With support from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Families Canada (FC) is offering two free online webinars on the benefits of intergenerational volunteering for newcomer seniors. The webinars will highlight the benefits of intergenerational volunteering, discuss strategies for connecting newcomer seniors and preschool-aged children through virtual programming and showcase a successful model of virtual intergenerational volunteering at Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. There will also be a Q+A section at the end of each session.

Guided by the gerontology, early childhood and positive discipline experts on FC’s Integrating Newcomer Seniors project, as well as the facilitators running Mosaic’s program, these webinars will be for family support practitioners, settlement workers and staff working with newcomer seniors across Canada.

The webinar will be conducted in English, and the recorded video will be available on FC’s YouTube channel in English with French subtitle options.

Speakers include:

• Maureen Keelan, Manager, Senior Immigrant Settlement Services, A & O: Support Services for Older Adults

• Jean Tinling, Director of Training and Mentorship, Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network; Master Trainer, program development team, Positive Discipline in Everyday Life

• Leslie Barker, Parenting Education and Healthy Child Development Consultant, Positive Discipline in Everyday Life

• Bonnie Schroeder, Program Director, Age-Friendly Ottawa, Council of Aging Ottawa

• Shereen Denetto, Director of Family Programs, Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network

• Amna Burki, Facilitator, Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network

Session 1 Topics:

• What is intergenerational volunteering?

• Why is intergenerational volunteering important for newcomer seniors, for children, for organizations, for communities?

• What are some of the guiding principles?

• What are some of the common challenges and strategies to overcome?

REGISTER HERE 

With support from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Families Canada (FC) is offering two free online webinars on the benefits of intergenerational volunteering for newcomer seniors. The webinars will highlight the benefits of intergenerational volunteering, discuss strategies for connecting newcomer seniors and preschool-aged children through virtual programming and showcase a successful model of virtual intergenerational volunteering at Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. There will also be a Q+A section at the end of each session.

Guided by the gerontology, early childhood and positive discipline experts on FC’s Integrating Newcomer Seniors project, as well as the facilitators running Mosaic’s program, these webinars will be for family support practitioners, settlement workers and staff working with newcomer seniors across Canada.

Session 2 topics:

• Access to Equipment and Service – programs, partnerships

• Teaching newcomer seniors to use technology – strategies, content, potential partners

• Strategies to support virtual programming – regular check-in, mentoring, partnering

• Overcoming resistance – family, seniors, staff

The webinar will be conducted in English, and the recorded video will be available on FC’s YouTube channel in English with French subtitle options.

Speakers include:

• Maureen Keelan, Manager, Senior Immigrant Settlement Services, A & O: Support Services for Older Adults

• Jean Tinling, Director of Training and Mentorship, Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network; Master Trainer, program development team, Positive Discipline in Everyday Life

• Leslie Barker, Parenting Education and Healthy Child Development Consultant, Positive Discipline in Everyday Life

• Bonnie Schroeder, Program Director, Age-Friendly Ottawa, Council of Aging Ottawa

• Shereen Denetto, Director of Family Programs, Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network

• Amna Burki, Facilitator, Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network

REGISTER HERE 

Topics covered will include:

• Sharing where we’ve been and where we’re going

• Emerging issues, lessons learned, and priorities in the Canadian and U.S. family support sectors

• Opportunities to leverage international collaborations to support families

Agenda:

2:30 – Welcome, housekeeping and introductions

2:40 – Conversation on CAN/U.S. family support sectors, including questions from participants

3:05 – Breakout rooms: networking, participants sharing their experiences

3:20 – Continue conversation on CAN/U.S. family support sectors

3:40 – Closing Remarks

3:45 – End

Recommended Participants:

• Family support program practitioners, managers, directors, coordinators, and administrators

• Executives in the family support sector

• Students and recent graduates of family support and social work programs

• Canadian and U.S. government representatives

• National and provincial/territorial/state policymakers

• Public departments and agencies

Speakers:

Kelly Stone, President & CEO, Families Canada

Kelly is the President & CEO of Families Canada—the national association of family support centres. During her long Canadian government career, Kelly had responsibility for child and youth research, domestic public policy and community-level programming. Equally, she advanced child rights-based legislative and public policy frameworks through extensive international work. In addition, her work inspired practical, community-level, maternal and child health strategies, particularly in Mexico, Central and South America.

Andrew Russo, Co-Founder & Director, National Family Support Network

Andrew brings more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit social service sector in Boston, New York, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington DC, and Taiwan to his role as Co-Founder and Director of the National Family Support Network. His experience at the program level in the Family Support field includes launching a family strengthening project with the Cambodian refugee community, working as a therapist with children and youth at school-based Family Resource Centers (FRCs), and establishing and directing new FRCs working with the Asian community. At the system level, he co-authored the nationally-adopted Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support and co-founded and served as co-chair of six Family Support and Strengthening networks at the neighborhood, city, state, and national levels. He earned his B.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University and his M.A. in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University Chicago.

Moderator:

Zindu Salih, Director of Operations, Families Canada

REGISTER HERE