SKILLS SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT 2019
ONWARD
Getting the right mix of the old, the new and a dash of surprise
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Vision, Mission, Values................................................................................................................................. 2 Skills Society Board of Directors 2019-2020............................................................................................ 3 Board Chair’s Report.................................................................................................................................... 4 Treasurer’s Report........................................................................................................................................ 6 Executive Director’s Report........................................................................................................................ 8 Deepening our Capacity to Support Belonging....................................................................................... 20 Our Values in Action: MyCompass Planning Labs & Supporting the Good Life................................... 27 Interview with Past Executive Director, Pat Conrad................................................................................30 Timeline: Learning from Our Roots........................................................................................................... 32
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Skills Society Core Values
Our Vision A community where all individuals are valued citizens deserving respect, dignity and rights.
Our Mission Skills supports individuals with disabilities and their families in their right to learn and grow in the community. We provide services that encourage and support individual choice and opportunity.
Supporting Engaged Citizenship Citizenship is about belonging and contributing and having access to important opportunities and choices. As Mark Kingwell describes it, “Citizenship is, in short, one of the profound categories that make us who we are, one of the crucial ways humans go about creating a life for themselves�. At Skills Society, our work focuses squarely on taking action that enhances and celebrates positive citizenship outcomes for individuals.
Safeguarding Healthy Relationships Social and material vulnerability are features of daily life for people with disabilities. Skills Society works to build positive and powerful relationships both inside and outside the organization to strengthen personal and political safety nets for the individuals we support and for the broader disability community.
Seeking Creative Collaborations We believe that social change comes from the strength of groups recognizing their commonalities, sharing resources, and working together. The disability community has often been overlooked in social change initiatives. We are committed to ensuring that we take our place among the talented and inventive groups and individuals working for more inclusive communities.
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Skills Society Board of Directors 2019-2020 Officers of the Board Building and Sharing Knowledge We work hard to learn through our own actions, and through studying the work of others. We are committed to trying new ideas and becoming better problem solvers. We seek opportunities to promote our work publicly in order to spark commentary and critique, and to forge new partnerships.
Hart Chapelle, Chair
Embracing Complexity The work of assisting people with disabilities to achieve good lives is not an easy road. It requires creativity, determination, and collective effort. At Skills we do not shy away from taking on big challenges, to innovate and try again. The work is complex – not only at the individual level, but at the level of contributing to influencing social policy that guides society in its obligation to address the needs of, and the contributions of disabled citizens.
Carmen Norris
Amy Abbott, Vice Chair Debbie Royer, Secretary Rochelle Mitchell, Treasurer Returning as Directors
Darcy McDonald Dwight Hayes Joshua Gnutel John McGee Julie Kucher Thelma Ketler
The Slate of Directors to be Ratified for a Second Term Darcy McDonald Debbie Royer Carmen Norris The Slate of Directors to be Ratified for Third Term Amy Abbott Dwight Hayes
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Board Chair Report Welcome to the Skills Society Annual Report for 2018/2019. If this is your first exposure to the Skills Society, we are an Edmonton-based non-profit organization that contracts with the Government of Alberta for the provision of a variety of community supports for adults with developmental disabilities and adults who have sustained serious brain injuries. We also provide respite services for families who have children with disabilities. The Skills organization provides services to about 400 people. We employ 458 staff working in 796 full and part time positions. Guided by our vision, mission and core values, the Skills Society is exceptionally passionate about supporting the people who choose our services to live meaningful lives as valued citizens. There are many stories to tell about the 2018/2019 year. Clearly, it was a watershed year for us. Key highlights follow. Executive Director Patricia Conrad Retires After 25 years with Skills, Executive Director Patricia Conrad retired in February 2019. Among other things, Pat brought to the organization a passion for excellence and an unrelenting pursuit of inclusion and belonging for all citizens. The board of directors is profoundly grateful to Pat for providing top tier executive leadership and commitment to our organization. She will be greatly missed.
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Ben Weinlick Appointed Executive Director After a lengthy executive search, the Skills board appointed Ben Weinlick to the position of executive director on February 11, 2019. Ben has worked for Skills Society for more than 15 years in a number of different capacities. In 2011, Ben completed a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University in Victoria. In 2011 he assumed senior leadership responsibilities with Skills and excelled each time additional responsibilities were added to his portfolio. The Skills board is confident Ben will honour the deep roots of our past while continuously improving our capacity to support deep belonging and full citizenship for all. Alberta Economic Downturn Continues Unabated The ongoing recession in Alberta created challenges for many citizens, businesses, three orders of government and all non-profit organizations, including Skills. Unrelenting downward pressure on government funding resulted in Skills Society having to cope with increased operating costs without the benefit of corresponding funding increases from government. While Skills was able to absorb inflation-driven operating cost increases for four consecutive years, we are acutely aware of a slowmotion erosion of our capacity to deliver safe, reliable good quality supports.
Creating Excellence Together Standards Certification 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. This was our year. As always, preparing for the certification review is an intensive process for both board and staff teams. When received, results from the review will provide valuable insights that will help us focus our ongoing continuous improvement efforts. The certification review concluded in February 2019. We await the results. Persons With Developmental Disabilities Program (PDD) Review The Ministry of Community and Social Services launched a review of the PDD Program in late 2018. The board and staff of Skills Society contributed to the review in a variety of ways (support for selfadvocate participation in the review, written material, verbal presentations and conversations with elected officials and ministry personnel). We await the results of this province wide review.
It Takes a Village The 2018/2019 Skills Society story would not be complete without acknowledging and expressing our sincere thanks for contributions of money and other resources from corporate Edmonton. These generous contributions are tangible manifestations of corporate and service organization awareness that including people with disabilities in all aspects of community life makes us all stronger and more resilient. We offer a deep and heartfelt thank you to the Royal Bank of Canada, the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, the Edmonton Community Foundation, Mystica Entertainment, the Oliver Safeway and the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club. A Special Thanks Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank our dedicated board members and our energetic and passionate staff group. Together, we achieved much more than any one of us could have achieved alone. That is the power of a high-performance team.
