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Join us for the only conference of its kind in BC that provides learning and connecting opportunities specifically for professionals in young parent programs.

Registration for the conference has closed. For more information, please email bccf@bccf.ca

The theme of this year's Alliance of Professionals Serving Young Parents virtual conference is Connecting During Covid-19, and will offer engaging professional development and opportunities to connect over the course of several days. 

Included in the conference rate are the following:

• Two Webinars (which will be recorded and available to registered participants for two weeks following the date of the webinar):
   
  • Connecting with Youth: What’s Your Story? – Jeff Willis, Monday, 10-11AM
    
    After a year of COVID-19 redefining our lives, perspectives and personal stories - what do the next pages look like in the year ahead? Is the story about hope, simplicity, reconnection and more impactful approach for youth engagement? Yes! Come and learn new skills, ideas and approaches In connecting with youth as we all prepare for the post-COVID 19 story that you will play a main character in. The workshop is NOT a webinar to tune out in but a highly charged, interactive and virtual workshop to inspire, inform and instigate the readiness of how to transform a youths story.
    
    An energetic facilitator and speaker, Jeff Willis has spent nearly 30 years working with a variety of organizations using supportive, innovative and experiential techniques to improve team collaboration and perspective. His passion is derived from his breadth of understanding of experiential and community based education, his various senior roles within the outdoor recreation industry, adventures and continuous commitment to community advocacy. 
    
    We have the opportunity to be an amazing and impactful character in a thousand stories rather than be focused on being our author of the story we will only read. Put your seatbelt on, roll up your sleeves and get ready for a fun virtual training session.
     
  • Relationship is the Answer: Promoting Healthy Development Through the Lens of Attachment – Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, Tuesday, 9:30-11:30AM

    
    A growing human’s most essential need is the experience of a deep, connected relationship with at least one caring “big person." This caring presence allows neurological and developmental processes to unfold exactly as nature intended. The child’s belief that they are worthy and that their world is safe and secure grows from this relationship, as does their capacity to regulate emotions. Eventually, this caring relationship allows the child to form and nurture connections with other people. All of this becomes especially relevant when there is a trauma, grief, and/or other significant challenges presenting in the child’s environment - either directly with the child or with the child’s parent. Dr. Lapointe will discuss exactly how all of this happens through the science and heart of child development, and what caregivers can do to support parents and children towards hope, healthy development, and the capacity to thrive.

    Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, a Registered Psychologist, author, parenting educator, and mom to two. From my work with parents and children – and from being a mom – I have developed a keen understanding of the powerful connection between healthy child development and the parent-child or “big-person”- child relationship. Through this lens it is my experience that we can understand everything about the growing child from behaviour to anxiety to brain development. And all the in-between stuff too. While the dominant pop-culture of child-raising has left so many big people feeling conflicted with how to grow up kids in the best possible way, I strive to come alongside with empowerment. It is my singular goal that parents, teachers, caregivers, and all the other big people are able to connect with their own expertise and intuition in finding a way through.

• One Workshop: choose one from the following
   
  • Mind your Heart: Emotional Regulation and Self-Care – Angela Low, Monday, 1-3:30PM
  • Designing Culturally Focussed Early Childhood Curriculum – Jennie Roberts and Angie Maitland, BCACCS, Tuesday, 6-8:30PM
  • Compassionate Communication – Warren Hooley, Wednesday, 1-3:30PM:
  • Team Building – Warren Hooley, Thursday, 9:30-noon
     
• One Connecting Session with Other YPP Staff: choose one of the following:
   
  • Youth Workers and Managers: Wednesday, February 24 from 11AM-1:30PM
  • ECEs and other YPP child care staff: Thursday, February 25 from 6-7:30PM

Registration for the workshops and connecting sessions will happen for 4 days, between February 8th-11th.

Download the full conference agenda
 

Bursaries are now available to support ECEs who wish to attend the APSYP Conference, "Connecting Through Covid-19", happening the week of February 22-25, 2021.

To qualify for these bursaries, you must be a certified ECE, and either self-identify as Indigenous (Metis, Inuit, and/or First Nations) and/or support Indigenous young parents. Preference will be given to those who self-identify as Indigenous.

To apply for the bursary, please contact Jennifer Westoby at jenniferw@bccf.ca.

This conference will take place via Zoom. Participants will be emailed the login details. 

The price of this conference is per-person. Groups of eight or more are entitled to a 10% discount. For more information, please email bccf@bccf.ca