We wanted to share an email that was sent out by The Federation of Community Social Services of BC. Monday is National Indigenous People\’s Day and here at CVS we want to spread the word for our community around how to learn more.
Monday, June 21 is National Indigenous People’s Day—a chance to recognize, honour, and celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples! This year, in light of the findings of children buried on the sites of former residential schools, the increased attention on Canada’s legacy of colonial violence, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate effect on Indigenous communities we are taking a different approach than we have in recent years, both as an organization and as individuals.
We are re-learning the oft-ignored history of this country, re-thinking how to make change while offering support in a time of grief, re-imagining what it means to celebrate during a pandemic, and responding to the systemic racism and state violence that continues to plague our society. And we are encouraging you, our members, to do the same.
Maybe you want to learn about the traditional and unceded territory that you live and work on and think about what “unceded” means to you or what it means to live on unceded land.
Maybe you want to buy orange ‘Every Child Matters’ shirts for your staff team to support the Urban Native Youth Association while raising awareness.
Maybe you want to sign up for The Federation’s Reconciliation Book Club. The third ‘season’ just finished and we are about to re-launch another year of reading and learning with a new list of books. You can read more below and sign up to participate here.
Maybe you want to look a few weeks ahead and consider thinking about what Canada Day means and what purpose it serves in 2021 and whether you would be better off spending the day on reflection and critique rather than signalling patriotism and loyalty to a state built upon theft and violence.
Our responsibility
Will Rogers, the Cherokee actor and vaudeville player once said, \”We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.\” It’s our responsibility to use our power and privilege—however much we have—to recognize and champion the rights of Indigenous people, to call out racism where and when we see it, and to effect change within the systems of which we are a part.
And while each of us has a responsibility to celebrate and learn on National Indigenous Peoples Day, we must be mindful what we do and how we do it to ensure that our attempts at learning or growing do not put the burden back on our Indigenous community members.
This lesson is especially significant this year since opportunities to gather in our usual ways are not available. We are under restrictions and there are ways we can learn and celebrate and acknowledge Indigenous people while staying safe.
There is a lot of energy focused on the work of anti-racism right now and an array of calls to action available to you. There are also more Indigenous resources, books, movies, and podcasts than there have ever been. Below are a few of those books and a few virtual and outdoor, distanced events that are taking place across the province.
Things to Read
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action.
21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph.
The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King.
Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel.
Speaking Our Truth by Monique Gray Smith.
Things to Do
Organizations around Revelstoke are hosting a variety of events both virtual and outdoors.
Read and choose from the \’10 Things You Can Do\’ in response to the findings of remains on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops from Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.
Attend online events to commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day including a virtual drum circle, online storytelling sessions, and Indigenous Plant Workshops.
A drum circle is planned for National Indigenous Peoples Day at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park in Prince George.
Join this National Indigenous History Month workshop to immerse yourself in authentic Indigenous arts & culture in British Columbia.
More virtual learning events can be found on the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre website.
North Shore News has suggestions on ways to celebrate National Indigenous History Month on the North Shore and beyond.
Taking the next (or first) steps…
When it comes to the hard work of decolonization and anti-racism, it is hard to know where to start or what to do first. We, at The Federation, are very thankful for the wisdom and guidance of our Indigenous members and colleagues, and we will continue to do our best to ensure our work doesn’t become their work.
So, over the next few days, I invite you all to live into what altogether better really means. Reach out and have some maybe hard conversations. Be present. Be curious. Help each other figure out what to do and how to do it, hold each other accountable, and then recognize the steps you’ve taken together as you figure out the next ones.
Posted: June 19, 2021 by cvsadmin
Upcoming FSI Learning & Explorations Session
There will be an interesting Zoom webinar hosted by Family Support Institute of BC on June 28th you may want to check out. The topic is about Brothers and Sisters. This topic would be interesting for many families who have siblings with developmental disabilities and how this impacts the dynamic in the family.
For more information, check out the Zoom information page for the event by clicking here.
Posted: June 19, 2021 by cvsadmin
Paint this Cute Dog with CVS on July 15th
CVS and Palette Posse Paint Parties will be hosting a Virtual Paint Night on July 15th starting at 6:30pm. We\’ll be painting this cute dog and hope you can join us.
Paint kits will include the canvas, paint and brushes. The paint party will be over zoom. CVS can arrange drop off of the painting kits in the Tri-Cities or Burnaby area. Otherwise, the kit will need to be picked up by the participant.