Hart Chapelle Board Chair
Skills Advocacy Efforts Skills is a strictly non-partisan organization. However, we recognize that our elected officials and other government decision makers need accurate up to date information in order to develop effective social policies and program budgets. During 2018/2019, Skills Society board of directors and senior managers met with and provided comprehensive written material to elected officials and ministry staff at all levels. Among other things, the Skills board communicated the need for improved salaries for disability service staff. Year-over-year low salaries in the disability service sector make it very difficult for organizations like Skills Society to successfully compete in the labour market for qualified staff. In human services like ours, skilled staff are essential to the delivery of safe, reliable, high quality supports.
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Treasurer Report S K I L L S S O C I E T Y C O R E VA LU E
Seeking Creative Collaborations Tariq and Aqnaf love to explore new places. One of the places on their travel bucket list has been the Philippines. As it happens, two of their supports, Marilou and Cora, are from the Philippines and have family that live there. Tariq, Aqnaf, and their parents became excited by the possibility of travelling to the Philippines with Marilou and Cora to get an insider look at the beautiful country. This possibility became a reality, when this year, they travelled to the Philippines and were generously hosted by Marilou and Cora’s families for part of their trip. Tariq and Aqnaf enjoyed being toured around by locals and having the opportunity to learn more about the culture and customs there. In this creative collaboration, Tariq and Aqnaf’s relationship with their supports opened up new possibilities for them and their family - creating the opportunity for a once in a lifetime trip to the Philippines!
The 2018/2019 fiscal year for Skills Society has ended on a positive note. We have ended the year with a much smaller deficit than originally budgeted. This is due to the combined results of the Ministry of Community and Social Services, Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) funding the legislated change in Employment Standards to General Holiday pay and the October 2018 legislated increase to minimum wage as well as the continued efforts made by staff to find additional sources of revenue such as grants and donations. Skills Society recorded just over $21.36 million revenue in the current year which was $181,000 higher than the original budget. Total expenses for the year were $21.38 million, or $9,000 higher than budget. Skills Society has a deficit prior to amortization and casino of $21,000 in the current year, compared to a surplus of $42,000 reported in 2018. After amortization and casino, Skills recorded a deficit of $141,000 in the current year compared to a deficit of $60,000 in the prior year. Looking ahead to the 2019/2020 year, Skills Society is anticipating a balanced budget. Revenue deferred to the current year should help Skills manage any changes to funding which may occur in the second year of our two year contract with PDD. Rochelle Mitchell, CPA, CA Treasurer
Tariq, Aqnaf, their parents, and their supports in front of the Mount Mayon Volcano - a highlight of their once in a lifetime trip together!
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Supporting Engaged Citizenship Jason is an engaged citizen, generously offering up his time, energy, and enthusiasm as a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, a local non-profit that provides nutritious meals to people in their homes. Having been a volunteer for 8 months now, Jason has developed a strong sense of pride in his work and notes the important contribution he makes in the lives of his fellow community members:
Cheryl visiting with a cat at the Edmonton Humane Society where she is a valued volunteer.
“I take food to people that can’t leave the house. They need me to deliver food so they will be okay... they like me there, they want me to keep working there�
Jason, a committed Meals on Wheels volunteer, ready to deliver a nutritious meal to a fellow community member.
Board director Julie Kucher receiving a cheque from the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation in support of our social innovation initiatives
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Executive Director Report February 2019 marked the beginning of a new chapter for Skills Society and for myself as the incoming Executive Director. I’m new to the role, but not new to leadership in the sector nor this great organization. Coming into the role of Executive Director I’m excited and honoured to continue to steward, lead, and bring out the best of one of the most respected and innovative disability service organizations in Alberta. I’m really grateful having been passed the torch from the previous Executive Director Pat Conrad who mentored me and passed along much wisdom and experience that I want to make sure to keep alive. I could imagine some might want me to cut to the chase and share what my focus will be at Skills now that I’m the new Executive Director, however I’ve also heard some people may not be familiar with my background and would like to know a bit about me, my values and what experiences I bring. So, even though it makes me cringe a bit to focus on myself, before I get to our emerging focus at Skills, I’ll share a bit so you can get a sense of my leadership style. Bear with. Bit of my story Over twenty years ago I got into disability rights and services. I was seventeen, idealistic, a bit of an artist and influenced by my step brother who has a significant developmental disability. I wanted to make a difference in the world and saw that people with disabilities still hadn’t truly had their liberation
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moment yet. I was gripped by that urgent sense that many in our organization feel, that there is much to be done to help people with disabilities be recognized, respected, valued and authentically included in community life. Around this time, I met a family who needed support for their son who has a significant developmental disability. Somehow this family took a chance on a misfit kid and allowed me to learn how to support their son. To this day I still have a strong connection with this family and I’m grateful they let me in, taught me and allowed me to be part of their story as they are part of mine. From this formative experience, I went on to a variety of front line roles in disability services, went to MacEwan University in Disability Studies, worked front line in the inner city and was fortunate to land at Skills Society fifteen years ago. Since that time, I’ve worn a few hats, such as being a coordinator, working in outreach, being senior leader of research and social innovation, and helping steward many of our social change initiatives from the last ten years. I feel fortunate that through mentors, continuous learning, and a culture of creativity and healthy risk tolerance for trying new things, I’ve been part of the story of shaping what Skills Society is today. A key thing that is not lost on me and that I won’t forget, is that I’m standing on the shoulders of leadership giants who have come before and many who are still at Skills leading positive change in order to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
Grounded in our 5 core values, I strive to put the following leadership principles into daily practice Person-centered support There is not a one size fits all solution to supporting people. This is a deep practice at skills where we need to keep assumptions in check and deeply listen and respond to what folks we serve truly need to live their full potential. Seek win win solutions that keep people most safe and are least intrusive We are responsible to do our best to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people we serve and our employees. We also need to work at ensuring we don’t unintentionally create unnecessary intrusions into the lives of people we support. Be careful not to make knee jerk reactions and decisions Need to look at the big picture and strive to consider ramifications and unintended consequences of hastily made decisions.
Take the work seriously, but strive to not take myself too seriously. Sense of humour, and fun helps with relationships and evidence shows makes people better problem solvers in complex situations.
