Strive
265 Maitland St. N6B2Y3 London, ON, Canada

ADDITIONAL SPACES HAVE JUST BEEN ADDED for Compassion Fatigue and the Early Childhood Educator on Monday, November 30th! Our world, communities and the ways we work and engage with others have changed dramatically over the last 8 months, and increased stress and anxiety around those changes is not only expected, but normal as well. Empathic drain and chronic exhaustion, also known as compassion fatigue, is a risk associated with our work as professional caregivers. It can hap...pen to anyone and, most importantly, it can be effectively addressed. In this session, facilitated by CMHA Middlesex, we will discuss mental health, the impacts of compassion fatigue and how Educators can better protect themselves. You are not alone. Join us. https://striveswo.ca//compassion-fatigue-and-the-early-ch/ #striveswo #leadinginspiredlearning #professionallearningcommunity #mentalhealthmatters #compassionfatigue #wellbeing #earlychildhoodeducator #ECE

On Wednesday, November 25 take part in Community of Practice: Infant Educators. This opportunity invites educators who work in and/or support infant programs to come together and collaboratively reflect on the unique joys and the challenges that come with caring for our youngest children. Participants will share experiences, ideas and resources, offer one another support, listen, and ask thoughtful questions. Topics may include programming ideas, communication, the environmen...t, and much more. Conversations emerging from this group will be ongoing. Join us! https://striveswo.ca//community-of-practice-infant-educat/ #striveswo #leadinginspiredlearning #professionallearningcommunity #earlychildhoodeducation #londonontario #middlesexcounty #elgincounty #communityofpractice #infanteducator #ECE

Final week to send in your submissions! Thursday, October 22, marks the 20th anniversary of Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day! This day recognizes the commitment and dedication of childcare professionals across Ontario who work tirelessly to improve the lives of children and families every day! ... The theme this year is Rising Up! From funding cuts to the pandemic, the early learning sector has faced incredible challenges in 2020 and yet never has our resilience been more apparent. At Strive, we are creating an appreciation video to acknowledge the essential role child care professionals play in our community! If you are an ECE or child care worker, we are asking you to submit a photo of yourself and/or your team to be included in our video. Or, if an early learning professional has made a difference in your life, or the life of your child, we are also looking for your photos and/or messages of appreciation! If you are willing to participate, please submit your landscape oriented photo(s) and/or messages to [email protected] by October 18th, 2020. In the email, please include your name/name of the Educator, your/their position, and the name of the organization/centre of employment. #risingupforchildcare #striveswo #leadinginspiredlearning #londonontario #middlesexcounty #elgincounty #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ECE #ECEPower

There is still time to register to join us for a community conversation about the film We Were Children on October 14, facilitated by members of the Journey Together, Culturally Safe Spaces group. We will discuss the film, the ongoing legacy of colonialism in our society, the lasting impacts of residential schools and reflect on how we as individuals can be sure #everychildmatters. The film is currently available on Strive Online. Amazon Prime members can also access it on P...rime Video. In this film, the profound impact of the Canadian government’s residential school system is conveyed through the eyes of two children who were forced to face hardships beyond their years. As young children, Lyna and Glen were taken from their homes and placed in church-run boarding schools, where they suffered years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, the effects of which persist in their adult lives. We Were Children gives voice to a national tragedy and demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human spirit. A word of warning: this film contains depictions of sexual, physical, verbal and emotional violence, as well as the forced removal of children and may be triggering for some viewers. The content is recommended for audiences 16 years of age and older. Parental discretion, and/or watching the film in the company of someone else is strongly advised. It is important to hear from survivors. To hear their stories is far less painful than to have experienced them, but please be considerate of your own self-care. If you need counselling support, call the CMHA Support Line. The Support Line is a 24/7 therapeutic listening line that offers help when you are experiencing distress. 1-844-360-8055. You can also find support by visiting the CMHA Middlesex walk-in Crisis Centre at 648 Huron St., London. To access the film, head over to Strive Online. If you are not currently a Strive member, membership is free for childcare professionals from London, Middlesex and Elgin counties. You can sign-up here: https://striveswo.ca/member-login/ Please note, we will not be viewing the film during the live event. Registrants are asked to have viewed the film prior to joining the conversation. Register here: https://striveswo.ca/events/we-were-children/ This learning opportunity is made available through the Culturally Safe Spaces funding from the Province of Ontario and the passionate commitment of the Journey Together, Culturally Safe Spaces committee. #striveswo #leadinginspiredlearning #journeytogether #culturalsafety #truthandreconciliation #WEWERECHILDREN #everychildmatters #belonging #wellbeing

