I just love spring! Buds are bursting on the trees, birds fill the air with music as they venture to design new nests, and the world is painted with nature’s palette of spring colours. How fitting it is, with the landscape renewed, that our first virtual conference is themed: Hope and Rejuvenation – Taking Care of Each Other. I am confident that you will find this opportunity a refreshing hiatus: to laugh, pick up some tips and tricks for self-care, network with colleagues, and win some exciting prizes.

It has been a long winter – physically and metaphorically speaking. With the expansion of vaccinations, hope is in sight. At OSCA/ACOSO, we look forward to re-energizing with our spring conference, and we are excited to offer our AQ courses again this summer, with the newly-expanded AQ Course Bursaries for teachers who identify as Black, Indigenous and other racialized groups. The link for these applications will appear on our website soon. Please share this opportunity with your colleagues who are considering Guidance.

We are in the home stretch – with our sights set on summer. Good weather is always a boost to our spirit. As your Board of Directors, we are very busy planning for our first virtual fall conference: Forward21 – Moving from Chaos to Opportunity! The Call for Proposals deadline has been extended to May 28th and I encourage you to apply to present - you have great collective wisdom to share.

The first blooms of spring always make my heart sing – I hope they do this for you too!
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J'adore le printemps! Les bourgeons éclatent sur les arbres, les oiseaux remplissent l'air de musique alors qu'ils s'aventurent à concevoir de nouveaux nids et le monde est peint avec la palette de couleurs printanières de la nature. Comme il est approprié, avec le paysage renouvelé, que notre première conférence virtuelle ait pour thème: Espoir et rajeunissement - Prendre soin les uns des autres. Je suis convaincue que vous trouverez cette opportunité une pause rafraîchissante: pour rire, prendre quelques idées et astuces pour prendre soin de vous, réseauter avec des collègues et gagner des prix passionnants.

Ce fut un long hiver - au sens propre et figuré. Avec l'expansion des vaccins, l'espoir est en vue. À l'OSCA / ACOSO, nous sommes impatients de nous ressourcer avec notre conférence de printemps, et nous sommes ravis d'offrir à nouveau nos cours de QA cet été, avec les bourses des QA nouvellement élargies pour les enseignants qui s'identifient comme noirs, autochtones et autres groupes racialisés. Le lien pour ces demandes de bourses apparaîtra bientôt sur notre site Web. Veuillez partager cette opportunité avec vos collègues qui envisagent devenir des conseillers en orientation.

Nous sommes à la dernière ligne droite - avec nos yeux dirigés vers l'été. Le beau temps est toujours un coup de pouce pour notre esprit. En tant que votre conseil d'administration, nous sommes très occupés à planifier notre première conférence virtuelle d'automne: Vers l'Avant21 - Passer du chaos à l'opportunité! La date limite de l'appel à propositions a été reportée au 28 mai et je vous encourage à postuler pour présenter - vous avez une grande sagesse collective à partager.

Les premières fleurs du printemps font toujours chanter mon cœur - j'espère qu'ils le
feront aussi pour vous!

The Ontario School Counsellor Association recognizes that we need more racialized people to become Guidance Counsellors in Ontario. More racialized people working as Guidance Counsellors will help our students feel safer, represented, and seen. It will help our schools and our organization through more adequate representation of the socio-cultural composition of Ontarians, and amplify much needed perspectives.
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L'Association des conseillères et des conseillers d’orientation scolaire de l'Ontario reconnaît que nous avons besoin de plus de personnes racialisées pour devenir des conseillers en orientation en Ontario. Un plus grand nombre de personnes racialisées travaillant comme conseillers en orientation aideront nos élèves à se sentir plus en sécurité, représentés et vus. Il aidera nos écoles et notre organisation grâce à une représentation plus adéquate de la composition socioculturelle des Ontariennes et des Ontariens et à amplifier les perspectives indispensables.

Bonjour! Parlez-vous français? Avez-vous un baccalauréat, une maîtrise, ou un doctorat en français et vous aimez traduire de l’anglais au français?

L’ACOSO a besoin de vous!
 