My default mode is collaboration, seeking input and ideas. I will strive for clarity on who makes decisions and in which situations. We all have important contributions and perspectives. Seeking deep input, and ideas makes for better solutions. People are also more supportive of change initiatives when they feel they have been part of shaping the change effort. I will often say things like, “Ok, what’s the core problem we’re trying to solve here?” I do this for clarity and to help with aligning people to find pathways forward. Progress over perfection Growth, learning, and openness helps us lead with a bit more humility and embrace complexity better than thinking we have to be perfect. Prototype first before big roll outs Little tests of ideas helps to keep assumptions in check and see if something will work the way we think it will.
Don’t avoid conflict and don’t create unnecessary conflict. You will find me seeking clarity, asking for viewpoints and seeking to find win wins as best we can. Being the son of a psychologist, I could never get away with avoiding conflict. Conflict will eventually happen when humans do stuff together. Not all conflict is bad. However unresolved conflict harms culture, relationships and our ability to do great work.
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How, why and what exactly moves onward in a long established successful organization? This key question is at the root of the theme for our annual report this year. As the new executive director in a long established organization, I’m asking, do we just keep doing the same things we’ve always done? Should we focus more on fresh new things? How should we pay attention to the emergent unexpected opportunities we can’t plan for? The answers to what can successfully keep us moving forward for the folks we serve is getting the right mix of the old, the new and a dash of surprise. The theme is a riff on a quote from our friend and long time disability advocate and social innovator Al Etmanski.
What does this theme really mean for Skills Society? It means that in moving forward into our next chapter we can’t be focused all on the new and we can’t get stuck in past ways of how things used to be we need to focus on getting the mix right at the middle. The theme means we need to carry our learning and history forward, while at the same time be open to fresh possibilities and new learning. History is easily lost and being aware of it is one of the reasons we’ve included a timeline of key historical learning moments in this annual report.
“ Innovation/progress is a mixture of the old, the new and a dash of surprise” Al Etmanski
Al Etmanski visited our Skills office in May and let us take a pic of him next to his famous quote we have on our wall
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S K I L L S S O C I E T Y C O R E VA LU E
Building and Sharing Knowledge
Why not just start fresh with a new direction and forget the past? In the short term it may seem easier to begin a new chapter of Skills fresh, but in the long term it will result in repeating mistakes by not harnessing the deep learning that could propel us forward in better ways for people we serve. In addition it’s important to be aware of a common myth that for forward progress and innovation you just have to look to the new trends and harness them. This myth was busted for me when during my graduate studies I studied what fosters better problem solving in human service organizations. One thing that struck me from the literature on creative problem solving was that impactful innovators, and creative organizations exhibit a common pattern. The pattern is that they go deep to understand a domain of interest from many angles, and then open up to new perspectives that they can remix into solutions and pathways forward. In other words, healthy organizations that navigate well tend to embrace the complexity of paying attention to both the old and the new. When the old and new mix together well, helpful insights emerge that can generate relevant solutions and pathways.
In May of this year, Chris, Jan, and Erin, longtime MyCompass stewards, presented on our MyCompass Lab process at the ACDS conference. We love sharing our work publicly at conferences as it sparks commentary and critique and creates opportunities for new partnerships to emerge.
Jan, MyCompass Steward, presenting at the ACDS conference on our MyCompass Planning Lab process.
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Mixing in Learning from the “Old” “ We can’t be focused all on the new and we can’t get stuck dwelling on past ways of how things used to be- we need to focus on a healthy mix at the middle.”
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The “old” in relation to our theme should be associated with wisdom, historical learning and experience. Skills Society started forty years ago from a grassroots movement of parents of adults with developmental disabilities. Families stood up, and went against the status quo of the time. These grassroots change makers said their kids deserved the same opportunities as any other citizen and should be welcomed and part of community. This was radical, brave and very innovative at the time to go against the established system that basically had convinced families and society that people with disabilities were not fit to be part of community and better off inside congregate care institutions where thousands of people were kept. From the stories and histories of institutional life from people who lived it in North America, life inside institutions was bleak, dehumanizing, and with many violations of basic human rights occurring regularly. For example it wasn’t too long ago that eugenics and forced sterilization of people was disabilities was practiced in Alberta. In the 1930s the Nazis used our Alberta based “cutting edge” eugenics programs to inform how to go about exterminating people with disabilities. Forced sterilization ended in Alberta in the 1970s. As horrible and sad as this history is, it is so important to never forget.
The ‘Old’: The roots we need to sustain It’s important never to forget because those that unintentionally upheld systems of oppression would have seen themselves as good people doing what they thought was best for the “greater good” or for the health of the economy or for the health of society. We need to be aware that it isn’t as difficult as we might think to fall back into dehumanizing people and harming the most vulnerable in society with many good intentions along the way. For forty years, Skills has been on the cutting edge of pioneering ways to support deep belonging and full citizenship of people with disabilities. To always get better we have listened to people, history, and trends. We’ve tried things, learned, adapted and continuously improved and responded to emergent feedback and opportunities. This pattern from our roots of being a learning organization we will continue to bring forward so that ultimately our supports continue to be relevant, safe and empowering for the folks we serve and for community. To pay attention to our roots and knowledge, I’ve been engaged in interviewing leaders at Skills and community about what we shouldn’t forget. We’ll also be doing focus group explorations with folks we serve in the near future.
Ensure Supports are Person Centered Putting people into one size fits all models of support dehumanizes the unique experience and gifts of people. People served need to be part of shaping what support they need. Healthy Relationships are Key Healthy relationships with people served, between supports and people served, between families and the organization, between employees, between funders and Skills, between the community and Skills is essential to moving onward in a good way. Healthy relationship building is a responsibility of everyone. Grassroots Mobilization Big progress historically for people with disabilities has come from collective effort, coalitions and grassroot movement building. Work Collaboratively and Creatively Skills has known for years that in complexity, one individual can’t solve a tough social challenge like improving social inclusion outcomes of people with disabilities. It takes diverse people and policy makers from across a system to work collaboratively.
What follows are a few themes from what I’ve heard Skills leaders say we can’t forget or lose as we move forward into the future.
