ALIGN's Annual General Meeting September 19, 2025, Red Deer | | |
Mark your calendars! We invite you to join ALIGN for our Annual General Meeting on September 19 in Red Deer. This event is a wonderful opportunity for our members to come together and celebrate a year of dedicated work and progress.
During the meeting, we will share insights into ALIGN’s accomplishments over the past year, provide important updates about our sector, and facilitate valuable networking among members. Your participation is crucial as we look forward to connecting and collaborating with each other. Don’t miss out on this important event!
🗓️ September 19, 2025
🕒 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
📍 Red Deer Resort & Casino
💲 $131.25
| | ALIGN Association Golf Tournament September 18, 2025, Red Deer | | |
Grab your clubs, sunscreen, and golf shoes, and join ALIGN on September 18 in Red Deer for our golf tournament! Four player Texas Scramble Format (Best Ball)
Your registration includes 18 holes of golf and a golf cart. We will conclude the day with a steak dinner, prizes, and a silent auction.
Don’t have a team? No problem! We offer both individual and team pricing.
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Let us know!
🗓️ September 18, 2025
🕒 9:00 a.m. – Registration
⛳ 10:00 a.m. – Shotgun Start
📍 Alberta Springs Golf Resort
💲 175 per Player or $650 for Teams of 4
| | ALIGN TRAINING EVENTS REGISTER NOW! | | FREE Indigenous Cultural Understanding Framework (ICUF) training for Foster, Kinship, and Group Caregivers. 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. 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. | |
FREE Maximizing Cost Relief: Understanding Premiums and Strategies for Success Virtual Oct 7, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
| | Join Tom Kurian, Employer Advisor with the Advisor Office for Alberta Workers’ Compensation, for an informative session focused on the concept of cost relief within the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) system. This event is designed for employers and HR professionals who want to learn how claim costs impact future premiums and the circumstances under which costs may be removed from their accounts. | | |
Well-Being Community of Practice (CoP) Session
Join Us! Virtual, June 13, 2025 (10:00 to 11:30 a.m.) for our next Well-Being Community of Practice.
For more information or to register, contact wellbeing@alignab.ca. Visit the ALIGN Well-Being Toolkit.
| | National Indigenous History Month (June) and National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21) | | This June is everyone’s opportunity to recognize and honour the achievements, history and rich cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. | | Indigenous Cultural Understanding | | ALIGN Association of Community Services is dedicated to upholding the principles of Truth and Reconciliation and are committed to supporting the well-being of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children, youth, families, and communities. | | Learn more about ALIGN’s Commitment to Truth & Reconciliation, our Indigenous Cultural Understanding Framework (ICUF), the Well-being in Child and Family Services Toolkit and more! | | ALIGN CONNECTIONS - Monthly Newsletter with cultural resources, activities and events for Indigenous children, youth and caregivers. | | | | |
MAY EDITION
SPOTLIGHT
NATIONAL INDIGENOUS HISTORY MONTH (JUNE)
| | June is Pride Month, celebrating the accomplishments of the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and other (2SLGBTQ+) communities and recognizes the ongoing struggle and the continued work towards equal justice for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and communities. | |
Pride events and celebrations take place from June through September. To learn more about events in your area, visit your local pride organization’s website.
Helping caregivers and families support gender-diverse youth (PolicyWise for Children & Families ) PolicyWise for Children & Families recently held a webinar to address this important topic and help social workers support caregivers as they learn to affirm and care for gender-diverse youth.
One key lesson from the webinar was that affirming a young person’s identity can be life-saving. Research shows that youth are more likely to thrive when they feel supported in their identity. The webinar also looked at how to access services in Alberta, where systems can be confusing and inconsistent and share the steps involved in finding gender-affirming medical care, understanding school policies, and connecting to mental health supports. View Webinar
| | | | Our Children Our Way Conference, Vancouver, November 2 - 5, 2025 Share promising approaches and grounded practices that strengthen the well-being of Indigenous children, youth, families, and communities. Share your knowledge, experience, and innovation by submitting a presentation proposal for the breakout sessions that are a core part of the OCOW program and an important space for connection, learning, and collective growth. Deadline: June 6, 2025 Submit Your Presentation | | |
News Release: Alberta.ca quadrupling youth beds with CASA Mental Health. May 2025, Alberta’s government has an established partnership with CASA Mental Health, the province’s second-largest provider of community-based youth mental health services. To continue this partnership, Budget 2025 provides $47 million in capital grants to CASA Mental Health to build live-in and day program youth facilities in three new locations: Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray and Calgary... Read Full Release
Deaths of children, youth and young adults receiving child intervention services. Updated May 20, 2025. Provides statistics on the deaths of children, youth or young adults receiving child intervention services. Statistics are provided by year (April 1 to March 31) and type of intervention, manner of death, racial status, gender, and age group.