L’association des conseillères et des conseillers d’orientation scolaire de l’Ontario est à la recherche de traductrices ou traducteur francophone pour traduire notre bulletin d’information, notre revue trimestrielle, notre site web et tous nos autres projets. Nous offrons 10 - 15 cents du mot. Si vous êtes intéressé, veuillez envoyer votre CV par courriel à la présidente de l’ACOSO Cathy Lihou à l’adresse suivante : cathylihou@gmail.com.

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Speak French? Have a B.A., Masters or Ph.D. in French? Enjoy translating
English into French? OSCA Needs You!

The Ontario School Counsellors’ Association is looking for individuals who would like to do some French translation. We are offering 10 to 15 cents per word. We will need translation for our newsletter, quarterly magazine, website and other projects as the come up. Interested candidates should send their resume to OSCA President, Cathy Lihou at cathylihou@gmail.com

ONTransfer.ca, in sponsorship with ONCAT, invites you to register for our Ontario Student Transfer Fair, happening on May 20, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST.

We encourage all students to explore their Ontario transfer opportunities — whether you’re interested in transfer opportunities in the future, have already applied to transfer, or have been admitted and now have additional questions.

This year, the fair will be hosted virtually, which will allow you to:
- listen to live institution presentations;
- download transfer-related content;
- chat and video-conference with a transfer expert; and
- browse exhibits from universities, colleges, and Indigenous Institutes across the province.

Each day will include a Lunch & Learn presentation (11 - 11:30 a.m.) from different Ryerson University programs/offices related to the SHSM area. Students will then participate in a Design Thinking Challenge created by Ryerson's business incubator network known as Zone Learning and facilitated by Ryan Wilock, a lecturer from Ryerson's Ted Rogers School of Management Entrepreneurship program and Former National Marketing Director for The Beastie Boys, Daft Punk, David Guetta, Eiffel 65 and countless others. Throughout his career, he also founded Popular Records - with a $1 million loan from Warner Music and sold to EMI Music in 2001, after Canadian sales in excess of 4 Million units. Students will work together to share creative solutions using "Design Thinking," a great skill used by many successful entrepreneurs today.

Please find registration links below for the following topics:

Wednesday, May 12th - Environment - Register here!

Thursday, May 13th* - Health and Wellness - Register here!

Thursday, May 13th* - Non-Profit - Register here!

Friday, May 14th - Hospitality and Tourism - Register here!

*Happening simultaneously in different zoom meetings

We hope to see you there!

This year we will be delivering a hybrid version of College Dialogues. We will again be offering a Dialogues-on-demand web page, but this year we will be adding live events for our guidance counsellor friends across the province, May 18th & 19th.

All college updates will be featured on the DoD page, the live sessions will be reserved for live Q&A only between the colleges and counsellors.

 

OSCA-ACOSO Anthony Di Lena Student Pathway Awards' mandate is to assist at-risk students in their journey towards success. One of the most important ways this is accomplished is by providing the OSCA-ACOSO Anthony Di Lena Student Pathways Awards to at-risk students who have demonstrated the exemplary ability to succeed in the face of adversity. $500.00 awards are presented to students who, in their postsecondary pursuits, are taking a pathway to apprenticeship, college, university or workplace.

 

One of the most important mandates is to provide scholarships to exemplary at-risk students for post-secondary education or vocational training.

Nomination Deadline is May 28, 2021
Click Here for the Nomination Form

Award Criteria

Nominated students must be graduating/or have graduated from an accredited public secondary, Catholic secondary, or inspected private secondary school, including First Nations, in the province of Ontario in the previous school year. 

Students must be nominated by a classroom teacher, a Student Success Teacher or a Guidance Counsellor who are not their parent. The nominator does not have to be a member of OSCA.

In order to be nominated, a student must fulfill one or more of the following criteria:

• The student succeeded in school despite having to overcome personal obstacles.
• The student succeeded in school despite having to cope with bullying and/or violence.
• The student succeeded in school despite being socio-economically disadvantaged.
• The student succeeded in school despite having to manage a mental health issue.
• The student succeeded in school despite having to overcome academic challenges

A complete nomination requires three parts:

1. Completion of the on-line nomination form found below;
2. A detailed description, written by the nominator, of how the nominated student fulfills one or more of the criteria mentioned above;
3. A short description, written by the nominated student, of how they have overcome these obstacles and achieved their success.