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Mixing in Learning from the “New” A common pattern of progress and moving onward is after going deep into learning about a domain of interest, systems change leaders should take a bit of time to shake up siloed thinking habits by looking for fresh perspectives in new domains. For example, we’ve created some pretty stellar services and social innovations like Project Citizenship, CommuniTEA Infusion Project & MyCompass Planning because we mixed new concepts from other fields. We’ve successfully learned from new ideas like design thinking and nudge science and then mixed them with traditional person centered planning. Looking outside familiar silos is counter cultural and to those that are siloed in their thinking, it can often be mislabeled as mission drift or losing roots. Our core value to Seek Creative Collaborations is so we are open to new perspectives different from what we’re used to and to make good things happen by the coming together of diverse perspectives. It’s a tricky balance to keep grounded in one’s domain purpose and to explore the new to mix in. But, it’s what keeps us moving forward positively. Regardless of how we explore “new” ideas and perspectives, they always need to come back around to the core challenge being tackled. At Skills Society’s core is to ensure our supports help people we serve to carve their own paths towards more dignity, respect, health, belonging and being valued as important citizens in society.
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“ Keep on the lookout for novel and interesting ideas others have used successfully. Your idea needs to be original only in its adaptation to the problem you are working on” Thomas Edison
The ‘New’: Trends and ideas to learn from at present Humanizing and Harnessing Data Data is stories and numbers and how we make sense of the data to inform decisions and be responsive to needs. There is a reason our sector has an aversion to data. “Data” historically was used to oppress people with disabilities. It was used to label and number people. Data too often limited potential and reinforced negative stereotypes. It can too often oversimplify complexity. We are in a new era and we need to get better at harnessing and humanizing data. We need to get better at showing impact and learning and responding well to new data - both stories and numbers. Future of Home and Belonging in Community What home is, is changing for the current generation. Many young people are choosing not to buy houses, seeking tiny home living, co-op housing and other forms of shared home living. We need to look at new possibilities for creating home life for people we serve and new people we are going to serve that is in keeping with our times and helps people be less isolated and lonely.
Nudge Science Getting people’s minds and actions to change to be more inclusive and supportive of people with disabilities is hard. Traditionally we’ve used education, arguments for rights and stories to elicit empathy in order to positively shift policy and behaviours of community and supports. Having an empathy experience doesn’t necessarily mean people will change. It takes multiple creative nudges over time, reflections, and engaging in learning by doing in order to nudge lasting positive change. There is lots of interesting research on this topic we are using with MyCompass Planning and with our social innovation labs. Culture of Innovation All services, systems, and programs have a shelf life or need to adapt over time. A culture of innovation creates the basis for ensuring services and systems are relevant and responsive to needs. We need to keep learning about and stewarding a culture of creativity and innovation to help good ideas to emerge from anywhere in our organization - from people served, families, employees or allies.
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That Dash of Surprise! Not everyone likes surprises and there’s a good reason for it - aversion to surprises comes naturally to our brains. As humans we tend to crave certainty. Our brains are wired from thousands of years of our ancestors trying to control uncertainty and avoiding being surprised by a predator. The more uncertain and chaotic our world gets with rapid changes, it is understandable we want to be prepared, avoid surprises and don’t want to be bowled over. Negative surprises we can somewhat prepare for through scenario planning, creating decision trees and guiding principles to navigate when surprises emerge. We do lots of this at Skills together with folks we serve, employees and the board and will continue to in order to help mitigate risks and be ready for challenging surprises as best we can. We also need to be ready for the good kind of surprises. Those are the eureka moments, the aha moments, the unexpected insights that often emerge when mixing old ideas with new ideas. These moments can happen lots of ways like when two diverse people and perspectives come together to constructively share ideas and experience. We can’t know exactly when the good surprise insights will come, but we can lay a foundation for them to come more often.
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Supporting the good kind of surprises to emerge Go deep to learn from our field’s history and roots. Then look for inspiration, trends and new ideas from other fields. Explore how you might connect them in relevant ways to people we serve. Because it’s part of how healthy organizations move forward responsively and adaptively into the future. Seek out perspectives different from your own. Where all think alike, innovation and progress will be stifled. Those good insight surprises can come from positive creative collisions with different perspectives. Don’t wait for inspiration. Seek it out and be determined to keep being inspired by the little and big things. Looking at some of the stories of folks we serve in the annual report is inspiring and can spark many ahas and surprises about what’s important in supporting people. Keep seeing and looking for the gifts, strengths and great qualities in people we serve, in our great support workers, leaders and allies in community.
So What? Now What... I’m four months into the new role. I know Skills Society is an organization with deep knowledge and experience throughout all levels. I’ve completed interviews with leaders and now want us to learn a bit more from folks we serve. To do this we’ll be hosting some conversations in our Action Lab and maybe in community to explore and listen over the summer and fall. In conversations with Skills leaders so far, the most common thing shared with me is that Skills Society embarked on big transformation a number of years ago with our values refresh, growth, new models of support in outreach and social innovation initiatives. There is a sense that we don’t need a major transformation, but more so to protect and sustain the good things we all worked hard to create while at the same time keep responding to the emerging needs and opportunities that arise.
Pathways to Explore Strengthening Collective Links between Employees Based in the Office & Community We are a large organization and we crave the family feel of a smaller organization. Deepen and Expand Ways of Supporting Belonging at Home and in Community People with disabilities are some of the most isolated folks in community. Evidence suggests that people are safer and abuse is reduced when people have meaningful relationships and connections. Our supports open up pathways for connections, caring and belonging. This is deeply complex work and we can always get better. Strengthen Culture and Practices That Help Us Embrace and Navigate Complexity Well We need to build our capacity to continue to support people with complex needs. We need to continue to respond/adapt to meet individual needs and challenges that might emerge in our sector. Get Better at Data - Stories and Numbers Our sector needs a whole lot of research and development (R&D) around harnessing and humanizing data. We need to get better at showing our impact using data and harness data to be responsive to needs. We are well positioned to explore this with MyCompass Planning.
Continue to Support All the Good Stuff we’ve Built over 40 Years We have so many amazing things already going on at Skills that we need to continue and sustain. We will continue to sustain, adapt and evolve.
