SKILLS SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT 2020
ADAPT & EVOLVE
Navigating adversity and building resilience together
ADAPT & EVOLVE Navigating adversity and building resilience together
Exploring Resilience..................................................................................................................................... 2 We are Skills Society.................................................................................................................................... 2 Our Strategic Priorities................................................................................................................................12 Skills Society Board of Directors 2019-2020.............................................................................................13 Board Chair Report......................................................................................................................................13 Treasurer Report...........................................................................................................................................16 Executive Director Report...........................................................................................................................17 What is Resilience?..................................................................................................................................... 24 Building Resilience Through Innovation................................................................................................... 28 Practices and Principles that Guide Us in the Face of Adversity............................................................ 32
EXPLORING RESILIENCE
Building more resilient communities has been a part of the work of Skills since its inception. Our work is built on the foundational belief that our communities are stronger when all people are supported to participate as equal citizens. The importance of this work becomes particularly apparent in times like now - times of adversity. It is during these moments, just like the pandemic has produced, that we see the frailties in our systems - the gaps where marginalized people can fall through the cracks. Now, more than ever, we recognize the importance of building more resilient communities - communities that support everyone, not just the privileged few. Communities that leave no one behind in times of adversity. This report demonstrates how Skills builds towards individual and community resilience every day.
WE ARE SKILLS SOCIETY
WHO WE SERVE 2
We are Skills Society - one of the largest disability service organizations in the Edmonton area. For 40 years we have provided individualized support services to people with developmental disabilities, their families, and the communities in which they live. Our work is complex but our goal is simple: help people with disabilities live safe, dignified and meaningful lives. Our organization was started in the 1980s by parents who wanted more for their sons and daughters - to reduce their sense of isolation by removing them from “institutions� and placing them back into the arms of society. Today, we remain connected to those roots by keeping our services person-centred and focused on the unique needs of every individual. In doing so, we reduce their isolation and improve their mental health, reduce healthcare and justice costs, and help them set and achieve personal goals they (and their families) never thought possible.
We provide support services to children and adults with developmental disabilities, survivors of brain injuries, and their families. Support varies depending on the level of need and qualifications for government funding. For some, we may provide a few hours of outreach support each week. For others, it involves 24/7 supported community living. We also work with those who are defined by PDD as having complex service needs.
30 people
50 children
who are brain injury survivors
375 people served by Skills Society 295 people with developmental disabilities (PDD)
102 people
66 people
with complex behavioural needs
with complex medical needs
PDD Funded Residential Community Living
PDD Funded Supported Independent Living
Decision making and advocacy
159 people funded 47 with complex needs
136 people funded 55 with complex needs
175 people have family to help 120 do not
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VISION A community where all individuals are valued citizens deserving respect, dignity and rights.
MISSION We support individuals with disabilities and their families in their right to learn and grow in the community. Our services strengthen belonging and encourage and support individual choice and opportunity.
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CITIZENSHIP IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO For many of us, citizenship is something we take for granted. It can be defined in many ways, but at its core citizenshipis our sense of value and belonging. This sense of citizenship doesn’t always extend to people with disabilities. That’s why Skills Society was formed - to provide people with disabilities with the same opportunities and choices, the same ability to share their gifts and talents, and the same sense of belonging that we all enjoy. Citizenshipis what we strive for every day - and it encompasses the following:
Relationships Surrounded by people who love and care for you, sharing your life with others
Rights Equal access to opportunities, freedom to choose, independence
CITIZENSHIP
Participation Meaningful things to do and places to go, the opportunity to share gifts and talents with others
Belonging Feeling valued, respected, and an important part of society
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SKILLS HELPS PEOPLE THRIVE IN FIVE PILLARS OF EVERYDAY LIFE We build each of our services to help people with disabilities thrive in five pillars of everyday life.
Supporting the Citizenship of People with Disabilities
What this looks like: • Making a house feel like a home • Building and strengthening connections with roommates, neighbours, friends and family • Establishing healthy and meaningful routines together • Completing day-to-day tasks like budgeting and grocery shopping
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What this looks like: • Making and sustaining friendships along with healthy, romantic relationships • Establishing social networks with friends, neighbors and colleagues • Nurturing family relationships
What this looks like: • Finding and maintaining paid employment • Developing new skills through volunteering • Pursuing education or jobrelated training
Lisa, Jennifer, Felix, Karen, and Mike participated in a learning conversation hosted by Skills leadership where they provided insights around their experiences as people supported by Skills Society. These insights helped inform Skills’ new strategic plan. This is a great example of our core value “Practice in Person Centred Ways” in action!
What this looks like: • Setting and attending medical appointments • Establishing healthy eating habits and exercise routines • Assisting with personal hygiene • Supporting medication management • Supporting mental and emotional wellbeing
What this looks like: • Participating in neighbourhood activities • Sharing talents with the community • Discovering fun and meaningful things to do
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REFRESHING OUR VALUES TO KEEP US FOCUSED AND INSPIRED This past year, Skills undertook the journey to refresh its value statements in order to reflect the unique and effective approach we take in delivering our services. This collaborative process involved the Skills Board of Directors, staff and the voices of those we support, along with their families. As the year unfolded, and the COVID crisis emerged and then deepened, it became clear that these new values - who we are and why it matters reflected Skills at its very best. A resilient organization with a commitment to adapting and thinking creatively about its challenges.
