VOLUME 1, NUMBER 5
June, 1994

Sue Geddis, Editor

CANADIAN ALLIANCE OF LIFE SKILLS COACHES AND ASSOCIATIONS

UNE ALLIANCE CANADIENNE DE LA DYNAMIQUE DE VIE ET DES ASSOCIATIONS

HOW DO YOU LIKE OUR NEW NAME????? SOME FEEDBACK WOULD BE WELCOME.

MORE NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL MEETING IN SASKATOON

It took us a day of hard slugging to think our way through to the following mission statement. While it looks simple, we were conscious of wanting to represent a number of different situations using and delivering Life Skills. Your feedback will be valuable and welcome.

CALSCA Mission Statement

*The following summary deals with the structural issues discussed in Saskatoon. It will be necessary to incorporate if we are to access gov't funding. A board or council would be guided by a constitution or a set of by-laws.

ORIGINAL STRUCTURE; CALSCA BOARD
- should be inclusive and developmental
- - should establish short term goals

This produced the following capsulized vision of a potential mandate for CALSCA:

ACCREDITATION SUMMARY

We talked a great deal about accreditation and each province summarized their progress to date. The following are short term goals around this issue.

1. Liaison with provincial associations. Facilitate info sharing between accrediting bodies, provide updates and new information or topics that need to be covered.

2. (a) Establish resource names and keep in touch with regions as to their processes.
(b) National recognition of coaches in the regionally accepted models would be valuable for inter-provincial job search efforts.
(c) Maintain registry of individual achievers of registered accreditation.

3. Agree on the form of accreditation we support. Is there a set of criteria for an acceptable accreditation process (or a minimum at least)?

4. Assist provinces who are developing accreditation processes for the first time.

OUR COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES WERE FELT TO BE MOST IMPORTANT AND WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THREE MECHANISMS:

(I) NEWSLETTER - Sue (Editor)

Dates for Publication:June 30th, Oct. 30th, Jan. 30th and Apr. 30th

Prices:$10.00 - individual $20.00 - organization

Advertising: Conference news is free if it is anecdotal.
(Advertising does not reflect the view of CALSCA).
Business cards may be used to advertise - rates next issue.

(II) MEETING FOR 1995

In order to encourage Manitoba to be part of this exciting movement, we decided to hold the next national meeting in May of 1995 in Manitoba, probably near to Winnipeg (Note: Dorothy, Sue, Paul and Don are already making plans to drive there).
Dori Britski, the gal in Saskatoon, will be the contact person for that. Rod, the Paynter, will be the flyer (i.e. making one)

(III) NATIONAL CONFERENCE:

-1986 or 7. i.e. 30 years from the beginning of LS.
-Saskatchewan members will contact pioneer coaches and verify date and site: Was it Prince Albert???
-All associations and coaches should start mentioning it wherever groups are gathered.
GOAL: Representation from all provinces and territories.

Would you like to assist in distribution of the brochure for the national conference? Would you like to be a contact person for your area? Let me know and I'll pass it on to Dori.

MEMBERSHIPS DON'T STOP - AND WE'RE GLAD!!!!!!!!

Ron Campbell, a member of the Alberta Society, has joined us at CALSCA. We welcome his membership, which will be good until December, 1994 and invite his comments and suggestions to improve the newsletter. Could you give us a short profile on you and your business Ron? Other groups may want to hire you.

Kathie Bird is owner, programming director and consultant with Northern Community Visions Consulting Inc. She is involved with training native coaches and other programming with native communities. We welcome her membership from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. I have asked her to keep in touch with us about native conferences and meetings that might be of interest to our membership.

Shirley St. Denis and Anne Caroll of the Saskatchewan Association have joined the CALSCA family. Anne will take over the presidency of SLSA (Sask.) in September of 1994. Shirley hosted a pizza supper for the national group and we thank her for her hospitality. Welcome to both of you and please keep us informed of goings on in wonderful Saskatoon.

Dori Britski of North Battleford, Saskatchewan and Charlie Zeller of Prince George, BC have renewed with us. Since Charlie's move to BC, she has kept alive her contact with Saskatchewan and has a mentor from the Ontario association for the accreditation process. This is the essence of inter-provincial communication. Dori teaches in child care courses and used her coaching expertise to keep the national group in good spirits. Welcome to both of you.

John duChalard informs us that he is inter-provincial Liaison for ASLSC - Alberta. His employer, Grant MacEwan C.C. offers a 260 hour coach training program of which he is a part. They also provide coaches for the prison inmate education projects. John instructs in a 3 - day violence awareness course and facilitates a program for abusive men. They call it "life management skills" because of the confusion with other programs.

Manitoba representative, Maureen Robbins, owns and manages Vision-Makers Training and Career Development Centre, in Winnipeg. Welcome to CALSCA and we will hope to hear more about Maureen's entrepreneurial activities. Maureen fills a gap in our trail across Canada. Know anybody in the territories?

CONFERENCES PAST AND FUTURE

Saskatchewan Life Skills Association - September 30th, October 1st and October 2nd, 1994 at Jackfish Lake Lodge, Cochin Saskatchewan (These are great folks in Saskatchewan and I hear they put on a great conference).

