Looking forward to CIDI Unconference May 5 & 6

Job Seekers, join us for our Open House.

Click here to register

HR and Hiring Staff, join us for our Employer Open House

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Conversations Matter – Welcome to YYC Talks

With near capacity registrations, Champions was delighted to kick-off the YYC Talks series this month with an engaging and interactive presentation by Brian Kruegar, Workplace Education Consultant with the Alberta Government. An experienced facilitator, Brian spoke about Alberta’s Employment Standards and the rights and obligations of employees and employers.  Although the topic may have been dry, Brian succeeded in engaging the crowd.

“It was fun, there were even prizes!  There were great questions from the crowd, which stimulated discussion. One question led to another and he did a great job of addressing every question that arose. I saw a lot of ‘aha’ moments,” said Champions’ Executive Director, Lisa Moon.

There was positive feedback from attendees, who came from a wide cross-section of the Calgary community. “This lecture was very helpful. My previous experience with labour regulation had been in a unionized environment, so it was great to learn more about the Albertan laws.” said an attendee.

“This was a wonderful talk, a lot of very useful information in very little time!” said another.

YYC Talks is a community series, hosted by Champions Career Centre each month. Its mission is to inform, empower and promote success for the people who attend, and for the Calgary community as a whole.  It is open to all members of the community and covers a variety of interesting and relevant topics by local speakers. The idea to start this series came about when members of the Champions team were looking for a productive and mutually beneficial forum to share ideas and knowledge within our network of community partners. What evolved was a wider scope of topics and a more inclusive forum. And, with the high registration numbers for the premiere session it’s a clear demonstration from the Calgary community that there was a need for this type of series.

“We wanted to give people useful information to start conversations,” says Andrea Arellano Stubbs, Champions’ Intake Coordinator and one of the event founders.

This sentiment is echoed by Client Services Manager, Lori James. “Conversations are always important. Having speakers who are passionate and/or are subject matter experts to start those conversations is a bonus. YYC Talks is about having truly integrated conversations. If you’ve only got a session that’s for employers, or for business leaders, or people who are looking for work, you don’t really get the full picture. YYC Talks is going to help develop and expand the picture.”

Looking ahead, YYC Talks continues on May 14 with a session titled “Unleashing Creative Confidence” with Presenter  Kristan Nielson who is a coach, consultant and leader in the field of organizational development.

YYC Talkers can expect to learn what kind of environment supports creativity, how to harness and unleash their personal creativity, and strategies to tap our collective creative capacity.

YYC Talks, Unleashing Creative Confidence, Wednesday, May 14, 5-7pm

Champions Career Centre, 6^th Floor, 839 5^th Ave SW, Calgary T2P 3C8

REGISTER ONLINE

Assistive Technology…What’s Next?

By Mark Flores

You know, from my perspective it’s extremely interesting to witness the evolution of Assistive Technology. In the early 2000’s when I was first introduced to it, not only did it seem like something only rich people could afford but honestly it didn’t work that well either. I remember getting my hands on version 6 of Dragon NaturallySpeaking because my college accessibility advisor thought that I could be more productive with it. Yes it allowed me to be able to go hands-free, but not as free as you might think. Back then you basically had to be in an ultra-quiet room dictating word by word in order for Dragon to work. Trust me when I say that it really wasn’t very productive. Nowadays you can dictate reams of text to Dragon with some noise on in the background, just like I’m doing right now, and it will work amazingly well. 10 years ago you almost needed to take out a 2^nd mortgage on your house just to afford a screen reader; today you can get a decent one for free!

With the introduction of tablets, smartphones and thinner, lighter laptops it really has become a mobile world. More and more people are taking full advantage of cutting the cords and no longer being tied to their desks. It’s no wonder that people with disabilities are looking to take advantage of the same opportunities. Even 5 years ago there wasn’t anybody thinking about how to offer access to mobile devices to people with disabilities; and now we carry 3 devices that do just that.

I believe that digital marketplaces like the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store have revolutionized the assistive technology industry. The next time you’re on your phone or your tablet do a search for assistive technology in your App Store of choice and I bet you that you will find hundreds if not thousands of apps that are specifically designed to assist people with disabilities do things like to know what bills we have in our wallets, take dictation or even something as big as communicating altogether. The various app stores have done remarkable things in the world of assistive technology. In some cases you’re no longer forced to carry around big bulky devices; in others, assistive technology manufacturers are now having to look at how much they charge us for their products. Especially since, as I mentioned before there are many serviceable low or no cost alternatives out there.

People often ask me what is next in the world of assistive technology. My answer is wearable’s. In the near future we are going to start to see assistive technology that fits in the palm of your hand and can control many devices. With the ever-increasing, ever shrinking power of computers I really think that the possibilities for what we will see assistive technology be able to do are endless. Don’t be surprised if one day you see people with disabilities able to accomplish complex everyday tasks with just a simple thought.

When I talk to myself, which surprisingly happens very often. I ask myself why do I love the world of assistive technology? The answer is because it’s always changing, always getting better and always giving people like me bigger opportunities that we never had.

Hopeful for the future,

Mark Flores, President & CEO of Handi Enterprises Inc.

Do you want to learn more about this great company? Then visit all BRAND-NEW website at www.handienterprises.com . Drop me a line to tell me what you think about it at mark@handienterprises.com .

Statement of independence:

Handi Enterprises Inc. is an assistive technology reseller. At no time do we ever take money or other incentive of any kind to review or promote a manufacturers product. As such you can expect the most honest product reviews in the assistive technology world.