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PRACTICE IN PERSON-CENTRED WAYS
Why it Matters In the past, people with disabilities were left out of important conversations that affected their lives. We believe that our planning, policies, procedures, and pathways are more effective when they are informed by and responsive to the needs of the people whose lives they impact. Operating Principles • We focus our services around the lived experiences of the people we support • We plan our services in creative and engaging ways in order to make them meaningful and relevant • We ensure our solutions are the most empowering, least intrusive and safest for the people affected • We build and strengthen healthy relationships in everything we do • We work equally to solve big picture problems and onthe-ground needs
VA LU E S I N AC T I O N
Practice in PersonCentred Ways We never forget to keep the voices of those we serve at the centre of our planning and practices SEEK CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS
Why it Matters We believe that real social change comes from collective effort. By sharing resources and working closely with other like-minded organizations, we raise the voice of the disability community and take a leading role in building more inclusive communities. Operating Principles • We treat invitations to collaborate as opportunities to help achieve our vision and mission • We use the Action Lab and other initiatives to open up relationships and spur innovative ideas • We look beyond our organization for new and different ways to achieve our vision • We place trust at the centre of any relationship because that’s what enables collaboration • We embrace the sometimes slower nature of collaborative work when it is necessary
Building and Testing the Missions App All our social innovations are built in collaboration with the people we serve. As the innovation is developed and tested, we look to the people we serve for their knowledge and experience to make it better. Earlier this year, people we serve and their allies gathered in the Action Lab to test and give feedback on the Missions App.
People we serve in the Action Lab providing input on one of our social innovation projects, the Missions App
Mocked up Missions that the people we serve explored and gave feedback on.
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BUILD AND SHARE KNOWLEDGE
EMBRACE COMPLEXITY
Why it Matters In order to become better problem solvers, we work hard to learn through our actions and study excellence in others. We are committed to trying new ideas, seeking input on our work, and building a learning organization each and every day.
Why it Matters Helping people with disabilities live fulfilling lives is not an easy, straightforward road. It is complex work - from the needs of the people we serve to the interconnected policies that shape their world. Rather than shy away from these challenges, we meet them head-on with creativity, determination and collective effort.
Operating Principles • We actively seek out new knowledge and view continuous learning as essential to our role as leaders • We learn through reflecting on our actions and studying the work of others • We strive to mix solutions that are old, new and sometimes surprising • We generously share what we build and learn with others
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Operating Principles • We experiment with multiple ways to address tough issues in order to improve the chances we find a solution • We embrace ambiguity, difficulty and tension as opportunities for creative thinking and innovative responses • We are comfortable knowing that measuring success in our work is not an exact science with clear answers • We are relentless but patient in our efforts to navigate and make progress on tough issues
VA LU E S I N AC T I O N
Build and Share Knowledge In order to continually improve the support we provide, we’re not afraid to learn from others and try new ideas ADAPT & EVOLVE
Why it Matters Life is full of change. We know that if our strategies and systems are too rigid and static, we risk our services becoming less useful or relevant. Instead, we are stronger when we are more agile in responding to changing contexts and uncertain times. Operating Principles • We stay razor focused on our vision and mission yet flexible in how we pursue them • We constantly scan our world - inside and out - to identify opportunities and barriers for our work • We boldly seek out new insights - even failures - and adapt our work to reflect our learning • We promote clear and constant communication to enable us to pivot quickly if required • We adjust and revisit decisions when new information is presented or as political, social, and environmental contexts shift • We remain open to new solutions in the face of changing times • We listen deeply to understand what is really going on and what is needed
Building Knowledge Through Creative Training Partnerships We have, and continue to, seek out a number of creative partnerships with talented community members and organizations so we can offer our staff meaningful training opportunities. Through these creative partnerships we see an exchange of ideas - our staff gain valuable skills that help them do their job better and our community partners learn about our work. Some examples of these creative partnerships include: Donna Debolt sharing her knowledge around supporting people with FASD, Anita Watts providing virtual mental wellness training to staff at all levels of the organization during the COVID-19 pandemic, and our very own trained Mandt Team creating videos to support the mental well being of staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Donna Debolt, well known FASD trainer, sharing her knowledge with staff, families, and community members in the Action Lab.
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OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2020-2023 NEW AND EMERGING PRIORITIES Throughout this past year, we re-evaluated our priorities to ensure that we continue to effectively navigate, respond to, and thrive in current policy and funding contexts.
Strategically Manage Our Work with People Labelled with Complex Needs Balancing our commitment to serving people with complex needs with the safety and needs of staff and the people we currently serve.
Increase Financial Management & Resiliency Anticipate, monitor and adapt to changes in funding models while continuing to develop new revenue streams.
Adapt Our Organizational Models Develop an understanding of the different organizational models available and develop the relationships and capacity to move quickly to adopt new models if the situation requires it.
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Advance Sector Priorities Be sector leaders, spearheading and participating in system level change processes that show promise of enhancing the lives of people with disabilities.
Get to the Next Level in Data & Evaluation Strengthen our organizational and measurement systems to respond to needs, help improve performance and demonstrate our value.
ONGOING PRIORITIES In addition to the new and emerging priorities outlined above, we continue to focus on the ongoing priorities that ensure our organization remains strong, healthy and able to fulfill our mission in the most effective way possible.
Skills Society Board of Directors Officers of the Board
Strengthen our Capacity to Support Citizenship & Deep Belonging in the Lives of the People we Serve. Supporting people to not just be “in” community but to be “of” community with a sense of reciprocal participation and belonging.
Hart Chapelle, Chair Amy Abbott, Vice Chair Debbie Royer, Secretary Rochelle Mitchell, Treasurer Returning as Directors Darcy McDonald Carmen Norris
Reinforce Innovation Culture & Capacity Continue to foster a culture of creativity and innovation that values learning and experimentation.
The Slate of Directors to be Ratified for a Second Term Hart Chapelle
Continuous Improvement of Internal organizational processes Continue to streamline internal processes to make them more effective, efficient, and user friendly.
Strive to Maintain a ‘Family Feel’ Maintain the ‘family feel’ amongst staff amidst growth and change.