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Safeguarding Healthy Relationships One way we connect with others and build deeper relationships is by inviting them to share important moments with us. This year, Chris wanted to celebrate his 30th birthday in a big way, doing something he had never done before - hosting a birthday bash at West Edmonton Mall and spending a night at a hotel! With the help of his supports, Chris planned his dream party. He was so excited to celebrate and share this milestone with all his favorite people!
Onward Together! Leadership can and should be at all levels in an organization. Whether from folks we serve and families, front line, management or on the board we need leaders throughout willing to help remove barriers, and willing to lead in opening up new possibilities for people to live good lives. Whether people we serve have opportunities for the good life, very often it is determined by the passion, determination and leadership of ordinary folks trying to make a positive difference. I’m sending you all some virtual high fives and deeply grateful for the creative work our Skills Society collective does every day to open up possibilities for the stellar citizens we serve. Onward together!
Ben Weinlick, Executive Director
Chris smiling proudly with his 30th birthday cake at his big birthday bash he planned.
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Lenny and Tina renewed their vows this year and hosted a gathering at Melcor to celebrate their anniversary with friends and family.
Vincent enjoying himself at a local pow wow.
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Deepening Our Capacity to Support Belonging Research and social innovation are deep in the DNA of Skills Society. Our commitment to curiosity, discovery, and challenging the status quo enhances our capacity to support the people we serve. Since Skills’ inception, we have been part of building and sharing knowledge that has made the lives of the people we serve better. Our long history as a learning organization that tries things, learns, adapts, and seeks to continuously improve, supports this knowledge building.
Deep belonging is about being a part of the fabric of community life.
One wicked question Skills has been exploring since the beginning is:
Being Seen and Known By Others To be known is to feel welcomed and accepted for who you are, as you are. This requires looking beyond disability labels and being able to recognize, acknowledge, and value a person’s strengths, gifts, passions, interests, and needs.
How do we support deep belonging in the lives of the people we serve?
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Deep Belonging
Belonging is about‌. Feeling Valued To be valued is to feel needed, important, and respected; to have your presence desired by others; to be recognized as an indispensable part of the group; and to have your absence noticed.
Reciprocity Belonging involves an exchange of feelings, beliefs, experiences, or understandings between the person and the group they seek belonging to. To belong is to both offer something and to receive something in return.
The Evolution of Belonging Learning and Growing From Our Roots Times have changed a great deal since we first started tackling the complex challenge of supporting deep belonging in the lives of the people we support. With each step of the way, we have thought deeply about our actions and asked ourselves “can we do better?”. This practice of questioning the status quo has deepened our understanding of belonging and pushed the boundaries of our work. Thanks to the courage and tireless efforts of self advocates, their families, and allies, most people with disabilities have now moved out of large congregate institutions and live in community. Although the move towards community has been a positive one, there is still a great deal of work to be done in supporting people to live good lives rich with authentic social connections, meaning, and diverse experiences. When we look at Alberta today we still see a mix of segregation, integration, inclusion, and belonging in our communities.
Senior Leader of Research & Social Innovation In April of this year I joined the leadership team at Skills. Prior to taking on this role I was a part of stewarding a number of Skills Society’s social innovation initiatives. Being new to the scene at Skills I am feeling the immense responsibility that comes with being a leader within such a highly regarded organization. To be part of an organization that is so well known for its, creativity, innovation, and leadership in the field of disability feels like a real privilege. I have deep respect for the work of those that came before me and am excited to jump in and carry forward their great work. In addition to practice based social innovation research for Skills, a second ‘hat’ I wear is that of academic researcher. I am currently completing my PhD at the University of Alberta. As a researcher I am curious about how we might better support the deep belonging of people with developmental disabilities. My research emerges from a recognition that current approaches to supporting social inclusion often struggle to cultivate an authentic sense of belonging. My research is deeply rooted in my experiences as a sibling, friend, and ally to people with developmental disabilities. My research is unique in that it uses participatory and ethnographic approaches. This means grounding the research in spending time hanging out with people with developmental disabilities to better understand belonging from their perspective. Together we will explore what belonging means and looks like in action, where they feel a sense of belonging, and what hinders their feelings of belonging. There is great synergy between my Skills senior leader and academic researcher ‘hats’ and I look forward to seeing the possibilities that emerge as the two bump up against one another!
Paige Reeves - Senior Leader of Research & Social Innovation
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Exclusion Life Away From Others The era of institutionalization and eugenics was a dark time in the lives of the people we support, their families, and allies. People with disabilities were separated from their families without choice and lived in institutions outside community. What we were curious about: Can we do better? Why can’t people live in community amongst friends, family, and neighbors? What we discovered: Keeping people separate from community life is harmful to them and to communities. People need more than their basic needs met. To flourish people need meaningful things to do each day and people in their lives that love and care about them. Communities are stronger when they are diverse.
Integration Same Spaces, Separate Activities When people are integrated they are in the same spaces as fellow community members but may not be doing the same things, are given ‘special’ tasks or roles, are assumed to not have much to offer, or remain socially disconnected from others. What we were curious about: Can we do better? Why can’t people do the same things as fellow community members in these spaces? Why can’t people be an active part of things that are going on? What we discovered: All people have unique gifts and talents to offer community. Sometimes we have to nudge community to think differently about the ways people can participate and contribute.
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Inclusion Same Spaces, Same Activities All people live, work, and play together in the same spaces. Although people are participating in community life, they might feel pressure to conform or be more like others. People may not necessarily feel like they can be their true authentic selves and may still feel lonely. What we were curious about: Can we do better? How do we support people in feeling like they can be their true authentic selves in community? What we discovered: Belonging is a two way street. Gaining access to, or being physically present within a space does not necessarily lead to a sense of belonging - you can be ‘lonely in a room full of people’. Community has a part to play in ensuring spaces are welcoming and inclusive to all people.
Citizenship & Belonging Same Spaces, Same Activities, Comfortable to Be Ourselves People live, work, and play together in the same spaces, are seen as friends, colleagues, neighbors, citizens and feel comfortable to be themselves. People’s authentic selves are celebrated and welcomed. What we discovered: Supporting belonging is a delicate balance of recognizing and acknowledging people’s uniqueness (not assuming everyone needs the same thing or can do things in all the same ways), whilst simultaneously recognizing people’s common humanity (we are all people deserving of respect, dignity, and rights). What we are curious about: How do we continue to build our capacity to support the deep belonging of the people we serve? How do we support deepened belonging at home and in neighbourhoods where people are already connected? How do we support communities to nurture spaces of belonging?
