The Guelph and Wellington Volunteer Centre has a number of courses that it is offering over the next few months.
The first is Anti-Racism for New Canadians.
The full-day workshop will assist recent immigrants to know about their rights in Canada and how to deal with discrimination when they or other family members experience it. Registration is limited to 20.
The course is run by Paula DeCoito, executive director of the Social Planning Council of Peel Region.
The workshop is co-sponsored by Onward Willow – Better Beginnings, Better Futures and Immigrant Services of Guelph and Wellington.
The workshop is Oct. 27; with registration at 7:30am and the workshop running 8am to 4pm at the Shelldale Centre, 20 Shelldale Crescent, in Guelph.
The workshop is free. Travel and a child minding subsidy are available.
The next workshop is Board Governance in Three Acts
The popular series is back, and by the end of the three, participants will understand the key role that boards of directors can play in creating strong, healthy communities in Guelph and Wellington County. The emphasis will be on real-life experiences in board governance.
This is a three part series, and registration is for all three workshops. Because of the nature of the presentation, there is no single workshop registration for the series.
Registration is limited to 15 people.
Gayle Valeriote, of the Volunteer Centre, will run the course on three consecutive Tuesday evenings, Nov. 16, 23 and 30. Registration is on the first night at 6pm at the Volunteer Centre, 46 Cork Street East, Guelph.
The fee is $120 for members or two for $200, and $240 for non-members or two for $340. Reserve a place by Nov. 11.
The three sessions include Board Governance: Act one is leadership. The opening session will explore the leadership expectations of board members, the principles that underlie board governance, what boards are expected to achieve and how members might know if their board is “on track.” Those things are not usually described in a typical board orientation – but enquiring minds need to know.
Act two is roles and responsibilities. A common concern of board members is “who does what?” This second session will help people to understand the job description of the board and the senior staff, and identify the differences and overlaps between them. They will learn about how organizations can most effectively ensure everyone is working to maximum potential.
Act three is bringing new people on board
Engaging the community in the mission of an organization is a key responsibility. This is a great way to find and keep board members. In the final workshop, people will have a framework for understanding the board recruitment process and have discussed strategies for finding new board members.
This year, the Volunteer Centre will inaugurate a “learning community” in the form of an executive directors network. The purpose of that network is to give executive directors from organizations in Guelph and Wellington County an opportunity to connect, share knowledge, and learn from the experience of others on issues related to the community benefit sector.
Registration is limited to 15 people. The first meeting is Nov. 4, from 9am the 10:30am.
The group will for seven months, until June at the Volunteer Centre. The cost is $450 for members; $500 for non-members (payment can be divided over two fiscal years)
Register by Nov. 1.
What’s It Gonna Take? deals with effective ways to engage youth in your organization
The centre is partnering with Student Volunteer Connections (SVC) at the University of Guelph to present an interactive workshop that will shed light on what it takes to effectively engage youth volunteers as builders of community benefit organizations in Guelph and Wellington and beyond. Participants will hear from young people who feel that their volunteer talents have been effectively used, and hear from volunteer managers. Afterwards, participants will hear from participants in a World Café session, discussing what it would take to see young people actively involved in all sorts of community building.
The workshop is part of SVC’s annual conference, Do So Much Weekend. It will take place at the University of Guelph on Jan. 28 to 30 and will be a three-day event that ignites, educates, and challenges students to make an impact in the community through positive social action.
The workshop is on Jan. 29 at 4pm at the University of Guelph – exact workshop location to be announced by Student Volunteer Connections.
Register for that workshop via the on-line registration process at www.dosomuch.ca.