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BOARD CHAIR REPORT Turbulent Times Ahead The Skills Society began fiscal 2019-20 with the realization that Alberta was in a state of flux. A new government had been elected, Alberta’s economy was in decline, government revenues were in free-fall territory, and new economic and social policies were being considered and implemented. Unprecedented change and reform were in the air, including reforms to the PDD Program.
In other words, how best to navigate turbulent times ahead, build resilience together and remain mission resolute for the people Skills exists to support?
Skills’ Influence and Advocacy Efforts Following a government review of the PDD Program that concluded in late 2018, the Minister of Community and Social Services established several ongoing planning tables and forums to secure stakeholder input into future reforms of the PDD Program. Skills Society’s board and staff are active participants in the Minister’s forums. On behalf of the Skills Society, I thank Minister Rajan Sawhney for her considerable commitment to including community stakeholders in charting the future of the PDD Program.
These questions formed the backdrop for a robust, inclusive strategic thinking and planning exercise that resulted in recrafting Skills’ vision, mission, purpose, core values, operating principles and priorities for the next three years. Additional information about these important changes is provided elsewhere in this annual report.
Fund Development Strategy Renewal The board and staff both recognize that non-profit organizations must diversify sources of funding and other forms of giving. Skills has undertaken a review of current fund-development strategies and is completing work on a more robust set of funding development strategies.
Pandemic The arrival of the COVID-19 virus added another layer of turbulence, concern and challenge to an already roiling environment. With the help of families, the people we support and the entire Skills staff team, we redesigned, in great detail, nearly every aspect of how supports are delivered. To date, not one individual or staff member has contracted the COVID-19 virus; a testament to early action and careful attention to detail.
In particular, I would like to thank board member Darcy McDonald for his efforts in this regard.
Strategic Questions, Thinking and Planning The overarching strategic question for the Skills Society was how best to position the organization to adapt and evolve in real time in a rapidly changing, unpredictable external environment.
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Creating Excellence Together Certification Standards Review Every three years the Skills Society is required to undergo a certification review in relation to a comprehensive set of standards established by the Alberta Council of Disability Services. In early 2019, Skills was informed it had met all required standards in exemplary fashion.
Our Generous Community An old axiom states: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far; go together.” The Skills Society realizes there is no one in our community whose contribution we do not need. For the people we exist to support, Skills Society services aim to strengthen belonging and support individual choice and opportunity. We could never achieve our mission without the generous support of other community members. We give our heartfelt thanks to the Government of Alberta, the Edmonton Community Foundation, the Royal Bank of Canada, Telus, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue.
Em and Jennie, two community builders, receiving a $10 000 cheque from the TELUS community board in support of the CommuniTEA Infusion Project
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Skills and many other service providers struggled to find adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). We gratefully acknowledge contributions of PPE from Pagnotta Construction, St. Albert Dental Centre, Staples on Calgary Trail, SkyAnne Krupa, Mira Facilitation Centre, Tralee Residential Services, Transitions, and the Honourable Kaycee Madu, MLA Edmonton South West. Passionate and Dedicated Board and Staff Last but not least, I want to acknowledge our passionate and resolute board and staff teams. Working together on our vision and mission has been both inspiring and deeply satisfying.
This year, four members of the Skills board will be leaving us. All four made unique and valuable contributions, dedicated to the Skills Society and to the people we exist to support. A deep and profound thanks to Dwight Hayes, Josh Gnutel, Julie Kucher and Thelma Ketler. Your passion, knowledge, experience and wisdom will be missed. We are also grateful for the contributions of Rebecca Rubuliak who joined us this past year as a board intern through the University of Alberta Community Service Learning Non Profit Board Student Internship Program. Hart Chapelle, Board Chair
Board Turnover and Renewal Community volunteers are the life blood of non-profit governance. Ongoing board member turnover and renewal helps to ensure effective oversight and stewardship of our precious non-profit ecosystem in Alberta.
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VA LU E S I N AC T I O N
Embrace Complexity We know that supporting people’s citizenship is complex. Through creativity, determination and collaboration we can tackle any challenge. Navigating COVID-19 Together COVID-19 has created all kinds of new challenges and uncertainty for us to navigate as a Skills community but together we have worked quickly to change daily routines and practices in an effort to safeguard everyone’s health. This includes creating new policies and procedures to reflect information from health authorities, reducing or changing the way families and friends visit loved ones and packaging and delivering PPE and supplies to houses. Leadership has also adapted to working remotely.
The 2019/2020 fiscal year for Skills Society has ended on a positive note. We have ended the year with a small surplus for the year. Skills Society recorded just over $22.06 million revenue in the current year which was $202,000 higher than the original budget. Total expenses for the year were $21.99 million, or $157,000 higher than budget.
It hasn’t been easy but we are so grateful for all these efforts on the part of everyone in our Skills community. Together we are embracing complexity, navigating uncertainty, and helping to keep one another healthy and safe.
Looking ahead to the 2020/2021 year, Skills Society is anticipating a balanced budget. All government contracts are now three year terms which should help to provide stability to our major source of funding.
Staff working hard to prepare packages of PPE to go out to the homes of the people we serve.
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TREASURER REPORT
Skills Society has a surplus prior to amortization and casino of $163,000 in the current year, compared to a deficit of $21,000 reported in 2019. After amortization and casino, Skills recorded a surplus of $74,000 in the current year compared to a deficit of $141,000 in the prior year.
Rochelle Mitchell, CPA, CA Treasurer
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT
ADAPT & EVOLVE:
Navigating Adversity and Building Resilience Together In reflecting back on the year, and the fact that we’re still faced with uncertainties related to COVID-19, the title for this year’s report highlights both the stark reality of today and hope as we move forward together. This year’s report aims to communicate two important messages to our Skills Society community. The first is to share a bit about our Skills Society values refresh and our 3-year strategic plan that has emerged from creative collaborations between the board of directors, Skills leadership, and stories from interviews with a cross section of people from our Skills community over the last year. We are excited and proud to share these values with you.