Theme: Wellness Full Circle
Workshops will cover the wonders of a great massage, the dynamics of family relationships (this has a cross cultural component), True Colours, taking effective control of teaching effective control (great name), laughter as team building, using art and body to express anger (presented by Ancient Spirals) and a dream workshop. Members from Ontario have attended the conference in the past and report a warm and inclusive atmosphere for all participants. Your editor's recent visit to Saskatoon was a first and it is some city. Don't miss it!!!

Alberta Society (ASLSC) - September 23 to 25th, 1994. To be held at Camp Alexo (15 miles (what happened to km.) east of Nordegg. Dorm style cabins and teepees (running water and heaters intact). They are still looking for workshop presenters but have planned an obstacle challenge event. After July 1st, get registered by writing ASLSC, #140, 9426-111 Ave., Edmonton, AB, T5G 0A4 or phone (403) 452-2569. The province is beautiful in September (not to mention the other months). Why not take in the conference????

Reminder: The International conference on Experiential Learning - November 9-12th, 1994 in Washington (see V.1, n.4)

NAAPAE - North American Alliance for Popular and Adult Ed'n. A new conference opportunity whose theme is "Resistance and Transformation". It will be held August 27th - 31st, 1994. Please contact them at 6 Mildred Ave., Toronto, ONT, M6N 4H9. Popular Education is compatible with psychodrama being used by some of our coaches. It utilizes many mediums for describing our social environment and so would be valuable for multicultural groups or native groups. This is all the information I have.

ALSCO PRESENTS ANOTHER GREAT CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE

The theme of the conference "BALANCE" was addressed by your editor as keynote speaker. I presented what I hoped would become the ALSCO camp song. It took root. They liked it. It may become official unless they get too many complaints.
Other sessions dealt with change, humour, journaling, the Life Skills model, negotiation and creating a comfortable environment. There was a lot of talk about accreditation and networking provided mentors for a number of potential interns. Does the name Paul Bagordo sound familiar? He's president of ALSCO for the next two years and Vi Anderson, once of BC, is vice president. Committees were set up at last year's conference for education, finance, public relations, membership, conference and accreditation and this year, members new and old gravitated to their particular interest. Many of these committees have set goals for the coming year to involve as many members as possible in the work of ALSCO. We focused on new members especially this year and it paid off - lots of good feedback.

Association News

Saskatchewan is in the throes of accreditation talk. They are just in the formative stages and will keep CALSCA posted on progress and problems.

British Columbia Communiqué reports 31 members and growing. They have been fundraising this year at numerous events. They are working their way through an accreditation dialogue which, currently, is considering "adopting a format based on the two models set by Ontario and Alberta" as the precursor to a national accreditation model. Roy Oster and Susan Gibson have just been elected pres. and vice-pres. respectively.
Memberships in the BC association is new $65 or renewal $40 and the newsletter is $0 for the year. You can advertise for $30 a association at #301-31 Elliot St., New Westminster, BC, V3L 5C9 or phone 604-524-9595. I like the idea of a separate price for the newsletter and hope other associations will pick it up. It encourages membership and conference attendance.

ALBERTA MOVING AHEAD BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS

This association offers to put on a mini conference in any area upon request. Those requesting can name the topic they want and ASLSC will send the expertise. All funds to the society. I like this. Could Ontario or others pick this up?

CHECK THIS OUT!!!!!
Any member of ASLSC who recruits a coach or agency to join the society receives a coupon good for one workshop put on by ASLSC. This is a stroke of brilliance.

They have also just designed and printed a leaflet advertising ASLSC and A.F.L.-C.I.O.. The back of it is all about accreditation, i.e. what it is, how it works, how you start and expected outcomes. I like the looks of this. Every association should have one. It's just one page front and back but it looks great! (Thanks to Quebec who provided the first model of this.)

HISTORICAL NOTE DB from Sask. Writes that NewStart and lifeskills began around 1966-7 in Saskatchewan. Life to know more??? You can probably find out at the 30th anniversary conference being planned even as I write.

Laugh a Minute: What did the Buddhist say to the hot dog vendor? Make me one with everything. You're welcome. I knew you'd like it.)

ADDENDUM TO THE NEWSLETTER

Just as I was about to slip it in the mail, a newsy newsletter arrived on my doorstep. Some extra info follows.

WELLNESS FULL CIRCLE - SLSA Conference

Fees:
Before Aug.15th - $140 (member), $180 (other lost souls)
After Aug. 15th - $160 (member), $200
Individual workshops are $30 plus $6 for lunch.
94/95 SLSA Membership: $35

You may submit your registration to SLSA, 609-25th Street E., Saskatoon, S7K 0L7. The fees include the workshops and meals. Make your own arrangements for accommodation at Jackfish Lodge toll free number 1 800 667-7721. (Single: $46.40 and $52.20 double with tax included.)

SLSA has also established the Competencies required for accreditation, the roles of all those involved, an assessment mechanism, much of which has been shared from Ontario and Alberta. It looks great. Nice going.

NEW MEMBERS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY: (SLSA please copy for your conference)

Name:

Address:

Organization:

Position:

Interested in:

Rip here, send to:
Sue Geddis, CALSCA Editor, 174 Thornton Avenue, London, Ontario N5Y 2Y8

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