Expo hours: 1pm to 5pm

Seminars: 12 noon to 5pm

Venue: Metro Toronto Convention Centre (North Building)

Sunday, March 1, 2020

A ‘must visit’ event for students considering their post-secondary options, or experiential travel/gap year programs. Representatives from over 100 universities/colleges from around the world will be at this prestigious student expo, to meet with students, parents and guidance counsellors.

Learn about program options, scholarships and admission requirements. Free admission. https://www.studyandgoabroad.com/toronto

SMART (Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques) Education is a 9-session, 20-hour evidence-based program designed to address the needs of educators, professional support staff, and those involved in the lives of children and youth.

This evidence-based course trains educators to better manage work-related and personal stress, in order to cultivate emotional balance.

SMART integrates the teachings, practices and research from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, emotion theory, and compassion training to address the specific needs and challenges of educators. Each session
consists of presentations, group discussion and experiential practices in
mindfulness.

A 4-hour silent retreat and weekly home practice is also part of the course. SMART is a secular program, delivered by SMARTUBC accredited facilitator. 

For further questions, please contact Angela Ventrice (416) 884-6843 or email angela.ventrice@mindfulnesseveryday.org

Register HERE: http://www.mindfulnesseveryday.org/schedule.html#CoursesForEducators

The national survey run by CERIC, a charitable organization that advances career development in Canada, is open during Canada Career Month. Your responses will help CERIC, and the field at large, to better understand your interests and challenges, as well as your professional development and information needs.

This year, there is particular interest in hearing from educators and counsellors involved in the K-12 system, with a special section of the survey devoted to learning about how career education is happening in our schools. Questions explore what form career programs are taking and whether career is infused into curriculum.

The comprehensive survey is only run once every four years – and presents a critical opportunity to take a snapshot of the profession and how it has changed over time. It was previously run in 2011 and 2015. In 2015, over 1,000 practitioners completed the survey and provided rich data on the state of the career services community in Canada.

This survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Preliminary findings will be released at the Cannexus20 National Career Development Conference (January 27–29, 2020) and shared throughout the year. For taking the time to complete the survey, you can enter into a draw to win a variety of prizes.

TAKE SURVEY NOW

The Kontiya’taseha Photography Project took a critical look at the intersection of gender, sovereignty and Indigeneity. Nine young women from Pauline Johnson Collegiate Vocational School in Brantford embarked on journey of identity from a Haudenosaunee worldview. Kontiya’taseha provided an opportunity for our young women to engage in courageous conversations about the transition into adulthood with particular attention to both body and land sovereignty. 

We followed the Calls to Justice from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Report and discussed the relationship between body and land sovereignty for young Indigenous women all the while snapping photographs for our book and art installation. We were so fortunate to learn from celebrated, award-winning artist Shelley Niro, a Mohawk photographer, artist and film-maker. Shelley guided us with her thoughtful and humorous artistic skills. These young women were guided in our ancestral knowledge by Kawennakon Bonnie Whitlow Mohawk, Bear Clan, Six Nations of the Grand River.

Bonnie, from Laurier University in Brantford, joined our journey and taught us the Water Song by the Akwesasne Women’s Singers. She helped to ground us in a Kanienkehaka worldview. One way that we strengthened our connection to community was during our trip to the Kayanase longhouse where Kerdo Deer shared his ecological and traditional teachings. Julia, one of our young photographers titled a photo "Hope," stating, "This is my love for Nature. My hope that I will always be able to see the green of creation and will do my part to make sure that this is a truth for the many generations to come.”

A project of this magnitude could not happen without community support. We are humbly thankful for the support from the Six Nations Community Development Trust, the Ontario Arts Council and Women’s and Gender Studies at Brock University.

Article submitted by: Sherri Vansickle, Indigenous Student Guidance Counsellor in Grand Erie District School Board.

This year's theme is "explore the possibilities" and there are many ways to participate.

Check the https://careermonth.ca/win/ website to see the wide array of creative events happening across the country, join the social media campaign, or enter the NEW CCM raffle for fabulous prizes!

Please note: All of the events have been organized by dedicated career professionals across this beautiful country!
Thank you everyone for your fabulous creativity and organizational skills.

The Future Further 2020 site is now live!

Future Further provides information about supports and services for Indigenous students interested in, or already attending, an Ontario university.

Students can find information about:

• academics
• admissions
• financial aid
• housing
• Indigenous student services
• student life and well-being

Future Further also features videos of Indigenous role models who have achieved success in postsecondary education in Ontario. Students can learn about how to connect with Indigenous university representatives in a city near them. Visit www.futurefurther.ca.

L'édition de 2020 du site Web « Future Further » est maintenant en ligne!

 (Nota : Il s'agit d'une ressource offerte en anglais seulement.)

Le site « Future Further » fournit de l'information sur les soutiens et services offerts aux étudiantes et étudiants autochtones intéressés à fréquenter ? ou fréquentant déjà ? une université de l'Ontario.

 L'on y trouvera des renseignements sur :

• les programmes d''enseignement
• l'admission
• l'aide financière
• le logement étudiant
• les services aux étudiantes et étudiants autochtones
• la vie étudiante et le bien-être

Le site « Future Further » comprend également des vidéos de modèles autochtones ayant connu des succès dans leurs études postsecondaires en Ontario. Les étudiantes et étudiants peuvent savoir comment joindre une représentante ou un représentant autochtone d''une université dans une ville près de chez eux.

Rendez-vous au site www.futurefurther.ca.

Category
Contribution to Guidance and Career Education

When to Apply
Nominations for this certificate may be accepted all year long.

History
The Award of Merit was first presented in the spring of 1972. In 1977 the OSCA Board of Directors passed a resolution to rename this award The Olive Diefenbaker Award of Merit to honour the late Mrs. Diefenbaker''s contribution to Guidance and Counselling in the Province of Ontario. The first awards were presented by her daughter during the 1977 Annual Conference at Niagara Falls in November. The citation on The Olive Diefenbaker Award of Merit reads: "In recognition of long and dedicated service to guidance and counselling in the Province of Ontario"

This award is to recognize retiring individuals who have made a contribution to the Counselling and Guidance Profession in Ontario

Criteria
This award may be presented to teacher-counsellors, teachers, administrators, trustees and/or members of the community

An OSCA member must nominate the retiree

The nominee should:

• Be retiring
• Have been involved in Guidance and Career Education in Ontario for a minimum of five years.
• Have demonstrated leadership in guidance through active participation in professional development, counsellor education, administrative support, promotion of guidance, professional writing, research, or in contributing to professional guidance and counselling organizations.

The awards will be mailed to the nominator for presentation by the nominator or by another OSCA member appointed by the nominator. These awards are often presented at retirement functions rather than the Awards Banquet. However, the names of the recipients of The Olive Diefenbaker Awards may be noted in the official program of the OSCA Conference.

Procedure

• Nominations for this award must be submitted by an OSCA member
• Nominations should be received six weeks in advance of the presentation date in order for sufficient timing for certificate arrival .

Nominate a retiring colleague.