Please share and encourage your team to subscribe | | ALIGN'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE | | |
ALIGN’s 18th Annual Conference
This two-day learning event Feb 5 - 6, 2026 in Edmonton, is designed for employees in the human services sector. It includes presentations tailored for senior leaders, board members, supervisors, and front-line workers.
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The countdown is on!
Early bird registration for the 18th ALIGN Annual Conference 2026 closes November 30 - don’t miss your chance to save and secure your spot at this exciting event.
We know every organization is different — some can send a few team members, others can bring a whole crew. However you decide, we thought we’d share some fun ways to choose who gets to go (and spark a little excitement in the process):
🎯 Mission Match: Choose staff whose work connects most closely to this year’s conference theme — a great way to align learning with impact.
🎟️ Golden Ticket: Hide a “golden ticket” in your next staff newsletter, meeting, or lunchroom. The finder gets to attend!
🎲 Team Draw: Enter everyone’s name in a draw so everyone has a fair shot — excitement guaranteed!
💡 Pitch It: Invite staff to share why they’d love to go or how they’d bring back what they learn to the team. Great for engagement and development planning.
🤝 Tag Team: Send a pair from different departments to strengthen cross-team relationships — bonus points if they present their takeaways together afterward!
🌟 Emerging Leaders: Reward rising stars or new supervisors with the opportunity to build networks and leadership skills.
🏆 Recognition Reward: Use conference attendance as a thank-you to staff who’ve gone above and beyond this year.
However you choose, make sure to register before November 30 to take advantage of the early bird rate!
👉 Register for the Conference Here
Don’t forget your room!
We’ve secured a special conference rate at Fantasyland Hotel — but rooms are limited, so book early! You can reserve your room online using our group booking link: 🔗 Book Your Room Here
Or call: 780-444-5541 or toll-free 1-800-737-3783. Be sure to mention you’re attending ALIGN Conference or provide the Group Code 02ALI to receive the discounted rate.
We can’t wait to connect, learn, and celebrate the incredible work happening across our sector — together.
See you in Edmonton early February!
| | Early Bird Ends November 30th! | | | Get-To-Know Alberta Mentoring Partnership November 19, 2025, ZOOM | | |
Get-To-Know Alberta Mentoring Partnership November 19, 2025, ZOOM
Did you know that the AMP can help strengthen your organization's programs by offering support, exposure to a network of partners, and resources that may be relevant in guiding your work? Join us on November 19th to learn more!
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From Principles to Practice: Implement the ALIGN Well-Being Toolkit, November 21, 2025, ZOOM
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Join us on November 21, 2025, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. on ZOOM for From Principles to Practice: Implement the ALIGN Well-Being Toolkit. $25.30
In collaboration with PolicyWise for Children & Families, we’ve developed a principle-based, culturally rooted Framework and a practice-oriented Toolkit that reflect diverse ways of being and knowing—grounded in Indigenous perspectives and designed to validate practice through parallel approaches.
The Toolkit is flexible and adaptable, allowing agencies to integrate components at their own pace, based on their capacity and evolving needs. It’s a resource built to support meaningful, culturally responsive practice.
Let’s work together to strengthen well-being in our communities.
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ALIGN is excited to host Nicolette Miller, Senior Associate at Stack’d Consulting. All sessions run from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on ZOOM. | | Alberta Disability Summit 2025 – Indigenous Cultural Understanding, November 27, 2025, Calgary | | November is Indigenous Disability Awareness Month in Canada. To honour this, ALIGN's inaugural Alberta Disability Summit will be held on November 27, 2025, at the Grey Eagle Resort & Casino, Tsuut’ina Nation (Calgary). This one-day gathering will bring together Indigenous leaders, families, persons with disabilities, governments, service providers, and community partners to advance disability inclusion and cultural understanding. | | ALIGN COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE | | |
Well-Being Community of Practice (CoP) Wednesday November 12, 2025,
The Well-Being Community of Practice (CoP) is intended for service providers who are currently implementing the ALIGN Association’s Well-Being Toolkit. Please Note: CoP meetings will now be held on the second Wednesday of each month November 2025 - April 2026. If you are currently implementing the ALIGN Well-Being Toolkit and would like to join this CoP session Wednesday, November 12, 2025, please email:wellbeing@alignab.ca indicating your intention to attend, and we will send you the ZOOM link.
| | If you’re not yet using the Well-Being Toolkit, contact wellbeing@alignab.ca to get started. | ADDITIONAL WELL-BEING UPDATES | ALIGN is excited to be a part of the Our Children Our Way 2025: National Forum for Indigenous Child & Family Well-Being November 2–5, 2025 Vancouver, where we will be presenting our Well-Being Toolkit, a culturally informed framework designed to support psychological health and safety in community service organizations. | |
Remember the Date! December is Coming
Agencies using the Well-Being Toolkit are invited to participate in creating a provincial story of impact. This is your opportunity to show how child and youth well-being is supported across Alberta and how practice is evolving over time.
