Hello OSCA/ACOSO Members,

I’ve worked for the Toronto Catholic District School board for almost 20 years now, beginning as a secondary English and French teacher. For the last 15 years I’ve been fortunate to be able to support student learning and wellbeing in a guidance role in two different high schools. As a department head of Guidance and Special Education, I’m privileged to work with a group that puts equity, diversity and inclusion at the forefront. 

Over the years I’ve enjoyed being a part of school and school board communities, writing curriculum projects in the areas of volunteerism and resiliency, being a part of our school’s equity and literacy committees, coaching track and field and cross-country, and leading our school Mental Health Action Team.  

Beyond my work in guidance, I also have an interest in French education. Growing up studying in a French language school, as an adult I co-founded and for many years directed both a French tutoring organization and a not-for-profit aimed to support French learning. I also love reading, running and travelling when I get a chance!

Long-standing and enthusiastic OSCA member, I’m new to the Board as of September 2023, and am happy to be part of the communications team. I’m thrilled to be involved with an association that I’ve relied on for my own professional education for so many years.
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Bonjour chers membres de l’OSCA/ACOSO,

Il y a maintenant presque 20 ans que je travaille pour le Toronto Catholic District School Board (Conseil scolaire catholique du district de Toronto). J’avais commencé comme enseignante d’anglais et de français au niveau secondaire. Au cours des 15 dernières années, j’ai eu la chance de soutenir l’apprentissage et le bien-être des élèves en tant que conseillère en orientation à deux écoles secondaires. En tant que chef du département d’orientation et de l’enfance en difficulté, j’ai le privilège de travailler avec un groupe qui priorise l’équité, la diversité et l’inclusion.

Au fil des années, j’ai aimé faire partie des communautés scolaires ainsi que celles des conseils scolaires. J’ai développé des projets pour le curriculum qui mettent en valeur le bénévolat et la résilience, fait partie des comités d’équité et de littératie de notre école, entrainé les équipes d’athlétisme et de course de fond et dirigé l’équipe d’action en santé mentale de notre école.

À part mon travail en orientation, je m’intéresse également à l’éducation en langue française. Je suis allée à l’école en français pendant mon enfance et, en tant qu’adulte, j’ai cofondé et dirigé pendant longtemps une organisation de tutorat en français ainsi qu’un organisme à but non lucratif visant à soutenir l’apprentissage du français. J’aime aussi lire, courir et voyager quand j’ai l’occasion !

Membre enthousiaste et de longue date de l’OSCA/ACOSO, je suis nouvelle au conseil d’administration depuis septembre 2023 et je suis heureuse de faire partie de l’équipe des communications. Je me suis fiée à cette association pour ma propre formation professionnelle depuis de nombreuses années et je suis ravie d’en faire partie.

Get ready to rise and shine! Meet us at the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto on March 26 for coffee and conversation with your colleagues and Western University. The event is designed to help you do what you do best: support your students to succeed.

This is a reminder that February 1, 2024 is the equal consideration date!

What’s the Equal Consideration Date?
Also known as the ECD, the equal consideration date is the deadline for applying to those highly competitive programs that start in fall 2024. After the equal consideration date, applications for programs with remaining spaces will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Toronto Metropolitan University
Thursday, February 8, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Join us for a one-hour virtual session to connect with the TMU community!

Hear updates on our admissions cycle from Scott O'Neill, Director, Admissions and National Recruitment, and have your questions answered.

Learn from Sonny Wong, Career Counsellor in the Faculty of Arts, about what makes an arts degree valuable for future students.

This is an opportunity for young people to meet face to face with the hiring staff of companies from a range of industries, who are actively recruiting for part-time, summer or full-time staff.

It’s also a chance for youth to speak to advisors from several Ontario Colleges and Universities, whose staff will be on hand to answer questions on their full and part time programs.

We’re excited to be back in Toronto this spring, and to meet your students. This free event is for students who are considering their post-secondary options in Canada or abroad. Meet in-person with universities and colleges, attend seminars and win some great prizes.

Details: Sunday, March 3

Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM, but arrive at noon for the first seminar on scholarships

Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building

Young people who are not in education, employment or training make up the NEET population. The age bracket of this group includes people under 30 who struggle to enter or remain in the labour market because of multiple barriers. The International Labour Organization reports that youth have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic and face lingering impacts of supply chain disruptions and rising inflation. According to Statistics Canada, about 11% of Canadians aged 15 to 29 were not in employment, education or training in 2022. Here are a few resources on contextual data, government programs and organizations that career professionals can use to help young jobseekers succeed.

