PARKS AND RECREATION ONTARIO Save $30 on Registration: Early Bird Deadline: January 26, 2017 Registration Deadline: February 10, 2017 February 16 Toronto Botanical Garden Designed for Managers and Staff of After School Programs The ONference is Ontario s largest knowledge exchange for those working in after school programs. Join us in celebrating Canada s 150th anniversary by participating in a variety of sessions that demonstrate and support the diversity of after school programs. Healthy People. Vibrant Communities. Sustainable Enviroments
Welcome to the event! Welcome to the 2017 ONference, Ontario s largest one-day knowledge exchange for Managers and Staff working in recreation-based after school programs. Join in this opportunity to enhance your learning and to network with over 100 recreation and children s service practitioners from municipal, not-for-profit, health promotion and educational settings. Select from a variety of sessions tailored for Managers and Program Staff and that meet your individual professional development needs. Enjoy the luncheon with all attendees and hear from renowned keynote speaker, Marva Wisdom, as she shares strategies to help make your after school program even more amazing! Read on for more details on the informative and thought-provoking sessions, and then make your selection. For special group rates, please refer to the registration page. Come to the ONference the place where Ontario plays and learns after school! Toronto Botanical Garden 777 Lawrence Ave East, North York, Ontario The Toronto Botanical Garden is the perfect meeting space that will inspire and heighten creativity. This is one of Toronto s greenest spaces. Toronto Botanical Garden has energizing landscapes and rooms infused with natural light. Conveniently located in mid-town Toronto, with easy access to HWY 401, DVP, TTC and downtown Free parking and complimentary Wi-Fi ONference AT A GLANCE February 16, 2017 8:30 am - 9:00 am Registration is Open 9:00 am - 10:15 am Opening Remarks and Keynote: We Belong! Fostering Engaging and Inclusive Culturally Diverse Recreation Programs 10:15 am - 10:30 am Refreshment Break 10:30 am - 11:40 pm A Concurrent Sessions 11:40 am - 12:40 pm Networking Lunch including a Policy Update on the Child Care Regulations 12:40 pm - 1:50 pm B Concurrent Sessions 1:50 pm - 2:00 pm Refreshment Break 2:00 pm - 3:10 pm C Concurrent Sessions 3:10 pm - 3:20 pm Refreshment Break 3:20 pm - 4:30 pm Closing Session: The Groove: Engaging the BODY, BRAIN and BEING of After School Participants
Keynote: We Belong! Fostering Engaging and Inclusive Culturally Diverse Recreation Programs 9:00 am - 10:15 am About the speaker This session is comprised of a message to the participants and sharing of survey data as to population trends in Ontario and what that might mean in the area of Parks and Recreation. Reflecting on this information in this Canada s 150th anniversary, participants are invited to explore our rich cultural mosaic through stories and creative visioning of our journey forward. The journey begins with the importance of knowing and acceptance of one s self so that our creativity can emerge and/or be strengthened. This can in turn propel us to carve out safe spaces for openness and acceptance of others, with the accompanying curiosity to ask questions, to learn, to grow and to thrive. This keynote will help: Provoke courageous conversations around cultural diversity and inclusion. Strengthen awareness of the importance of creatively fostering environments where we all feel a sense of belonging. Reflect on the question Canada s 150th birthday - what now? Answer the question of how to approach Cultural Diversity including indigeneity? Marva Wisdom is a highly respected facilitator, moderator and speaker. Locally and internationally, she provides her clients with the tools and courage they need to facilitate meaningful growth through leadership, effective engagement, diversity and inclusivity. Her speaking engagements have taken her to several countries and across Canada. Marva is co-founding president and managing director of Canadian Black History Projects and an avid community volunteer with decades of committee and board leadership experience. Her recognitions include: Queen s Diamond Jubilee Medal; YWCA s Woman of Distinction; and JCA s Community Volunteer Leadership Awards. She has an M.A. (Leadership) from the University of Guelph and serves on its Leadership Advisory Board. Marva is also a member of the University s Strategic Advisory Committee. She has been an active member of the ground breaking Black Experience Project (GTA) team since its inception in 2010, serving as Project Director for Phase 1 and is currently the project s director of community engagement and outreach.