Four Pathways Awards will be awarded for $500 each.  The nominator should indicate which pathway the nominated student will pursue after completion of their high school education ? University, Apprenticeship, College, or Workplace. 

It is our hope that this award could be presented to the receiving student at their graduation ceremony.  The nominator should provide the date of this ceremony.

• Students may not be nominated for more than one award per year.
• Students may receive an OSCA-ACOSO Award only once.
• OSCA-ACOSO Awards are one-time awards only.  
• Decisions made by the OSCA-ACOSO Board regarding nominations are final.

Nomination Deadline is May 28, 2021

2021 OSCA/ACOSO Guidance and Career Education Awards

The Ontario School Counsellors' Association has a long-standing tradition (over 40 years) of recognizing and awarding those who stand out in the field of Guidance and Career Education. OSCA recognizes individuals and/or organizations that have made a significant contribution to Guidance and Career Education in Ontario. We can say with confidence that our past award winners have helped thousands find their pathways to successful futures! OSCA's awards are an excellent way of recognizing your most dedicated peers.

Awards Overview

Click here for the Nomination Form!

Nomination deadline is May 28, 2021

As we plan our first hybrid Cannexus conference...
Planning for Cannexus, Canada's Career Development Conference in January 2022 is now underway. Cannexus22 is expected to be a hybrid conference with a live in-person and virtual portion. More information about the format and schedule will be available in the coming months.

At this point, CERIC invites individuals or organizations with an interest in presenting at the 16th annual Cannexus to submit a brief session outline for consideration using the Proposal Form and encourages you to inform colleagues or students of this opportunity.

Submitting a proposal is not a commitment to present at the conference. If you submit a proposal and you are selected to present, you will receive a formal email invitation by the summer – with further details on session type, duration and whether in-person or virtual – and at that time you will be given a deadline to accept or decline the invitation.
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Alors que nous planifions notre première congrès hybride Cannexus
La planification du congrès canadien en développement de carrière de Cannexus en janvier 2022 est maintenant en cours. On s'attend à ce que Cannexus22 soit un congrès hybride avec en personne et une partie virtuelle. Plus d'informations sur le format et le calendrier seront disponibles dans les mois à venir.

À ce stade, le CERIC invite les individus ou les organisations intéressés à présenter à la 16e édition de Cannexus à soumettre une brève proposition de présentation via le formulaire d’application qui suit. N'hésitez pas à partager cette invitation avec vos collègues ou étudiants.

Nous tenons à vous assurer que soumettre une proposition n'est pas un engagement à présenter au congrès. Si vous soumettez une proposition et que vous êtes sélectionné pour présenter, vous recevrez une invitation officielle par courriel d'ici l'été. Cette invitation contiendra plus de détails sur le type de séance, la durée et si elle est en personne ou virtuelle, et à ce moment-là, vous aurez un délai pour accepter ou refuser l'invitation.

Join our weekly workshop on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 to see for yourself what we do each week, as well as how we do it.*

You'll get to meet and mingle with our staff and students, participate in our workshops, join our Career Conversations with our mentors, have meaningful discussions, and so much more!

*This invitation applies to youth aged 16-23 who are considering taking a purposeful gap year.

This year the RNAO is offering career development webinars and sessions all week long to celebrate Nursing Week

May 13, 2021 (9-12pm) – One-to-One Resume Review Sessions (limited sessions)

To register: https://myrnao.ca/civicrm/event/register?id=1023&reset=1

This is the second lesson in a series of six lessons to support the development of stress management
and healthy coping skills.

By demonstrating a range of stress management strategies, students will have more options and ideas for staying mentally well during difficult times. It is important to note that different strategies work for different individuals. Sharing a range of strategies over time will allow students the opportunity to try them out and determine what works for them

Recently, I was mesmerized by a prep cook. At a strip-mall Korean restaurant, I caught a glimpse of the kitchen and stood dumbfounded for a few minutes, watching a guy slicing garnishes, expending half the energy I would if I were doing the same at home and at twice the speed. The economy of his cooking was magnetic. He moved so little, but did so much.