Updates to CS Provincial Caregiver Training
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New Data: 2023 Charitable Giving Trends
Imagine Canada’s latest Research Note analyzes preliminary 2023 charitable donation data from Statistics Canada. While total charitable donations claimed on tax returns rose to $12.8 billion, giving remains below 2021 levels when adjusted for inflation and only 16.8% of tax filers donated—the lowest rate ever recorded. Donations continue to rely heavily on older, high-income donors. View Here
| | Survey Results: Staffing Tops Charity Spending Pressures (Charity Insights Canada Project) Charity Insights Canada finds staff compensation is both the largest expense and most underfunded area for charities. As demand grows, staffing remains a key pressure point. View Report | Report: Unlocking Generosity: Understanding and Engaging Multicultural Canadians in Charitable Giving (Imagine Canada 2025) This study provides practical insights to help organizations build stronger connections with some of Canada’s fastest-growing populations. Key themes explored: giving behaviours & potential for greater support, donation methods, and the role of multicultural media. View Report | | |
Enviromental Scan: Indigenous Shelter Diversion and Eviction Prevention May 2025 (Canadian Observatory on Homelessness) Through an environmental scan of literature and existing programs, this report adopts a decolonizing lens to explore Indigenous perspectives on prevention, including diversion from shelters and preventing eviction. RView Here
Results Are In! The Family and Natural Supports Program Improves Youth Well-Being and Prevents Homelessness (homeless learning hub) This infographic provides a snapshot of how the Family and Natural Supports (FNS) program supports youth and their families, including those they consider significant in their lives, such as chosen family, Elders, coaches, and teachers, to foster stronger relationships, resolve conflicts, and help prevent youth homelessness. View Here
| Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters Releases 2023-24 Shelter Impact Report: Strength in Support, Advocacy, and Action This report reveals a continued rise in demand for shelter services and the urgent need for sustained support to keep up with the growing complexity of survivors’ needs. View Report | | The Family Centre of Northern Alberta is very excited to have been nominated for the Social Enterprise Champion Award, recognizing the work their team does to promote healthy, vibrant communities. | | | | |
Congratulations to Pauline Smith, former board president of AIGN and current CEO of The Family Centre of Northern Alberta, on being awarded MacEwan's Distinguished Alumni Award!
This award honours alumni who have demonstrated exemplary service and leadership within their profession and community.
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Nominate Now!
Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Prevention Awards
Presented by Canada Life and co-led by A Way Home Canada and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, this award was created to celebrate the important work Canadian organizations and collaborations are doing to prevent youth homelessness in Canada.
Deadline: June 23, 2025
Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards
The Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards celebrate out-of-this-world individuals who give their time, energy and talents to make life better for others. These prestigious awards celebrate the incredible impact volunteers have in communities across Alberta. Deadline: June 30, 2025
| | INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE | | Invitation to Participate in Research Study Identifying Motivators for Retention of Service Workers in Youth Care Programs. (Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta) | | |
The CYCA is seeking group care practitioners to participate in an interview for a research study about employment retention in residential group care settings. Michelle Briegel is conducting this study for her Doctoral program and is looking for practitioners who have been working in group care for at least one year (or more) and who are in Calgary.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Michelle Briegel via michelle.briegel@waldenu.edu Interviews will take place during May and possibly into the month of June. Please email Michelle for more information regarding the deadline and opportunity to participate.
| | | Join a National Movement to Prevent Youth Homelessness: Expressions of Interest Now Open | | |
A Way Home Canada (AWHC) and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH) are excited to invite Community Entities (CEs) to participate in a new nationwide opportunity to drive meaningful change for young people and prevent youth homelessness across Canada.
As part of Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, their project—Building Local Capacity to Prevent Youth Homelessness—is looking for eight (8) enthusiastic CEs that are eager to pave the way in preventing and reducing youth homelessness. They’re on the lookout for CEs that are passionate about making a lasting impact but are also excited to learn, lead and support their community towards youth homelessness prevention. If your CE is ready to enhance the great work already taking place in your community, strengthen their skills, and join a national learning initiative, they want to hear from you!
The project period is anticipated to commence on June 16, 2025 or soon thereafter, and will conclude on March 31, 2026, with no eligibility for extension. A Memorandum of Understanding will guide the work. Deadline: June 9, 2025 APPLY HERE
| | 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. | | |
| Explore all the excellent 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. | | | | |