Session Information 10:30 am - 11:40 am: Concurrent Sessions A1: Tools for an Active and Safe Program Every child should feel safe. Providing children with a safe environment to learn and play helps them gain the skills they need to act responsibly throughout their lives. PHE Canada s Active and Safe After School Initiative is a series of tools to raise awareness about safety in recreation-based after school programs. The initiative aims to increase knowledge, awareness and understanding of injury prevention, risk management and best practices in safety. Participants will explore: resources to help increase parental awareness of safety; implementation checklists for program leaders and supervisors; guidelines for participants of all abilities; physical activity safety games; and more. This session is packed with tools and approaches that can be used in programs the day after the ONference. Presenter: Kendra MacFarlane, Program Coordinator, and Sharon Jollimore, Manager, Physical & Health Education (PHE) Canada A2: Trans Rights and Trans Wrongs This hands-on session takes delegates on a thought-provoking journey through the Ontario Human Rights Code. Using arts-based activities delegates will learn about the law to advance the rights and interests of participants in after school programs. A re-examination of how recreation and children s services professionals view the concept of gender helps lays the groundwork to better understand the concept that what is necessary for some is good for all. This session will challenge delegates to think outside the box by arming them with program tools and training activities designed to empower frontline staff make programs inclusive, accessible and fun for all. Presenter: Kerry Boileau, Arts Education Specialist, SKETCH 12:40 pm - 1:50 pm: Concurrent Sessions B1: Leaping into Risky Play Risky play is an ongoing discussion topic in recreation circles. In the natural development of children, there is great benefit in exploring play activities - even those that pose a risk of injury. Through risky play, recreation leaders can engage participants in low-level risk activities through which they naturally develop critical thinking, risk management and coping skills. To be effective in this approach, leaders need to position risk as a program benefit versus barrier, understand where and how to introduce risky play activities, and engage parents and other stakeholders as partners in this approach. This session will review the origins of risky play research and its application in after school programming and will provide tangible tools for delegates to incorporate unstructured risky play into their programs. Presenters: Brandy Tanenbaum, Program Coordinator, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and LJ Bartle, Director, HIGH FIVE National Standard B2: Game Changers: Shifting Conflict This interactive session introduces delegates to fundamental conflict resolution techniques based on an effective child and youth engagement approach. Participants will learn and practice key skills and use easy-to-implement tools to help foster successful mediation between after school program participants. Learn about the restorative equitable approach to conflict which seeks to heal rather than punish and which promotes individual and community accountability. Delegates will get first-hand experience in learning about the innovative Peacebuilding Circle methodology, which uses a consensus-building dialogue approach. Presenter: Saara Siddiq, Coordinator, Restorative Justice Conflict Mediation Program, St. Stephen s Community House
Session Information 2:00 pm - 3:10 pm: Concurrent Sessions C1: Improving Access to Physical Activity Programs for Newcomer Youth Youth who immigrate to Canada are 40% less likely to meet physical activity guidelines within the first 1 to 2 years of immigration (Kukaswadia, Pickett, & Janssen, 2014). After school programs can create welcoming environments, encourage cultural respect and promote the benefits of physical activity and positive social cohesion for newcomer Canadians. We Belong, developed by PHE Canada, is a resource to help after school program leaders to do just that. Using an asset-based community development approach, this resource helps programmers draw on the ability and insights of community members to develop programs to interest, engage and excite newcomer youth. Delegates will be introduced to the We Belong How-to-Guide, engage in collaborative discussion, and brainstorm how to use resource to create a sense of belonging in their community programs. Presenter: Kendra MacFarlane, Program Coordinator, and Sharon Jollimore, Manager, Physical & Health Education (PHE) Canada C2: Nova Scotia s After the Bell Program: Engaging Girls in After School Programs Since 2012, the Nova Scotia s Thrive! plan has promoted physical activity for participants ages 11-13, with a focus on girls and rural communities. This session will introduce the After the Bell program, and share the approach, goals, and implementation learnings from provincial, regional and community perspectives. Hear about after school time strategies in Nova Scotia, specifically in the Halifax Region. Delegates will learn about promising practices for getting girls more active and engaged and have the opportunity to share their personal and program experiences. Presenter: Nora Dickson, Physical Activity Consultant Central Region Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, Warren Edwards, Community Recreation Coordinator, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia 3:20 pm - 4:30 pm: Closing Session Closing Session: The Groove: Engaging the BODY, BRAIN and BEING of After School Participants The Groove is a highly active community builder that uses a movement-based approach to inspire and promote physical, cognitive, social and emotional health. It encourages program participants to practice self-awareness, mindfulness, confidence and healthy peer interactions, while celebrating unity and individuality...all while being active! Delegates will experience this innovative approach and learn how to apply it to after school programs. Using simple moves, inspiring global music and positive health messaging, delegates will leave armed with tools needed to lead children and youth through an innovative approach that supports the body, brain and being. Physical activity is involved in this session so come prepared to move and have fun! Presenter: Michelle Hillier, AQ Instructional Leader, York University
PLAN YOUR ONFERENCE EXPERIENCE Register online at www.bit.ly/onference17 Registration Information The ONference registration website makes planning as easy as 1-2-3: Use the online registration to plan your schedule - www.bit.ly/onference17 Register online and recieve a confirmation email quickly and easily - www.bit.ly/onference17 Print your confirmation, receipt, directions and schedule to make your arrival simple and enjoyable. Ways to Register Online www.bit.ly/onference17 Telephone 416-426-7035 Early Bird Registration Deadline: THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017 Registration Deadline: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2017 FIND OUT WHY IT IS CALLED... ONTARIO S AFTER SCHOOL KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE leading-edge keynote and interactive learning sessions BUILD new relationships during lunch and before and after sessions ADDRESS your priority issues with 6 sessions from which to choose ENGAGE with facilitators, professionals and industry supporters WHO SHOULD ATTEND: For Managers/Directors and Staff of After School Arts, Recreation, Health Promotion, Sport, Education, and Culture Programs. Ways to Save Renew your PRO membership or join PRO for maximum registration savings. Visit www.prontario.org for more information on Membership. Register by the early bird registration deadline, January 26, to benefit from reduced rates. ONference 2017 Fees To view all registration item fees and options please visit - www.bit.ly/onference17 PRO Member s* Individual Group (3 or more) Early Bird Deadline January 26th $179 $159 w/hst $202.27 $179.67 Registration Deadline February 10th $209 $189 w/hst $236.17 $213.57 CANCELLATION POLICY: A 20% administration fee will be applied to all cancellations. A fee of 50% will be applied to cancellations made between January 26 and February 10. Cancellations made after February 10 are fully nonrefundable. Non Member s Individual Early Bird Deadline January 26th $219 w/hst $247.47 Registration Deadline February 10th $249 w/hst $281.37 However, registrations are transferable. All requests for cancellations must be submitted in writing to the PRO office at pro@prontario.org Group (3 or more) $199 $224.87 $229 $258.77 * Members are members of Parks and Recreation Ontario or other CPRA Provincial/Territorial Parks and Recreation Associations