Fall education wrap-up

Published December 14, 2023

Every fall, regional federations offer events for housing co-ops in their region. This year, across Canada, federations offered in-person, hybrid and virtual workshops; some federations collaborated to offer more options for their members.

CHF Canada’s fall education events

CHF Canada provided in-person and hybrid (blend of in-person and online) events in regions without local federations: Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northeastern and Southwestern Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland/Labrador.

In total, the six events included:

• 18 workshops
• two keynote speakers
• 13 facilitators
• 127 participants

The workshops covered a wide range of training for co-op members, managers and staff on topics like governance, management, engagement, development and financial planning. Each session was selected for that region’s co-ops in mind.

On the East coast, the workshops were combined with the Atlantic Summit, which was a first-time hybrid event. The Summit brought together co-op members and managers both virtually and in person. Some co-ops appreciated that virtual attendance made participation more affordable and eliminated the need for travel. Virtual participants were able to join in discussions and participate fully in workshops.

In Northeastern Ontario, we provided specialized training over two days – one day for managers, and the second day for co-op members.

National Education Committee

The National Education Committee identified the need to increase the number of qualified educators to provide education services for the co-op housing sector.

This fall, the committee sought applications for the first round of the newly-created training program to train new housing co-op educators. The successful applicants will start their training in early 2024.

Housing co-ops need training to support new boards, to provide professional development for staff, and to keep up-to-date with legislative changes, new programs, and best practices. Congratulations to everyone involved this fall, as the co-op sector continues to value the international co-op principle #5, education and training!