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Belonging: Getting the right mix of the old, the new, and a dash of surprise As we forge ahead, continuing to build our capacity to support the deep belonging of the people we serve, it is essential we take time to honor and learn from the work of others who came before us whilst also seeking fresh perspectives and inspiration from unexpected places. Getting the right mix of the old, the new, and a dash of surprise helps us generate innovative solutions and pathways that really work for people.
Access Doesn’t Necessarily Lead to Belonging For a long time we thought that if people could just get access to community spaces, then a sense of belonging would naturally follow. We are learning this is often not the case. There are many implicit, or difficult to see, aspects of community that create barriers to people’s belonging such as other people’s attitudes, perceptions, and assumptions about what a person with a disability can or should do.
Mixing in the Old There are some key learnings and nuggets of wisdom from the past that are worth taking forward as we move ahead in tackling this complex challenge. These include:
Mixing in the New New understandings and trends are emerging in different sectors and disciplines that we can mix into future solutions and pathways.
Nothing About Us without Us Historically there has been a pattern of making decisions about things that affect people with disabilities without their input or presence. People with disabilities have been strong advocates and have come forward to say they need to have a say in the things that affect their lives. Disability Rights In times of institutionalization and eugenics people with disabilities were stripped of their rights, removed from their families and communities, and locked away. Since that time we have learned that people with disabilities deserve the same dignity, respect, and rights as everyone else.
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Belonging as a Fundamental Human Need Cutting edge neuroscience is showing us the importance of belonging to our well being. When we feel as though we don’t belong our mental and physical health suffer. Science is showing us that belonging and feeling connected to others is a fundamental human need, similar to our need for food or water.
Loneliness Crisis People with developmental disabilities are not the only ones experiencing loneliness at alarmingly high rates. Loneliness is on the rise within many different groups in our population. There is a lot of research going on that explores why this might be. Some factors that are thought to be related include the rapidly changing use of technology and an increasing culture of “safety-ism” and distrust. The Rise of the “isms” Critical perspectives are showing us the ways our society is built to cater to certain experiences and ‘ways of being’ more than others. We are becoming increasingly aware of the ways our community spaces can be racist, sexist, ageist, and ableist. When we really listen to the voices of people who experience oppression and marginalization we can begin to see how current systems and practices do not work for some and start to uncover new, more inclusive ways of doing things. Belonging Comes in Many Forms For a long time in the disability field we have had an aversion to people with disabilities gathering together. This comes from a history where people with disabilities were forced to be together against their will and stripped of their dignity and rights. However, increasingly we are rethinking this again and seeing that creating spaces where people with disabilities gather together on their own terms to share stories, organize, and safely be themselves, can be rich in belonging.
“ A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, spiritually, and physically wired to love, to be loved, and to belong.” Brene Brown
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“ True belonging doesn’t require that we change who we are, it requires that we be who we are” Brene Brown
Dash of Surprise We never know when a dash of positive surprise insights will hit us, but we intentionally create opportunities for inspiration from unexpected places by seeking creative collaborations and looking beyond the silo of the disability sector. Onward This work is not done and may never be as deep belonging is not a static place to arrive at. Supporting the deep belonging of the people we serve is complex work - there are no ‘silver bullet’ solutions. As we navigate and embrace complexity we resist the urge to create ‘one size fits all’ solutions and challenge ourselves to sit with uncertainty. There is still lots to be learned about how to better support the deep belonging of the people we serve. As a part of my role and research I will be stewarding this ongoing learning and exploration across the organization. In doing so we will continue to work to get the right mix of wisdom and past experience, fresh perspectives, and unexpected insights to support the generation of innovative solutions and pathways that can move the needle on supporting the deep belonging of the people we serve.
Paige Reeves Senior Leader of Research & Social Innovation
People we support participating in the monthly community art class offered in the Melcor building as part of a collaboration between Skills Society, Melcor, and the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts.
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Values in Action MyCompass Planning Labs & Supporting the Good Life MyCompass Planning Labs For many years Skills Society has worked hard to be a fertile ground for fresh ideas, and radical innovations to emerge because of our strong values, focus on continuous learning, and the culture of creativity we have built together. A decade ago we set out to explore the following questions: 1. How might we enhance the engaged citizenship experience of people with disabilities? 2. How might we help support workers to think differently and see creative possibilities that could launch people they support towards a better quality of life? What emerged from our explorations was the Citizen Action Lab - a think tank process for discovering innovative ways to connect people with disabilities to meaningful citizenship roles and employment opportunities in community. The Citizen Action Lab is a process that helps unlock creativity in Community Support Workers so they can strengthen their approaches to supporting people with disabilities to uncover and connect with all the things that make life great. Iteration in Action Over the years we have refined the think tank process. Most recently, we have tweaked the process to make it compatible with MyCompass, an online case management and planning tool (another one of Skills Society’s social innovations). Just like Citizen Action Labs, MyCompass Labs bring support workers and diverse allies together to generate fresh ideas for meaningful citizenship roles and employment opportunities.
Over the course of one and half hours, a steward takes the group through a series of disciplined creative processes which enable them to first think and dream big and then slowly refine ideas into concrete, achievable goals and tasks that relate to a person’s needs and wishes and can be entered into an individual’s MyCompass plan. Ideas are always checked with people served before being acted upon. The labs spur people to think differently and encourage ‘outside the box’ thinking in 5 life domains that align with the MyCompass Pillars: 1. Paid Employment 2. Community Connections 3. Health and Wellness 4. Strengthening Relationships 5. Homelife Iteration and experimentation are important parts of navigating complexity. They are about placing small bets before big bets and being reflective. With MyCompass Planning Labs, we’ve been intentional about living this process. Ideas that came from leaders at different levels of the organization have been tested, reflected upon, tweaked, and tested again in a cycle of iteration and evolution. As a team of stewards, we’ve been flexible, adaptive, and responsive to what people told us about their experiences with the process. With iteration it’s not about the idea we like the best, it’s about the idea that works the best as demonstrated by its success.