My most important message: thank you. I really want to thank and acknowledge the people we serve, their families and guardians, and our stellar employees for their patience, kindness, creativity and support during this pandemic. As you might guess, this has been an exceptionally difficult time for everyone - but the unwavering dedication of everyone at Skills to ensuring people with disabilities are protected and supported has given me unending amounts of hope and gratitude. On behalf of the entire leadership team of Skills Society, THANK YOU!
The second message I’d like to convey is all the ways our organization has been navigating through the COVID-19 Pandemic. It is a remarkable story of resilience and showcased Skills at its very best. In addition - and as usual - our annual report also showcases some inspiring stories and insights from the year which is often the best part!
In August 2019 we hosted a gathering for Team Leaders - a time to express appreciation for all their hard work and build connection with food, games, and socializing!
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PRACTICE IN PERSON-CENTRED WAYS
SEEK CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS
BUILD AND SHARE KNOWLEDGE
EMBRACE COMPLEXITY
ADAPT & EVOLVE
SKILLS SOCIETY CORE VALUES REFRESH Sometimes the values of an organization tend to reflect what already exists at its core. In other organizations, values are aspirational and reflect how they want to show up in the world. Our core values at Skills have always been a mix of aspirational and foundational, consistent with what I’ve heard is important to our community. We need a good mix of the old and new - sustaining the good things and moving forward with vision and values that guide us into a positive future. In learning from the people we support, our employees and the Board over this past year, we recognized we needed to refresh and clarify a few pieces with our five core values. It was clearly and consistently raised that we need to demonstrate how our values show up in ‘real life.’ These are the operating principles you see reflected on pages 9-10. Another important part of our refresh was to fill gaps in two critical areas: first in reiterating our commitment to personcentered practice, and the second in formalizing our mission to adapt and evolve to meet changing needs. We reconfirmed our commitment to our three previous values, but provided clarity on how they show up in our work through the operating principles. In the coming year and after the pandemic subsides we will be exploring with employees in our Skills Illustrated course, and other ways, how we can increase understanding and practice of our values in action. Further is a bit about the two new refreshed values.
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Skills Value: Practice in Person-centered Ways This is important because often in disability services, services and supports are not co-created alongside the people we serve. Throughout the organization - from the front line to policy making - we strive to ensure we listen and centre the voices of those served. This is a delicate practice and very often, even with the best of intentions, our biases can get in the way of deeply listening and seeing what people need and want in order to thrive. There is also an added complexity in that often if people have lived lives where “experts” constantly advised what people should or shouldn’t do, simply asking people what they need and want is often not enough. We need to start with asking, but also need to listen through noticing better what people show us they value through non-verbal communication. This might mean spending time to learn together, going somewhere new and experiencing what people gravitate towards and what that might tell us about their values and interests. Sometimes we also need to show people possibilities and expand horizons by trying new things in order to learn what people like, and don’t like. Put simply, this means avoiding a one-size-fits-all model. I encourage you to learn more about how we operationalize this value in the values refresh section of the report.
CITIZENSHIP STORIES
Story of Participation
Skills Value: Adapt & Evolve Never has this value been more important than today. Ironically however, this value has been deeply part of Skills for over 40 years since we began figuring out ways to support and include people with disabilities in community life. What does it really mean in our context to adapt and evolve? It means we need to be keenly aware of changes and respond thoughtfully. It involves constantly learning and adapting to the experiences of the people we serve. It means responding to changes in society that shift attention, focus and values. And it means being nimble and responsive when changes come to the systems that affect us. Life is never static and if we don’t listen, watch, and pay attention to shifts and changes, our supports and services may no longer be relevant. Again, I encourage you to read more about how we operationalize this value in the values refresh section of the report.
An important part of citizenship is having meaningful things to do and the opportunity to share your gifts and talents with others. This past year Jennie worked as a Community Builder with the CommuniTEA Infusion Project. Jennie is warm and friendly - attributes that make her perfectly suited for this role! In her role she welcomed and chatted with community members as they approached the van. Jennie was a valued member of the team and shared her insights and ideas throughout the season - making the project even better! When asked what she liked most about working the tea van Jennie replied:
“My favorite part was going out and seeing so many different places and meeting lots of neat people.”
Jennie, a Community Builder, working the Tea Van at a community event.
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STRATEGIC PRIORITIES OVER THE NEXT 3 YEARS While many organizations refresh their strategic priorities, not many are as inclusive or collaborative as Skills. I’m quite proud of the commitment of the Board and our leadership team to gather insights in multiple ways - input that helped shape our strategic priorities. Paige Reeves led focus groups with a cross section of people we support, along with front line staff and our leadership team. I interviewed every manager and senior manager to learn from their perspective what we needed to pay attention to. Our board chair interviewed all board members. Using all of these insights, we were able to make sense of what matters to our Skills Society community through a mix of rich data and personal stories. This was a very iterative process with many tweaks and feedback loops until we landed on the current plan. We also wanted to ensure that any plan we developed was flexible to adapt to changing contexts, recognizing that too often strategic plans can be too rigid and mismatched with a changing world. This is one reason we added the ‘adapt and evolve’ value to ensure we are responsive. Sure enough within a few months of finalizing our values refresh and strategic priorities, COVID-19 hit. A full pandemic being something no one (except maybe Bill Gates) could have predicted being our reality 6 months ago. And so, our strategic priorities will guide our work but at the same time we are committed to adapting and evolving to ensure we’re focusing on the right things at the right times.
NEW & EMERGING PRIORITIES
ONGOING PRIORITIES
Strategically Manage Our Work with People Labelled with Complex Needs
Strengthen our Capacity to Support Citizenship & Deep Belonging in the Lives of the People we Serve.