The Be There Certificate program that is designed to inform youth how to be there for themselves or someone else struggling with their mental health using our 5 Golden Rules. We believe this course is truly one of its kind in the youth mental health space as it represents the youth audience and is designed with scenarios that resonate with experiences of secondary or post-secondary school audiences. With over 35 thousand completions to date, we are hoping to promote the certificate to our highschool audience to ensure that our youth is equipped with valuable resources that support their mental health. Thus, we would like to discuss the potential of offering our Be There Certification program as a way for highschool students to earn their volunteer hours.

- This is a free online course that requires about two hours of the learner's time to be completed.
- At the end of the course, the learner earns a certificate of completion that indicates each learner mastered the 5 Golden Rules of Being There.
- We believe that this course exemplifies the premise of volunteerism amongst students as it demonstrates peer-support and knowledge building outside of their school surroundings.
- We would like to offer two volunteer hours for each student who completes the course.

- The magnitude and pace of Canada’s rising unemployment rate are consistent with trends observed during past recessions.
- Unlike prior recessions, though, the increase to-date has come without a surge in layoffs – it’s rather taking more time to absorb newly available workers as the population grows rapidly.
- But it’s students and new graduates rather than new arrivals to Canada that have been driving the increase.
- Roughly half of the 0.8 ppt increase in the unemployment rate since April has come from longer job searches for students and new graduates who weren’t previously in the labour force.
- The Bottom Line: Longer job searches for students and new graduates have been a larger factor behind a higher unemployment rate in Canada to-date than layoffs or new arrivals from abroad. To-date, the increase in unemployment has come without a net decline in employment counts. But the slowdown is not over yet – we look for unemployment to continue to edge higher over the first half of 2024.

Hope is a vital ingredient in general well-being, as well as in career development, but sometimes it feels like it’s in short supply. A sense of "stuckness" or dealing with job search rejection can leave us feeling discouraged. If you or your clients are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel, you might find some comfort – and some ideas for action – in these words of wisdom from career professionals about hope.

Happy New Year! Or should I say happy course selection season!?

As the new VP of Professional Development, I will be working with the PD committee to bring you sessions that are both meaningful and useful. We have been hearing about the influx of new counsellors in the system and understand the information overload that you may be experiencing. I have been so fortunate to have wonderful colleagues, both at my school, and on the OSCA board, who have graciously answered questions and provided needed information. I would encourage you to find your "go to" people and ask for help when you need it. In the midst of your busy schedules, I challenge you to take some time for professional development this year, and hope you will find it both enriching and rewarding.

I have been a Guidance Counsellor at Elmira District Secondary School for the past 12 years, and taught math and music in Waterloo Region District School Board as well. In my first career I was a professional singer, pianist, and lecturer at Wilfrid Laurier University.

I wish you all the best this year and look forward to meeting you at the November Conference!

Kim Enns-Hildebrand, VP of PD
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Bonne année ! Ou devrais-je plutôt vous souhaiter une bonne saison de choix de cours ?!

En tant que nouvelle vice-présidente du perfectionnement professionnel, je travaillerai avec le comité de perfectionnement professionnel pour vous proposer des séances à la fois significatives et utiles. Nous comprenons la surcharge informationnelle à laquelle vous pourriez être confronté en raison de l’afflux de nouveaux conseillers dans le système. J’ai eu la chance d’avoir des collègues formidables, à la fois dans mon école et au sein du conseil OSCA/ACOSO, qui ont gracieusement répondu aux questions et fourni des informations nécessaires. Je vous encourage à trouver les personnes vers qui vous pouvez vous tourner et à demander de l’aide lorsque vous en avez besoin. Malgré vos horaires chargés, je vous lance le défi de consacrer du temps au perfectionnement professionnel cette année et j’espère que vous le trouverez à la fois enrichissant et valorisant.

Je suis conseillère en orientation à Elmira District Secondary School depuis 12 ans et j’ai aussi enseigné les mathématiques et la musique au sein du Waterloo Region District School Board (Conseil scolaire régional du district de Waterloo). Comme première carrière, j’étais chanteuse, pianiste et maîtresse de conférences à l’Université Wilfrid-
Laurier.

Je vous présente mes meilleurs vœux pour l’année et j’ai hâte de vous rencontrer à la conférence de novembre !

Kim Enns-Hildebrand, VP du comité PP