Being a prep cook is hard, low-wage, and essential work, as the past year has so horribly proved. It is also a "low-skill" job held by "low-skill workers," at least in the eyes of many policy makers and business leaders, who argue that the American workforce has a "skills gap" or "skills mismatch" problem that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Millions need to "upskill" to compete in the 21st century, or so say The New York Times and the Boston Consulting Group, among others.

Career Professionals of Canada provides the tools and resources to help members become trained coaches and improve their counselling skills. For both career professionals and our clients, it is important to understand the difference between a coach and counsellor.

As career development practitioners, our clients may request coaching or counselling. There are times in your practice when coaching will be needed versus counselling. Of course, it always depends upon the situation and the client. Yet, not all career professionals are qualified to serve as coaches or counsellors. In order to practice ethically, it is vital that we adhere to the Canadian Standards & Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners (S&Gs) and Career Professionals of Canada’s Standards and Ethics. CPC’s Standards and Ethics state that members must "understand their boundary of competency and provide qualified expertise: they must refrain from practicing in areas in which they do not have specific training or are not professionally experienced."

A coach will use a different approach from a counsellor. Always consider the client’s situation, goals, values, and needs. If you are not qualified to fulfill your client’s professional needs, then providing a referral is recommended.

Rushing River

Must Love Dogs

Seven years ago, my husband and I were looking to expand our furry family and get a dog. We both are busy teachers, so we wanted a low maintenance pup. I headed straight to Google and quickly searched "lazy dogs". To my surprise the fastest dog on the planet ? the greyhound ? is quite the lounge hound...more sprinter than marathoner. We also learned that the only way to adopt a Greyhound was to acquire a dog that has just retired from its racing career. Greyhounds are primarily bred for racing, similar to horse racing. 

We found an organization in Toronto that would help facilitate our adoption of these gentle speedsters. Upon approval of our application, we were on the way to grow our family. A little side story: we helped the organization bring dogs from the US to Canada, a very surreal experience as we huddled in a Buffalo garage to await the transfer of dogs from Ohio. We were handed two dogs who eagerly jumped into our car and without a sound made the trip to Toronto. Lo and behold on the journey was our new pooch, Gary Gold, and just last year we added another hound, Twinkle Toes (she is a champion).

Having a dog or dogs means there are no days off for walks, in rain, sleet, snow, the hounds must we walked at least twice a day. During the lockdown, Gary and Twinkie walks bumped up to 3 times a day. Just getting outside, getting fresh air and going for a walk really helped our bodies, minds and souls.

OSCA/ACOSO is going virtual for 2021 and we are looking forward to connecting, learning, and sharing with you in new ways this year! With valued feedback from our members, we are excited to host a virtual conference for 2021. Join us as we move forward: FORWARD21: Moving from Chaos to Opportunity. 

Stay connected with us for conference registration and more details.

http://www.osca.ca/

 

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

This next issue of OSCA Today will drop into your mailbox one year into this global pandemic,
which only appears to be getting worse before it gets better. We have all made sacrifices.
Many of us may be managing but many more are not. Educators across our province are
witnessing first-hand how many of our students are struggling. This pandemic continues to put
a strain on all of us especially our students and their families. We need help with advice and
resources. We need you!

Here is what we need:

First. Resources. We would like your suggestion for support agencies that our students can
reach out to. We especially need resources for our BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, People of Colour,
2SLGBTQQ students.

Second. Articles. If you have stories, ideas or advice to help us and our students endure this
pandemic, we would love to hear from you. We would love it if you would write an article for
OSCA Today.

Please reach out and submit your resources and articles ideas to Roderick Conte, OSCA VP of
Communications at rbconte@yahoo.com

 

Next session: July 9th to July 31st

All three parts will be offered. Candidates may enrol in one part.

Cost: $650 (includes a copy of ethical guidelines and a one year OSCA Subscription)

Taught by a current school Guidance Counsellor, through an interactive, online classroom environment.

Candidates must hold a valid OCT and be in good standing to register.