Increase Financial Management & Resiliency
Reinforce Innovation Culture & Capacity
Be Ready to Adapt Our Organizational Models
Continuous Improvement of Internal organizational processes
Get to the Next Level in Data & Evaluation
Strive to Maintain a ‘Family Feel’
Advance Sector Priorities A great example of our core value “Build and Share Knowledge” in action - Evan, Manager of Community Supports, travelled to Phoenix, Arizona for the TASH Conference where he shared MyCompass Planning with other disability service organizations from across North America.
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OUR LIFE’S WORK AND THE CULTURE TO ENABLE US TO SUCCEED The ongoing priorities of our plan are a mix of the deep life’s work of our organization and building an organizational culture that allows us to thrive. In order to strengthen our capacity to support citizenship, inclusion and deep belonging we need an innovative culture, continuous improvement and learning and a high level of trust like you’d find in any family. This creates a stronger sense of purpose to support people with disabilities to have good lives.
BALANCING THE BIG PICTURE AND ON THE GROUND NEEDS Our new and emerging priorities will allow us to respond to the immediate needs of the people we serve while at the same time enabling us to drive big picture change at the systems level. Here is a bit of context for why each of these priorities is important.
CITIZENSHIP STORIES
Story of Relationships Having people who care about you to call on for support in times of transition and uncertainty is an important part of citizenship. In March of 2019 Marlin made the big move from Calgary to Edmonton to be closer to family. In Edmonton he’s living the ‘retired life’ and enjoys making art at the Nina, volunteering for Meals on Wheels, bowling with Special Olympics, and spending quality time with family. Thanks to bonds with his roommate and support team, Marlin candidly reports that he ‘loves it here and is very happy’. His story highlights the importance of having a breadth and depth of relationships in supporting citizenship and ultimately a rich quality of life.
Strategically manage our work with people with complex needs When PDD eligibility criteria changed a few years ago, the PDD system began to ask how service providers might support and serve more people with what PDD calls Complex Service Needs.
“ A complex need is defined in PDD policy as a person with a mental health disorder who has often been cut off from services due to challenging behaviour and is receiving specialized treatment for psychiatric and/or behavioural issues. They are often involved in the justice system in some way and suffer from chronic substance abuse/dependency problems.”
Skills stepped up early in the process and developed many innovative supports to serve folks with these needs. The PDD system was not originally designed to support complex service needs and so we have had to balance safely serving this population with the security of our employees and community. Our work to serve, support and advocate for this community continues to be an ongoing focus.
Marlin proudly showing a piece of art he created
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ADAPTING AND EVOLVING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 Increase financial management and resilience Nonprofits like Skills must constantly work towards financial resilience in order to sustain their work and accomplish their vision. We will be researching and working on robust fund development and resilience plans over the coming three years. Our goal with this work is to balance not overburdening employees with fundraising while at the same time working on creating a long-term, resilient fund-development culture. Get to the next level in data and evaluation As I said in last year’s report, there is a reason our sector has a long history of distrust towards the word “data”. Quantitative measures were often used to oppress people with disabilities or to oversimplify complex things like measuring if a person’s quality of life was increasing or decreasing. Having said that, it is important for Skills to grow a better data culture that embraces lived experience stories and explores new ways of evaluating our success in supporting people to have deep belonging, connection and support. With in-house tools like MyCompass Planning that centers the voice of people served, we are well positioned to lead a meaningful data revolution in the social sector. A revolution that makes data empowering and provides deeper listening and learning. We are excited to lead the way in this area - and in systems further out - to make the world more equitable. Advance sector priorities We have always looked to be systems change makers to improve quality of life for marginalized populations. We seek creative collaborations with people with disabilities, government, and our service provider colleagues. When we’re at the table together, we can help make systems and services better for people with disabilities. Be ready to adapt our organizational models This priority really came to life with COVID-19 emerging. Thanks to the leadership in this great organization, we had to temporarily restructure our entire organization in a matter of weeks in order to keep people safe. We are always on the lookout for ways we can be more responsive, adapt and evolve our service models to meet the needs of the people we serve and the conditions in which we operate. There are many more details at an operational level of how we are moving forward with these priorities and we will be evaluating progress along the way and sharing back on key milestones.
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Navigating adversity and building resilience together What does it mean to build resilience together in an adverse circumstance like facing COVID-19? Most often in society when resilience comes up, we think of it as an individual overcoming adversity and their resilience as they push through their struggles. If you google image search resilience images, the most common is of a single little plant growing out of a broken or cracked earth or sidewalk. In fact we almost had that image on the front cover of this report - but felt something was missing from the picture. It was lonely and didn’t capture the spirit of “all being in this together.” We realized the kind of resilience we were talking about and wanted to point to as a hope during these times was the resilience that comes from diverse groups coming together to help and make things better. As you can see in the image on the front cover, it shows many people coming together to build a path over a chasm. I like to think this is a path where no one is left out or left behind. This has been what our Skills Society community and the greater Edmonton community has done in response to COVID-19. We have stepped up to help each other - bringing in our individual gifts and support as a collective. We are more resilient together as a community, than trying to face a challenge alone. I also reflect that as humans we have empathy and survived over generations not by being alone, but because we adapted and evolved as communities working together. In some ways maybe this pandemic will reset us a bit and help us remember the deep importance of service to our communities and that we are all interconnected and need to take care of each other.
“The kind of resilience we want to point to as bringing hope during these times is the resilience that comes from diverse groups coming together to help and make things better.”
