4% vs. 17.6%), and a higher proportion of obesity (17.4% vs. 6.9%).
http://www.centre4activeliving.ca/news/2014/12/why-act-now/
- BRITISH COLUMBIA MOVES FORWARD IN PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF VULNERABLE CITIZENS
British Columbia Justice
New rules being brought into force today represent a significant step forward in modernizing B.C.’s adult guardianship system. The changes will strengthen the rights of adults who may be unable to make financial decisions independently due to mental incapability and, as a result, may require the assistance of a statutory property guardian. A certificate of incapability is determined through an out-of-court process by which the Public Guardian and Trustee (PGT) becomes responsible for the management of the financial affairs of incapable adults (also called statutory property guardianship).
http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2013-2017/2014JAG0328-001808.htm
The Left Eye 