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“ With iteration it’s not about the idea we like the best, it’s about the idea that works the best as demonstrated by its success.”
MyCompass Planning Labs & Supporting the Good Life for Todd Todd is a rad guy who now has his own landscaping business and a passion for vehicles. In 2016, Todd and his supports gathered together to participate in a MyCompass Planning process. This was an opportunity to get creative juices flowing and generate some fresh and meaningful goals that Todd wanted to work towards. During the lab process, everyone took into consideration Todd’s unique gifts and talents, interests, and dreams: Some of Todd’s Unique Gifts and Talents, Interets, and Dreams • “Weedwacking is like meditation” • He previously owned a vehicle and loved it - still carries the keys from his previous vehicle around his neck as a momento and considers vehicle ownership to be a part of his identity • He loves to drive and has many fond memories driving out to his family’s lake lot and riding dirt bikes • He is charismatic and likes to connect with others • Belonging and connection is really important After engaging in a series of disciplined brainstorming activities, Todd and his supports came up with two great ideas for goals:
One of Todd’s supports drawing what Todd’s goal of starting a small business could look like during his MyCompass Planning Lab back in 2016. Drawing out the goal is inclusive to those who may not read or write and is also helpful in starting to think through what the goal could look like in action.
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1. Help Todd to start a small landscaping business as a source of income 2. Help Todd save up to purchase a truck With some new direction around what Todd wanted to do, his supports began to look at ways of assisting him to achieve his goals. Todd went and checked out different tools he might need to start a little
landscaping business and thought about how he would get his tools from place to place. Todd got set up with the AISH Administration Program and connected with a subsidy through CRHC to start saving for a truck.
Todd standing proudly in front of his new truck
After years of hard work and determination, Todd was recently able to purchase his very own truck! He was very proud of this accomplishment and enjoyed taking some time to show his truck off to his friends, family, and supporters. Getting the truck means a lot for Todd, it gives him pride of ownership but also enhances his ability to grow his business. With a truck he now has a covered box to transport his landscaping tools to and from jobs. MyCompass Planning Labs brought key people in Todd’s life together to think about his unique gifts and talents, interests, and dreams in new ways generating two goals that were both meaningful and exciting to Todd and enhanced his quality of life in a way he defined what a good life meant to him. The Mycompass platform enabled Todd and his supports to plan action steps in pursuit of his goal together. It also meant everyone could stay in communication about progress and any tweaks that needed to happen along the way. Through MyCompass Planning Labs and the MyCompass platform Todd was able to remain at the helm of the planning process.
A post from Todd’s MyCompass timeline written by one of his supports sharing something Todd had said related to his goal
This piece was compiled by the MyCompass Lab Stewardship Team
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Interview with Past Executive Director, Pat Conrad Pat Conrad is a long time leader and disability advocate having worked in the field for over 25 years. Pat was executive director of Skills Society from 2006 until her recent retirement in February of 2019. In a conversation with Pat, we explored: • The meaning of Engaged Citizenship • What she thinks has contributed to the success of Skills Society over the years and • A few key learnings Skills Society can take forward into the future Supporting engaged citizenship has remained at the core of what Skills Society does since its inception in 1981. What does Engaged Citizenship mean to you? “Engaged citizenship is a two way course.” Engaged Citizenship is as much about someone finding their place as it is about the community supporting inclusive values and attitudes that welcome people with disabilities. According to Pat, the key to Engaged Citizenship is valuing every person for their unique gifts and talents and making space in our communities where people with disabilities are welcomed and truly belong. Of course, making this happen can be challenging. Pat discussed negative attitudes and misconceptions surrounding disability as significant barriers to facilitating Engaged Citizenship. Disability continues to be misunderstood by many. In terms of shifting attitudes Pat says, “it’s about one person at a time”. CommuniTEA Infusion and Project Citizenship are just two examples of some of the innovative ways Skills Society is working to tackle this challenge. These projects attempt to bust myths by showcasing people’s unique gifts and talents and creating opportunities for people with and without disabilities to engage with one another ‘neighbor to neighbor’.
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What has made Skills Society successful? “To be able to thrive moving forward, innovation is going to have to be something you invest in” A big part of Skills Society’s success has been establishing a strong, creative organizational culture and articulating our 5 core values:
1) Supporting Engaged Citizenship 2) Safeguarding Healthy Relationships 3) Seeking Creative Collaborations 4) Building and Sharing Knowledge 5) Embracing Complexity
These core values guide our work and have led to many exciting opportunities. Skills is far from static, it is dynamic! In our conversation, Pat honed in on Skills Society’s creative culture of innovation and drive to seek ‘outside the box’ collaborations as two keys to our success. Fostering a Creative Culture of Innovation “We have always had an uncanny desire to want to get better at things” In our conversation Pat discussed Skills Society staff as eager to learn with a desire and openness to examining current practices to determine what’s working and what’s not. Approaching things with an attitude of ‘experimentation’, staff are able to tweak and make adjustments in their work as they reflect and learn new things.
Seeking Creative Collaborations
What awaits you in retirement?
“No one does well on their own”
“Blissfully having some time to explore things I haven’t had time to do with no ‘I have to’ attached.”
Sharing our work with others and fostering unique collaborations has been key to our success. Pat discussed Skills Society’s willingness to look beyond the disability sector for partnerships and collaborations. This act of breaking down silos, expands who is part of exploring a challenge and makes problem solving better. Skills has a long history of being open to creative collaborations and inviting fresh perspectives in to help see things differently. What is your most significant learning that Skills should keep in mind to support people to have the best lives possible?
Pat looks forward to spending more time with family and friends, travelling, camping in her tent trailer, and tending to her garden in this next chapter of her life. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank Pat for her stellar leadership at Skills Society over the past 13 years and wish her all the best in her retirement! This piece was compiled and written by Paige Reeves, Senior Leader of Research and Social Innovation.