CITIZENSHIP STORIES It’s also important to remember that people with disabilities historically have not always been welcomed and valued as full citizens in society. As the pandemic subsides (fingers crossed) we need to remember how important it is to keep searching for ways to meaningfully include people in community life - no matter how isolated we might be. It is a reminder for all of us that there is still work to do on ensuring no-one is left behind and we are more resilient when we are together, not alone. Sincere gratitude to everyone in our Skills community for building resilience together. For helping each other. For looking out for each other. For helping people feel connected even when they are physically apart. For safeguarding and protecting people. We will get through this - and I’m certain we can face anything that comes our way because our community is looking out for each other. Ben Weinlick, Executive Director
Story of Belonging An important part of citizenship is belonging. To belong is to feel valued, respected, and an important part of something bigger than yourself. Brittany is an engaged citizen who feels a sense of belonging as an actor and board member of the Rising Sun Theatre Group. Brittany has been performing since she was a little girl and loves all aspects of the theatre life the acting, singing, and being creative. As Brittany puts it, she is a performer at heart, “theatre is in her blood.” Brittany is grateful to be a valued member of the theatre group and derives great meaning from both her roles.
“I like to participate in different types of things and it makes me very happy that I’m part of the board. Not only am I an actor but I’m also a part of the leadership of the group. I’m very thankful for this.”
Pictured above is Brittany in costume during one of her past theatre performances.
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CITIZENSHIP STORIES
Story of Relationships Relationships are an important part of citizenship - being able to share your life with others in big and small ways. Irene and Arlin have a strong and loving relationship with one another. They celebrated their love and commitment in a beautiful wedding ceremony at their community church on July 29th, 2017. In chatting with Irene and Arlin, it became clear they share a real and meaningful friendship with one another based on trust, support, and looking out for each other:
WHAT IS RESILIENCE?
“We love each other a lot... I love her because she does stuff for me, I do stuff for her, and we both take care of each other”
In a nutshell resilience is about producing favorable outcomes in the face of adversity. Resilience is a complex phenomenon - it is thought and talked about in many different ways. For example, we can think of resilience at an individual level or at a community level. There is value in each definition of resilience, but taken to an extreme, there are also dangers.
- Arlin
Resilience as Something that Lives in an Individual To be resilient is to possess certain traits that enable you to thrive in times of challenge. Examples of individual traits commonly associated with resilience might be: courage, adaptability, and strength. In this definition, if you don’t possess these traits, then you are considered more vulnerable and less resilient.
“He’s a good friend”
Value: This definition reminds us that there may be certain traits that might make it easier or harder for an individual in times of stress - and that’s ok! We’re all different and respond differently in times of uncertainty.
- Irene
This year, they will be celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary and look forward to spending time together.
Irene and Arlin cutting their cake on their wedding day.
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anger: At its extreme, this definition excludes the role D the community plays in hindering and/or supporting someone’s resilience. It can lead to a ‘just pull up your bootstraps and try a little harder’ type attitude. It has also historically been exclusionary to people with disabilities because they are often viewed by those without disabilities as lacking resilient traits (which of course isn’t the case!).
Resilience as Something That Lives in a Community To be resilient is to be supported by your community to thrive in times of challenge. Examples of community conditions commonly associated with resilience might be: equal distribution of wealth, affordance of rights to all people, the presence of varied relationships and opportunities for meaningful participation for all. In this definition, if these conditions don’t exist, some marginalized groups are considered to be made more vulnerable and the community is seen to be less resilient and more fragile. Value: This definition reminds us that we all have a part to play in building resilient communities and that we should not leave it up to any one individual to ‘make it’ in difficult times. D anger: At its extreme, this definition excludes the role the individual plays in hindering/supporting resilience. Can lead to a ‘this has nothing to do with me and everything to do with society and everyone else’ type attitude. A tricky thing is that most often when resilience is thought of, it is as an individual trait. It’s less often that resilience is thought of as something that is collectively cultivated and shared within a community. Thinking of resilience as something that lives in community therefore can take a bit more work or intention, since it’s not always our ‘go to’ definition.
Skills Definition of Resilience At Skills, our understanding of resilience lands somewhere in the middle of these two definitions - we’re always striving to get the right mix of support at the individual and community levels. When we think of “building resilience together” we think of supporting both the individuals we serve and their communities. It’s a both/and not an either/or.
Resilience can be understood as “a productive and creative tool against oppressive forces” - Mia Mingus, Disabled Advocate
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At Skills, when we think of a citizen, we think of them as both an individual in their own right, as well as a member of a broader community that has a series of interconnected parts. If we want to support that citizen then, we have to both support their individual needs as well as look beyond the individual at the ways the community might be hindering or supporting their citizenship. The support provided to the citizen then, is a balance of helping them, while also contributing to shifting or nudging the community around them.
Some of the Ways We Build Resilience Together 1
Never forget the legacies of resistance and survival of the people we serve: There is a long history of exclusion of people with disabilities in Alberta. It is important to never forget the hard fought battles for inclusion and rights that took, and continue to take place, by the people we serve, their families, and allies.
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Shine light on the creativity, ingenuity, and adaptability of the people we serve: As others have written, “it takes guile and creativity living on the edges of humanity”. In their everyday life, people with disabilities demonstrate creativity and ingenuity as they adapt to living in a world that is often built without them in mind.
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Engage in system level advocacy: A big part of making communities more resilient is challenging social, attitudinal, and structural barriers that marginalize people with disabilities. We make others aware of these barriers and tackle them in big and small ways.
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Harness our interdependence and interconnectedness: We harness the power of our interconnectedness as citizens recognizing the ways it makes our communities stronger.
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Support engaged citizenship: Individuals who have meaningful things to do (participation), people who love and care about them (relationships), opportunities for independence and choice (rights), and a sense of connectedness to something bigger than themselves (belonging), tend to be more resilient in the face of adversity.
Balance our focus on the here and now and what’s to come: We strive to both work hard at constantly improving our supports to better serve people and look ahead at what’s to come so we can be active participants in shaping our future.
