RENEW OR BECOME A MEMBER | | |
Becoming a member of the ALIGN Association of Community Services means joining a strong, unified network committed to improving the lives of Alberta’s children, youth, families, and communities.
With over 55 years of experience, ALIGN serves as a powerful collective voice, advocating for service providers and the populations they support. Membership offers invaluable benefits, including direct advocacy to influence policy and legislation, access to high-caliber professional development opportunities, and a wealth of digital resources to enhance service delivery. Members also gain opportunities to connect and collaborate with a diverse network of agencies and professionals across the province, fostering shared learning and innovation.
Above all, ALIGN is committed to promoting excellence in service, ensuring its members are equipped with the tools, knowledge, and support needed to provide the highest quality care to those they serve.
| | DON'T DELAY! Please take a moment to fill out this quick OHS survey to help ALIGN learn about the progress of occupational health and safety (OHS) within sector agencies. By sharing your organization’s unique experiences and challenges, you contribute to a broader understanding of the landscape of workplace safety. | | FREE Register for one or both of the 2 remaining sessions of Navigating Workplace Safety & Claims Management Essential Insights for Employers Series | | |
April 8, 2025 – Modified Duties
When an injury happens, it’s your responsibility to offer your employees modified work. Return-to-work planning helps you ensure a solid plan is in place to get injured workers back to work safely.
May 6, 2025 – Psychological Claims Management
Review of WCB policy and legislation related to psychological injuries, the claims decision-making process, psychological injury treatment, and how to successfully support your workers through recovery.
| | FREE Join us and the Centre for Autism Services Alberta at ALIGN's Spring Membership Meeting on May 30, 2025, ZOOM | | ALIGN's Spring Membership Meeting will take place via Zoom on Friday, May 30, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.! This is an excellent opportunity to hear exciting updates on ALIGN Activities, including OHS and Well-Being—plus a special presentation from the Centre for Autism Services Alberta. Don't miss this chance to connect, learn, and be inspired! | | FREE Indigenous Cultural Understanding Framework Training for Foster, Kinship, and Group Caregivers on June 7, 2025, Red Deer | | |
ALIGN is excited to offer its Indigenous Cultural Understanding Framework (ICUF) training for Foster, Kinship, and Group Caregivers. This in-person session will provide a foundation for walking together with Indigenous peoples, including the children you serve. We will explore the Indigenous Cultural Understanding Framework’s parallel sharing and learning journey.
We will create a principle-based space for individuals to continue conversations that will become a foundation for moving forward in parallel. By the end of this session, you will have a deeper understanding of the ICUF principles and how to integrate them into your caregiving practice.
| | FREE Creating a Path Forward in Disability Services – Indigenous People and Disability Services on June 12, 2025, ZOOM | | Explore the vital connection between disability, community, and culture in our upcoming session on Indigenous Peoples. We will discuss how traditional values and family care systems shape the understanding of disability, as well as the historical injustices that contribute to discrimination against Indigenous individuals with disabilities. | |
Presentation Materials from ALIGN's Empowering Futures Gatherings
| | At the ALIGN gathering, Empowering Futures: A Gathering for Indigenous Child Welfare Sovereignty on February 27—we reviewed the current landscape in Alberta, including First Nations, Inuvialuit, and Métis groups that have given notice to assume jurisdiction under Bill C-92, those that have already enacted their own child welfare laws, and the rejection of the national agreement by many First Nations. We also examined how regional Chiefs are negotiating directly with the federal government to ensure agreements meet their specific needs. | | The Empowering Futures – Participant Report will be distributed to participants and available on our website later this week. | | OCYA Calling for Change Report 2025: Consultation Opportunities for Young People and Practitioners | | |
The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate’s 2024-2025 Calling for Change – Consolidated Investigative Review is underway. The focus of this year’s report is how systems recognize, support, and intervene when young people experience trauma, grief and loss and the consequences of unresolved trauma, grief and loss and pain-based behaviours that can happen as a result. The team will be hosting consultations with both young people and practitioners to inform the report.