Space is limited as we are offering this particular paint night for free.
Please RSVP to save your spot by July 2nd. Please RSVP to Chris.Zupanec@
Posted: June 19, 2021 by cvsadmin
Monday June 17th is National Indigenous People\’s Day
We wanted to share an email that was sent out by The Federation of Community Social Services of BC. Monday is National Indigenous People\’s Day and here at CVS we want to spread the word for our community around how to learn more.
Monday, June 21 is National Indigenous People’s Day—a chance to recognize, honour, and celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples! This year, in light of the findings of children buried on the sites of former residential schools, the increased attention on Canada’s legacy of colonial violence, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate effect on Indigenous communities we are taking a different approach than we have in recent years, both as an organization and as individuals.
We are re-learning the oft-ignored history of this country, re-thinking how to make change while offering support in a time of grief, re-imagining what it means to celebrate during a pandemic, and responding to the systemic racism and state violence that continues to plague our society. And we are encouraging you, our members, to do the same.
Maybe you want to learn about the traditional and unceded territory that you live and work on and think about what “unceded” means to you or what it means to live on unceded land.
Maybe you want to buy orange ‘Every Child Matters’ shirts for your staff team to support the Urban Native Youth Association while raising awareness.
Maybe you want to sign up for The Federation’s Reconciliation Book Club. The third ‘season’ just finished and we are about to re-launch another year of reading and learning with a new list of books. You can read more below and sign up to participate here.
Maybe you want to look a few weeks ahead and consider thinking about what Canada Day means and what purpose it serves in 2021 and whether you would be better off spending the day on reflection and critique rather than signalling patriotism and loyalty to a state built upon theft and violence.
Our responsibility
Will Rogers, the Cherokee actor and vaudeville player once said, \”We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.\” It’s our responsibility to use our power and privilege—however much we have—to recognize and champion the rights of Indigenous people, to call out racism where and when we see it, and to effect change within the systems of which we are a part.
And while each of us has a responsibility to celebrate and learn on National Indigenous Peoples Day, we must be mindful what we do and how we do it to ensure that our attempts at learning or growing do not put the burden back on our Indigenous community members.
This lesson is especially significant this year since opportunities to gather in our usual ways are not available. We are under restrictions and there are ways we can learn and celebrate and acknowledge Indigenous people while staying safe.
There is a lot of energy focused on the work of anti-racism right now and an array of calls to action available to you. There are also more Indigenous resources, books, movies, and podcasts than there have ever been. Below are a few of those books and a few virtual and outdoor, distanced events that are taking place across the province.
Things to Read
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action.
21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph.
The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King.
Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel.
Speaking Our Truth by Monique Gray Smith.
Things to Do
Organizations around Revelstoke are hosting a variety of events both virtual and outdoors.
Read and choose from the \’10 Things You Can Do\’ in response to the findings of remains on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops from Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.
Attend online events to commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day including a virtual drum circle, online storytelling sessions, and Indigenous Plant Workshops.
A drum circle is planned for National Indigenous Peoples Day at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park in Prince George.
Join this National Indigenous History Month workshop to immerse yourself in authentic Indigenous arts & culture in British Columbia.
More virtual learning events can be found on the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre website.
North Shore News has suggestions on ways to celebrate National Indigenous History Month on the North Shore and beyond.
Taking the next (or first) steps…
When it comes to the hard work of decolonization and anti-racism, it is hard to know where to start or what to do first. We, at The Federation, are very thankful for the wisdom and guidance of our Indigenous members and colleagues, and we will continue to do our best to ensure our work doesn’t become their work.
So, over the next few days, I invite you all to live into what altogether better really means. Reach out and have some maybe hard conversations. Be present. Be curious. Help each other figure out what to do and how to do it, hold each other accountable, and then recognize the steps you’ve taken together as you figure out the next ones.
Posted: June 11, 2021 by cvsadmin
BC Self Advocacy Groups Events
The BC Self Advocacy Groups are leading a range of events. For more information, check out the factsheets below –
Posted: June 11, 2021 by cvsadmin
Family Support Institute of BC Statement Regarding Garth Home Society
We are sharing this information from The Family Support Institute of BC –
The Family Support Institute of BC has fielded many calls related to the recent article in the news that has prompted several investigations into Garth Homer Society. The Family Support Institute finds this troubling from a number of perspectives.