VA LU E S I N AC T I O N
Why build resilience together? We feel strongly about building more resilient communities at Skills Society because we believe it can contribute to making people’s lives better. When our communities are resilient, people with disabilities can thrive, not just survive. They can be safe, healthy, connected, and active citizens.
This piece was written by Paige Reeves, Senior Leader of Research and Social Innovation
Seek Creative Collaborations By working with others, we build a stronger community of neighbours, leaders and advocates. Collaborations with the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue Over the past three years we’ve developed a partnership with the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue. One of our staff is a member of the Rotary Club and bridged the connection recognizing a need at Skills Society and the Rotary Club’s desire to be of service. For the past three years the Rotary Club has donated and created holiday stockings for the people we serve through our Outreach Program. They have also recently stepped up to offer several hundred home cooked meals to the people we serve through our Outreach Program after hearing about food bank shortages during COVID-19.
Members of Skills Leadership and the Rotary Club behind the stockings they filled for people we serve in Outreach.
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BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH INNOVATION written by Paige Reeves, Senior Leader of Research and Social Innovation
At Skills Society, innovation is core to how we see the world and our work. To us, innovation isn’t just a buzzword - it is a culture we’re actively creating so that we can better meet the needs of the people we serve, avoid getting stuck, and tackle big and complex challenges like the kind we find ourselves facing today. Innovation is the way we stay resilient in the face of change. This culture of innovation at Skills has allowed us to: • Listen deeply to people’s experiences • Be creative and think differently about problems • Let ideas go or evolve them rather than holding them too closely • Excel at iterating - testing, tweaking, and trying again • Seek and incorporate multiple perspectives when solving a problem • Learn from others and share what we’re learning • Embrace complexity rather than run from it • Build solutions collectively In my role as Senior Leader of Research and Social Innovation, I have been fortunate to steward, alongside a stellar set of colleagues, several of Skills’ social innovations. Through this work, I have been able to witness the ways they both support the citizenship of the people we serve and ultimately contribute to building more resilient communities. In the section that follows, you can get updated on our current innovations, what we’re learning, and how they support the citizenship of people with disabilities.
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‘FUTURE OF HOME’ SOCIAL INNOVATION LAB In March of this year we received just over $230,000 from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to steward a social innovation lab on the “Future of Home” for people with developmental disabilities. Partnering with Inclusion Alberta, Capital Region Housing, and Homeward Trust, this lab will explore and develop two housing model prototypes that are affordable, accessible, and support the social inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in new and creative ways. What we’re learning •C urrent housing and support models do not always support the deep belonging and inclusion of people with disabilities •M odels like the one we steward at Melcor Village offer promising outcomes around flexible supports when people need them How this supports the citizenship of people with disabilities •W hen people have access to stable and affordable housing, along with individualized support, they require less support from other systems such as justice and health
BELONGING RESEARCH
MYCOMPASS PLANNING
Paige is stewarding research on the patterns and practices that support the deep belonging of people with developmental disabilities as part of her doctoral research at the University of Alberta. As the research unfolds, Paige will engage some of the people we serve to explore their experiences of belonging in the community.
The Mycompass Planning App continues to be used by the people we serve - helping them take the lead in planning and shaping what their support from Skills looks like. We continue to grow and improve the MyCompass Planning App and have recently added some new features such as: • Interactive data dashboards that make it easy for management teams to view, review, and interpret data across the organization • The ability for people served to like and favorite timeline posts with favorited posts showing up in a “Timeline Highlight Gallery” • The ability to assign a type to each goal encouraging people served and their supports to reflect together if the goal is something that stretches them from the familiar, promotes personal growth, or is a needed ‘quick win’
What we’re learning • Despite years of advocacy and efforts, people with disabilities often remain physically present but socially distant members of their communities • Many people with disabilities do still experience deep belonging in some relationships and spaces. • What patterns and practices support these experiences of belonging and how can we replicate them? How this supports the citizenship of people with disabilities • When people feel a sense of belonging and connection to others and their community they are happier, healthier, and more satisfied with their life
What we’re learning • A tool like MyCompass can help shape the way staff approach their work, encouraging a more person-centred approach • Support is more meaningful and helpful when it is directed by the person served How this supports the citizenship of people with disabilities • People are empowered to be the leaders of their lives, directing their supports so they get the most out of them
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MISSIONS APP The Missions App is a new online platform that the people we serve can use to explore and reflect on new experiences. Still in its testing phase, the app takes them step-by-step through different experiences such as mailing a letter to a friend, going on a photo scavenger hunt in their neighborhood, or trying out a local coffee shop with someone they care about. What we’re learning • It can be hard for people who have had limited life experiences to imagine new possibilities for themselves • Offering people a ‘buffet’ of experiences and a safe way to explore them allows new possibilities to seem more achievable How this supports the citizenship of people with disabilities • People’s lives are richer when they have opportunities to learn, grow, and try new things
Skills Leaders and Community Service Learning Students using divergent thinking practices to generate missions for the Missions App.
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COMMUNITEA INFUSION PROJECT CommuniTEA is a mobile tea house, run by people with disabilities, that travels to neighbourhoods around our city — creating a “pop-up” town square where people come together, get to know each other and strengthen connections. At the heart of the CommuniTEA Infusion project is a drive to spark connections amongst diverse community members, laying the foundation for feelings of inclusion and belonging. What we’re learning • Counter to what many people think, people with disabilities do not have to be passive recipients of care but instead can be engaged builders of community How this supports the citizenship of people with disabilities • Community members’ assumptions about disability are challenged and can change when they meet, have conversation, and connect with people with disabilities
Someone we serve working as a community builder at a tea van event.