Virtual Town Hall Meetings
April 28, 2025, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
April 29, 2025, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. (For those providing Indigenous Specific Services and Supports both on and off Nations.
Register by April 22nd
OCYA Virtual Townhall Invitation
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Youth Consultations The discussions with young people about their lived experiences with the Child Intervention and Youth Justice systems will assist in understanding how young people’s needs for addressing trauma, grief, and loss are met or unmet by the systems that served them and what services or supports they would have wanted or needed.
OCYA Youth Consultations
| | CONNECTIONS - Monthly Newsletter with cultural resources, activities and events for Indigenous children, youth and caregivers | | | | |
MARCH EDITION
SPOTLIGHT
Traditional Signs of Spring
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Join us on April 22, 2025 (1:00 – 2:30 p.m.) for ALIGN’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Community of Practice meeting!
Your input is valuable as we aim to create a supportive environment for learning and sharing best practices. We look forward to your participation and to fostering a community dedicated to advancing Occupational Health and Safety. Please feel free to bring any ideas or topics you would like to discuss.
| | NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK APRIL 27 - May 3, 2025 | | |
Canada’s Volunteer Awards 2025
Volunteer Week is April 27 – May 3, 2025
National Volunteer Week provides a chance to highlight the value of volunteers and their positive impact on society. Every April, Volunteer Canada leads the National Volunteer Week (NVW) campaign. This year’s theme is Volunteers Make Waves: Together, we create ripples of change. It highlights the power, impact, and importance of individual and collective volunteer efforts across Canada. Like a wave, volunteering is movement building. Each individual volunteer contribution, big or small, creates momentum and has the power to influence and inspire, joining a wave of positive change. Let’s celebrate the collective impact we make when we come together to contribute to and nurture the well-being of our communities. Download graphics and posters from Volunteer Canada’s official 2025 Campaign Kit.
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Canada’s Volunteer Awards 2025
The recognition package for award recipients includes a $5,000 or $10,000 grant awarded to the nonprofit organization of the recipient’s choosing. Please visit the Canada’s Volunteer Awards website to learn more about the Awards and submit a nomination for a deserving volunteer. Deadline: May 8, 2025
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Alberta Blue Cross Community Wellbeing Grant
The Community Wellbeing grant program celebrates our province’s exceptional volunteers by giving out awards of $1000 each, plus another $1000 to the charitable organization they volunteer with. This program rewards people who are making a difference in the health and wellness of Albertans. Deadline: April 30, 2025
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ECVO Beyond the Status Quo Summit April 9th, 2025, at the Edmonton Convention Centre. The Beyond the Status Quo Summit will not only celebrate the extraordinary work of our human service organizations but amplify the voices of leaders across the sector – from frontline to board members.
Inspiring Change, Igniting Progress CWLA's 2025 Conference April 9 - 11, 2025, Washington. CWLA holds an annual conference that gathers the brightest minds in child welfare and allied fields to share innovative and sustainable solutions that strengthen child and family outcomes
2025 Inclusion Alberta Family Conference April 11-12, 2025, at the Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton. Deepen your knowledge and commitment to assisting children and adults with intellectual disabilities to live fully inclusive and meaningful lives in their community.
Allies For Youth Connections Empowering Hope through Authentic Connections Conference May 12 - 13, 2025, at the Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton. This conference will specifically focus on youth (12+) homelessness, Indigenous youth & social justice, ethnocultural youth & trauma, and the voice of youth.
| | The ALIGN Grant Directory is a comprehensive resource designed to empower and support our province's diverse for-profit and non-profit organizations. Whether you are a grassroots initiative, an established charity, or a community-driven project, this directory connects you with vital funding opportunities tailored to your mission and goals. | | |
| Check out all the great career opportunities posted by ALIGN member agencies & organizations across Alberta that serve children, youth & families! | | Stay up-to-date with ALIGN & Sector events, news and resources. | | | | |