Focus on Possibility “If we put more energy into possibilities then the good will continue to come” The work of supporting people to have the best lives possible is not always easy. Many barriers to the inclusion of people with disabilities persist today. Pat articulated maintaining a positive outlook, particularly when times are tough, as one of the most important learnings from her time as Executive Director: “There’s always going to be the tough stuff. If we get stressed out and focussed on what’s not happening, we will never get anywhere….we have to celebrate the successes and stay focussed on possibility...the hope, we always have to have hope”
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Learning from our Roots
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Key Milestone Timeline To learn from and remember our history we’ve created a timeline of key learning milestones from Skills and the Disability community in Alberta over the last 50 years. We recognize this is a high level overview. There are so many moments and learnings that have happened and we are so grateful to all the leaders and changemakers who have made their mark and worked to support the rights and citizenship of people with disabilities over the years.
1900s Systemic Institutionalization and Eugenics in Canada Many people with disabilities are forced to live in institutions away from their families and community.
1970s
Emergence of Disability Rights and Deinstitutionalization Families speak out against institutionalization and the exclusion and negative treatment of people with disabilities.
Key Learning People with disabilities deserve the same rights as every other citizen. Dehumanization and oppression can emerge despite actions being well intentioned for the greater good.
Key Learning Grassroot movements build and lead to change.
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1980s Community Living Movement
1981: Skills Society is born Then called The Society for Knowledge in Learning Living Skills, Skills Society was started by families and was a key player in supporting people in moving from institutions to community. In the beginning Skills Society supported 25 people.
Key Learning People deserve good lives in community filled with dignity, respect, and rights.
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Exploring different support models Jewell Manor, Avenwood, Kiwanis Place From the beginning we have strived to provide supports that are responsive to people’s needs. As we’ve learned along the way our models of support have evolved.
Key Learning Artificial settings are not as rich for learning as real life, important to meet people where they are at.
1990s Rights and Responsibilities Self Advocacy Movement Developing the “Rights We Want� Document This document was created by people with disabilities and outlines the rights and responsibilities they want. The document continues to be foundational to our work today.
Key Learning Everyone has rights and responsibilities. People with disabilities deserve the same rights as any other citizen.
People with disabilities claim their right to be recognized active citizens, coming together to organize, share stories, and advocate for social change.
Key Learning The good life is different for everyone. It is important to ask people with disabilities themselves what they want and envision for their life.
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2000s
Engaged Citizenship, Art Activism, and Grassroots Community Development
Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts Skills Society helped launch the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts. A place for artists with disabilities to make their mark as engaged citizens. Take Six Productions & Through the Eyes of Artists Film Project Key Learning Art and activism is an inclusive and countercultural way of change making.
The people we support, with their allies, created short films exploring, inclusion, belonging, citizenship and rights. These projects were about creating video stories that told influential decision makers not to forget about people with disabilities and showed them important considerations from the perspectives of people with disabilities.
Key Learning Films make stories more inclusive for folks who struggle to read and write and stories can be a powerful agent of change to elicit empathy and influence policy making.
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2010s Social Innovation
Created the Senior Leader of Organizational Learning Role
Person Centered Planning and Learning Communities Keeping a person we support at the center of planning and decision making has been present from the start. Skills Society went deep into learning and spreading person centered practices. We created training, stewarded learning communities and action research.
Key Learning It is important and complex work to steward meaningful goal planning and our person centred approach to planning must never be lost at Skills.
This role was unique for a non-profit and helped with intentionally stewarding a robust culture of creativity and innovation in order to explore how we can continually improve our practices as an organization in order to provide better support to people and their families.
Key Learning Innovation culture building is delicate and long game work. Need a role to help steward good ideas to emerge from anywhere within the organization.
Project Citizenship The people we support, University of Alberta students, and staff from Skills Society came together to explore the notion of citizenship and ways to remove barriers that limit citizenship and full participation for individuals with disabilities. Begin to be recognized internationally for our work and are featured in Stanford Social Innovation Review.
Key Learning Stories of citizenship bring an important sense of pride to folks we serve. Stories inspire, however sustained behaviour change of supports may not be nudged along by stories alone.
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2010s Social Innovation
Action Lab A social enterprise of Skills Society, the Action Lab creates opportunities for creative community collaborations to tackle complex social challenges.
Key Learning Seeking Creative Collaborations and Embracing Complexity are especially vibrant through our Action Lab. Creation of the lab was a tipping point for solidifying an innovation culture at Skills and opened up opportunities to influence systemic change making in support of marginalized populations.
MyCompass Planning Skills Society, in partnership with others, creates a game changing social innovation that humanizes case management and improves the quality of life of people receiving supports through human service organizations.
Key Learning Living our values and making it easier to put individuals at the helm of their lives. Designing positive interactions between staff and folks served with the aid of MyCompass can be a promising systems change tool.
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Robust Training & Complex Needs Support Skills Society invests in supporting more in depth training for employees. Funding for adequate training of supports is not enough, but Skills goes the extra mile to provide better training to employees through Mandt training, Keeping People Safe, and the creation of Skills Illustrated. Skills also creates a role that focuses on training and supporting the organization to navigate support of folks with complex needs.
Key Learning Training like Mandt that focuses on healthy relationship building is key to systemically ensuring quality supports.
Melcor Housing Collaboration Innovative collaboration with the YMCA to support safe and inclusive housing for people with complex needs living in the inner city of Edmonton experiencing marginalization.
Key Learning Being part of creating innovative housing models that support community connectedness of people served and allow people to receive support when they need it on their terms, opens up improved quality of life pathways for folks with complex needs.
S K I L L S S O C I E T Y C O R E VA LU E
“ Citizenship is, in short, one of the profound categories that makes us who we are, one of the crucial ways humans go about creating a life for themselves�
Supporting Engaged Citizenship David is a talented athlete, team player, and avid sports fan. As an athlete part of a competitive sports league, David regularly has the opportunity to connect with others with similar interests and take on new challenges. In February of this year, he travelled to Chicago with his EASA Storm sled hockey team to compete in the 2019 USA Hockey Sled Classic presented by the NHL. Highlights for David included playing in the rink where the Chicago Blackhawks practice and getting to know sled hockey players from all over North America.
Mark Kingwell
David in all his goalie gear, ready for a sled hockey game.
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