As a family driven organization supporting families province-wide who have family members with disabilities, to hear an organization such as this one staunchly stand by its employees rather than the vulnerable people it supports is extremely disconcerting. We expect that a person-centred model would be leading all community living organizations in their guiding principles and the values that drive them to do their work.
The bold statements made publicly by high level executives of the Garth Homer Society have raised concerns by families about the health and safety of their own family members who are in the care of this, and other Community Living Agencies. It has instilled a sense of uneasiness in many families. It is important to note that the vast majority of most Community Living Agencies do in fact follow a person centred model of practice, and place individuals at the centre of care in all of their work, including but not limited to health and safety.
Since this story broke in the news on May 29, 2021, FSI has remained accessible and available to any family member that requires additional guidance, to have their voices heard should they have any concerns about the care that their family members are receiving. Families are asking about Safeguards and Monitoring that are in place to keep their loved ones safe from negligence and harm. This would include access to supported decision-making tools and legal representatives to ensure the voices of people with disabilities are also embedded throughout this experience. CLBC has put out an official statement around their Safeguards and Monitoring Practices that can be read here.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please call FSI and we can support you to take other steps to ensure your loved ones are safe, and your voice and that of your loved ones, is heard during the process. Please take a moment to read these 2 articles for reference:
Posted: June 11, 2021 by cvsadmin
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Check out this new book released called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. This books provides a clear protocol and curriculum for delivering Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.
In addition to this book, there are free resources listed on the website to help with mindfulness. You can download these here.
Posted: June 9, 2021 by cvsadmin
Promoting Accessibility in the Post COVID-19 Era
Join our Board Chair, Jenna Christianson-Barker, as well as other speakers for this virtual event. This event will be on Tuesday, June 15th at 7-8:30pm. The topic of discussion will be Promoting Accessibility in the Post COVID-19 Era.
To register or submit questions in advance please email [email protected].
For more information, check out the information sheet below –
Posted: June 4, 2021 by cvsadmin
CVS 2020/2021 Outcomes Report
Community Ventures Society (CVS) has completed its 2020/2021 Outcomes Management Report.
What is the Outcomes Management measurement process?
In the surveys, in each of the areas of service, we gauge satisfaction including what we do well and what we can improve. The questions asked are rated on a Likert scale and can be answered in one of four ways: agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or disagree. Subsequently, the results are analyzed and measured to see if any trends emerge from the data. In some cases this year, new measurements are used and comparisons are generated through other data sources including Focus Groups. The results will then be folded into a Business Performance Measurement and Management Report that informs the activities of the organization over the next year. Last year, CVS changed its approach with the people we serve. Using our experience with Quality of Life/ Include me surveys, we update the questions we ask the people we support to reflect Quality of Life indicators. This year, we again filtered out 7 questions: covering each domain of the Quality of Life measurements:
Emotional well-being
Interpersonal relations
Material well-being
Personal development
Physical well-being
Self-determination
Social inclusion
Rights
How did we do?
We have performed well on most objectives, particularly in our satisfaction measures.
Our efficiency measures are positive with the exception of Community Inclusion service hours and overtime hours in our residential programs. Although Community Inclusion service hours can be explained through reduced service due to the COVID-19 pandemic and staff shortages and residential overtime is due to staff shortages, it has not affected our overall ability to provide quality supports.
Click on the link to access the complete CVS Outcomes Management Report 2020/2021.
Posted: June 4, 2021 by cvsadmin
Accessibility at Barnet Marine Park
We thought that we would make you aware of some new accessibility changes at Barnet Marine Park in Burnaby. To take advantage of these programs, visitors need to register as a participant in the City of Burnaby\’s accessibility program. To register, call 604-294-7222.
More information –
For more information, click here.
Posted: June 4, 2021 by cvsadmin
The Power of Disability Podcast
We wanted to make you aware of a podcast that is running called The Power of Disability. This is an inspiring podcast that provides some amazing stories and insight for individuals with disabilities, families and the community at large.
Host Al Etmanski brings enlightening conversations, featuring guests with disabilities who have been influential in arts, activism, science, and more. This series is a continuation of the work Al has shared in the book, The Power of Disability: 10 Lessons for Surviving, Thriving, and Changing the World, which reveals that people with disabilities are the invisible force that has shaped history.
The podcast can be listened to online, through Soundcloud and YouTube. For more information, click here.
Upcoming Events