CITIZENSHIP STORIES
CITIZEN ACTION LABS Our 1.5 hour think tank process helps supports, families, and allies break free of assumptions, shake up their thinking, and generate, alongside people served, creative ideas to support citizenship. What we’re learning • People with disabilities have many unique gifts and talents to offer their community; sometimes you just have to shake up your thinking to see them
Story of Rights An important part of citizenship is having equal access to opportunities, the freedom to choose, and independence. Earlier this year, some of the citizens we serve advocated for their right to full citizenship through participation in a focus group with the City of Edmonton. In this focus group, they had an opportunity to share their experiences and voice their concerns related to accessibility within the City.
How this supports the citizenship of people with disabilities • Our communities are richer, more exciting, and dynamic places when people are given the opportunity to share their unique gifts and talents
People we serve sharing their experiences related to accessibility in Edmonton in a focus group with the City of Edmonton.
A Citizen Action Lab taking place in the Action Lab
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PRACTICES AND PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE US IN FACE OF ADVERSITY A collective piece written by the Leadership of Skills Society
The Covid crisis has produced a great deal of uncertainty in all our lives. As we navigate this uncertainty together, we often fall back on certain core principles or practices that provide us comfort, give us hope, or anchor us. Taking time to reflect on these principles and practices can be a helpful tool in the face of adversity. The leadership at Skills took some time to reflect and name the practices and principles that have helped them navigate these uncertain times. We share these with you in hopes that some may resonate with you. What practices and principles have helped you in these uncertain times?
Finding Strength in Community
“My mom once told me that you should “let your friends help you” and I have been thinking about that a lot these days and putting it into practice!” - Karen, Senior Manager of Human Resources
“Relationships based on trust, respect, and strong communication have been key and help everyone feel safer and well supported in this difficult time.” - Jan, Manager of Community Supports
“The community of people I get to work with at Skills has made a world of difference throughout this. The leadership and support that I have witnessed, experienced, and been able to pass on, has been nothing short of outstanding!” - Christienne, Coordinator
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Finding Creative Ways to Stay Connected
“Every person we support, every employee, and all families and guardians have worked together to navigate these uncertain times and find the best solutions to keep us all as well informed and safe as can be. Skills Society personifies the mantra “we are all in this together.”
“I have found that checking in with everyone.. staff, families, and people we support, on a regular basis has helped. FaceTiming with the people we serve has been a fun way to connect, helps alleviate some of the disconnect, and lets them know that their support is very much valued at this time.”
- Bev, Senior Manager of Community Supports and Direct Operations
- Colleen, Manager of Community Supports
“I work with some of the best humans on a daily basis. I knew together we would be resilient through this crisis. Teams have hunkered down and together we have stayed strong and united!” - Lori, Manager of Community Supports
“I love that I have been able to stay connected with family, friends, peers, and neighbors through things like driveway visits and online game nights, birthday celebrations, workout challenges, and recipe swaps. I have found that I am reaching out more and taking the time to stay connected to the people I care about.” - Lizzamarie, Recruitment Coordinator
Remembering Purpose
“By dedicating myself daily, I have found purpose. This purpose has fuelled a drive, and a commitment to serve, persevere, and re-design personal and professional goals.” - Pawel, Manager of Community Supports
“I have found that providing even the smallest kind gesture to others has helped me feel more connected and given me purpose.” - Lisa, Coordinator
“Perseverance – the ability to maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles or discouragement. Staying true to the reason I got into this field has definitely helped me to stay focused and strive to find ways to be empathetic, supportive, and empowering to the teams I have the privilege of working with.” - Dawn Marie, Manager of Community Supports
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Focusing on What You Can Control
Finding Hope
“I am working on letting go of the things I can’t control and remembering we are in this together!”
“I hold onto hope, hope that things will come back together, that we will once again be able to hug our family members and socialize with friends (without masks and being 2 meters apart).”
- Pauline, Coordinator
- Linda, Senior Manager of Office Administration Cultivating Gratitude Making New Routines “Taking a moment to look how others are stepping up and expressing gratitude to them makes a lot of things better. It really shifts your mindset and strengthens community.” - Ben, Executive Director
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“Set even a basic routine and stick to it everyday!” - Ed, Health and Safety Coordinator
“I try to practice regular, mindful appreciation for all that is being done as fuel for the moments, days, and weeks ahead.”
“Establishing new routines for myself has made navigating all the changes and working from home easier.”
- Chris, Manager of Community Supports
- Wendy, Accountant
VA LU E S I N AC T I O N
Adapt and Evolve Building Trust
“Trusting my colleagues and team members to continue providing awesome supports, trusting leadership to provide guidance through uncertainty, trusting that we are all doing everything we can and working together to achieve greatness despite added challenges and trust that this too will end and we will all be stronger and more prepared in our lives because of it.” - Erin, Coordinator
Seeking out Information
We build our supports to adapt to the unique needs of each person. At the same time, we strive to shift our services and priorities to meet changing times. The CommuniTEA Infusion Project Goes Online COVID-19, and all the changes associated with it, have made it challenging for people to remain connected to others in their community. With people not able to go out as often or see friends and family in person regularly, feelings of boredom, isolation, and loneliness can creep in. In response to this we got creative and took the CommuniTEA Infusion Project online! The people we serve have been hired to work as Virtual Community Builders and engage with others in small group online conversations and events.
“Accessing clear, concise and relevant information helps keep everyone safe - people we support and staff.” - Midge, Manager of Community Supports
Using Empathy
“As both a Senior Management and a Management team we have been hyper aware of how our decisions have real impact on people and have used empathy to acknowledge these and other impacts on the people we serve, families, and staff.”
Barry, someone we serve, baking cookies with others online during a Virtual CommuniTEA Connection Event.
- Matt, Senior Manager of Community Supports
Dave learning about Japanese culture during a Virtual CommuniTEA Connection event
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