What to Do:
- Share stories of impact for each domain of well-being.
- Self-rate outcomes for children, youth, caregivers, and your agency using the scale provided on page 60 of the Well-Being Toolkit.
Why It Matters:
- Your contributions help us answer key questions:
- How is well-being growing for children and families across diverse programs?
- How are agencies progressing collectively?
Our Approach:
Inspired by the Indigenous tradition of lobsticks as wayfinding markers and winter counts as records of change, we invite you to:
- Wayfinding with Lobsticks: Leave a story of abundance at each domain and learn from others.
- Self-Rating: Provide scores that allow us to aggregate data and track progress over time.
Together, we will build a shared map of impact and growth for children, youth, caregivers, and agencies across Alberta. Directions and how to, can be found on page 60 of the Well-Being Toolkit.
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Well-Being OCOW Presentation Now Available!
On May 16, 2025, Our Children Our Way hosted ALIGN Community Services of Alberta and Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society for a powerful webinar titled “Parallel Process: Leadership & Practice as Ceremony.”
This session explored how leadership and service delivery can be deeply rooted in Indigenous worldviews and ceremonial practice.
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ALIGN OHS Community of Practice
Join us December 2, 2025, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. (Virtual)
Our Community of Practice brings together professionals from the sector to share knowledge, tools, and strategies for improving the quality and consistency of incident investigations. Regular meetings, case study reviews, and best practice sharing are central to building a learning-focused, safety-oriented community. ZOOM Link
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ALIGN's CONNECTIONS is monthly newsletter designed to support Foster and Kinship Caregivers to ensure First Nations, Metis & Inuit children in their care have access to cultural resources, activities and events that broaden their cultural awareness.
This month's Spotlight is Traditional Hunting Practices.
| | New CFS professional referral option for child abuse/neglect (effective Sept 29, 2025) Children and Family Services (CFS) has introduced a new way for professionals to submit written referrals when there are concerns about child abuse or neglect. Learn More | Canada Summer Jobs Employer Applications Opens November 4th! Each Summer, the Canada Summer Jobs program provides a 100% wage subsidy to allow nonprofits and charities to hire young people. The CSJ 2026 Call for Applications will open on November 4, 2025. Their webpage will be updated with full program details once the application period begins. Learn More | |  | |
Improved Access to Family Justice Services in Alberta
With an additional $3.2 million investment from the Alberta Government, the Family Justice Strategy is expanding to communities including Grande Prairie, Stony Plain, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Leduc, and Fort Saskatchewan. Learn More
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CFS Licensing and Care Concerns Transformation Survey. By completing these surveys, you will help shape future licensing and care concern practices to ensure greater consistency and effectiveness across Alberta.
Survey Links:
Foster Care Licensing Practices Survey and
Child and Youth Facility Licensing Practices Survey
| | | | OCYA is inviting young people across Alberta to share their creativity in the My Traditions, My Rights Art Showcase, part of this year’s National Child Day celebrations on November 20.
Deadline Nov 7, 2025 | | |
Indigenous Disability Awareness Month
Edmonton Housing Month
Movember Men’s Health Awareness Month
Family Violence Prevention Month in Alberta
Inuit Day November 7
Indigenous Veterans Day
Annual Métis Week November 12 -15, 2025
National Addictions Awareness Week - November 16 - 22, 2025
Anti-Bullying Week November 17 -21, 2025
National Child Day in Canada November 20th
Canada Housing Day November 22
Edmonton Housing Month
Movember - Men’s Health Awareness Month
Family Violence Prevention Month in Alberta
| | ALIGN member agencies get free and unlimited career posting access on the ALIGN Career page! See what positions are available and apply now. | | Stay up-to-date with ALIGN & Sector events, news and resources. | | | | |