Self- Reg is an approach to understanding people, building relationships, and helping people and communities be their best selves in various circumstances. And by calling Self- Reg a platform, rather than a program or intervention, we mean that it is the foundation underlying everything we do communicating, working with people, remediation, discipline, supporting mental health, addressing special needs and building community. (Shanker, 2018). Join us for Self-Regulation: ...Looking at Children with Kind Eyes a three-part series exploring the essentials of self-regulation through reflection, interaction and small group discussion. Self-regulation refers to how well we manage stress, how much energy we expend, and how well we recover. It is about understanding, not managing behaviour, and how we can improve the conditions that result in challenging behaviours. This series will look at the brain, stress, the five domains of self-regulation and will introduce the five-steps of the Shanker Method of Self-Reg. The three sessions will take place via ZOOM on October 29, November 5, and November 12 **participants must commit to attending all three sessions For more information and to register, click here: https://striveswo.ca/events/1227/ #striveswo #leadinginspiredlearning #selfregulation #earlychildhoodeducator #professionallearningcommunity #CoRegulation #shankermethod #allkidsbelong #londonontario #middlesexcounty #elgincounty

Hello, N’it, Wachiya, Ahnee, Tansi, She:gon, Kwe! I am an Indigenous student at Ryerson University completing a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies. I am... conducting a research project exploring Indigenous early childhood educators in mainstream (non-Indigenous) child care. I am looking for participants, if you self-identify as First Nation, Metis, Inuit, Aboriginal or Urban Aboriginal in Southern Ontario, are 18 years of age or older, work(ed) in licenced child care and interested in sharing your experience, you are invited to participate. Please contact me by email at [email protected] or through direct message on Facebook. If you know an Indigenous ECE please share. Please don't comment on this post in order to protect the identity of potential participants. Please contact me directly if you have any questions. This research has been reviewed and approved by the Ryerson REB (REB 2020-180). See more

We are thrilled to welcome Lisa Clarke, from laLa wellness and The Aura House Brampton back to our community once again! Lisa stole our hearts with her boundless and contagious energy at Winter Rethink 2020 and she brought us a sense of calm and positivity in a time of great uncertainty when she connected with us virtually during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown. So as we considered facilitators who could spark joy and inspiration ahead of Child Care Worker and Early Chil...dhood Educator Appreciation Day, Lisa came immediately to mind. On Wednesday, October 21, join Lisa for Owning Your Role as a Role Model. Early Childhood Education is a demanding field and it can be easy for those working in it to lose sight of themselves. Maintaining clarity and a sense of purpose are absolutely integral to an early childhood professional’s health and well-being, as well as the health and well-being of those they surround themselves with. Your responsibilities may be big, but your capacity to meet them is so much bigger! Through reflective & playful practices, you’ll discover the traits that give you the energy you need to be the person you always wanted to be. You’ll draw from the strength of the people that you’ve looked up to, and you’ll learn to see yourself through the eyes of those who look up to you. In that light, you can achieve a grounded sense of self, rooted & confident as you Own your Role as a Role Model! Strive is offering this session at no cost to participants as a gesture of thanks and gratitude in honour of Childcare Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. Thank you for your tireless efforts and dedication to improving the lives of children and families each and every day! You are our forever inspiration and the fuel that drives our work. We feel incomparably grateful to be a part of this vibrant and resilient community of professionals! Thank You. Register Here: https://striveswo.ca/even/owning-your-role-as-a-role-model/ #striveswo #leadinginspiredlearning #risingupforchildcare #ECEPower #earlychildhoodeducation #EarlyChildhoodEducator #professionallearningcommunity

Thursday, October 22 is Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day! This year marks the 20th anniversary of this day that recognizes the commitment and dedication of childcare professionals across Ontario who work tirelessly to improve the lives of children and families every day! This year’s theme is Rising Up! From funding cuts to the pandemic, the early learning sector has faced incredible challenges this year, and yet never has our resilience bee...n more apparent. At Strive, we want to acknowledge you and the essential role you play in our community. We are asking you to submit a photo of yourself and/or your team to be included in an appreciation video. If you are willing to participate, please submit your landscape oriented photo(s) to [email protected] by October 18th, 2020. In the email, please include your name, position, and the name of your organization/centre. #risingupforchildcare #striveswo #leadinginspiredlearning #londonontario #middlesexcounty #elgincounty #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ECE #ECEPower