A New Start in Calgary - Marvin's story

“I don’t follow the Flames, I’m a Shark’s fan.  But they don’t hold that against me,” jokes Marvin about his co-workers.  “When my wife and I were still living in separate cities, we used to schedule our phone calls between work and the Game.  Nobody can talk to me after it starts, I’m still working with my wife on that one.”

Marvin loves hockey, so it’s fitting that he’s now working as a Bookkeeper at the NCHL (Non-Contact Hockey League). 

Marvin arrived in Calgary in June 2013.  Fresh off the plane from California, he was motivated to support his wife and start a new life here.  Amid the excitement there was also anxiety.  

Would he be able to make a life of his own? The easy option would have been to stay home and help his wife who runs a daycare.  But Marvin knew that this was not the right fit for him.  So from day one, he started his own job search.  He soon found that job search in Calgary was different from what he was used to.

“I felt lost, I was using Kijiji and Facebook, I was calling mutual friends, asking anyone about jobs.  If I hadn’t found Champions, I’d still be doing that and I’d still be lost,” he says.

After finding out about Champions online, he attended orientation and immediately felt supported by the staff and resources available.  With education in accounting and extensive work experience in administration roles, Marvin worked with Mat, his Case Manager, to determine his job targets.  Marvin, who has had cerebral palsy from birth was careful to seek out positions which enabled him to work to the best of his ability, not requiring long periods of standing, sitting or heavy lifting.

Marvin participated in many of Champions’ workshops and he remarks that the most memorable one was the Disclosure workshop.  During this workshop, participants explore their ‘barriers to employment’ and during the course of the two days, work through ways to break down these barriers.

“I really felt like this activity was the new start for me…coming from another country I was an unknown commodity.  Champions workshops really helped me in discovering how to approach a job search and how not to look at your disability as a disadvantage.  I knew I had it in me, Champions just gave me more bullets.” he said.

The Interview Skills workshop and mock interview also gave him support in an area he felt was one of his weaknesses.  During this workshop, he practiced answering interview questions, learned about interview preparation and received honest feedback from Champions’ Employment Readiness Facilitator Susann Grodsky about how he presented himself.

He jokes about himself, “sometimes I say too much in interviews.  Susann really helped me with that, she called it ‘not showing your underwear!’ I learned where to draw the line with answering interview questions.  After the mock interview, I really felt prepared.  I knew what to say, what not to say, how to say it and how not to say it! So that when it came time for the real interview, I was able to show my love for hockey, my excitement for the job and not worry about the small things.”

It’s obvious from talking to Marvin that he loves his new job and the team at Champions is proud to have been part of helping him kick-start a new life in Calgary.

“Never think that a door is ever closed to you…I may have a disability, but I’m also kind, caring and generous.  Replace ‘disabled’ with other adjectives.” says Marvin.

"Talking About My Generation" @ YYC Talks in June

"Talkin' About My Generation" - Wednesday, June 11, 4-6pm.

This presentation takes a different and modern approach to how we think about generational diversity. This topic is becoming a big focus now as organizations are competing to attract and retain talent.

We'll be talking about:
1. The four generations at work
2. Examine the four generations: their values, attitudes, and defining moments in their generational history.
3. Re-introduce Millennials and discuss what changes they are bringing to the workforce; and
4. Provide recommendation for motivating and managing Millennials in the workplace.

About the presenter:

YIORGOS BOUDOURIS  has served as a Youth Advisor for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as well as Youth Advisor for Parks Canada. Yiorgos is currently a Board Member with the Calgary Youth Justice Society. Yiorgos is passionate about issues relating to diversity, youth and intergenerational communication.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Look for more YYC Talks in the Fall 2014.

---

YYC Talks is a new series of information evenings that are open to all members of the Calgary community.

Inform: YYC Talks will explore topics that are relevant and important to the Calgary community.

Empower: Knowledge is power, YYC Talkers will gain insight and applicable knowledge

Succeed: YYC Talkers will be encouraged to share their knowledge to promote success in the community.

---

Light refreshments will be available. Space is limited.

For more information or to register over the phone please call Champions Career Centre 403.265.5374.

If you are attending and require any accomodations please call us 403.265.5374.

Unleashing Creative Confidence @ YYC Talks, May 14

NOTE: The time for May's YYC Talks event is 5-7 pm.

This interactive workshop will help participants understand the beliefs, environment

and habits required to unleash their creative potential. Creativity is about creating

something new. Creativity comes into play when we have the opportunity to generate

new ways of thinking, being, doing and creating in the world. Join us and learn how to

tap into this resource we all have access to ~ our creative capacity.

We'll be talking about:

• What kind of environment supports creativity,

• How to harness and unleash their personal creativity, and

• Strategies to tap our collective creative capacity.

YYC TALKS MAY - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Presented by: Kristan Nielson BA, CPCC, Coach & Consultant

Kristan Nielson is a coach, consultant and leader in the field of organizational development. She has worked with thousands of leaders in such industries as non-profit, government, professional services, sports, education, broadcasting, transportation, telecommunications, banking, health services, real estate development, oil and gas, mining, and construction and engineering. With over a decade of experience she has provided 20,000+ hours of consulting, training and coaching services to small, medium and big business.

Kristan inspires others to be catalysts of positive change and leads by example. She creates a dynamic learning environment by building trust, asking the hard questions, challenging the status quo, and encouraging divergent thinking.

_______________________________________________________________________

YYC Talks is a new series of information evenings that are open to all members of the Calgary community.

Inform: YYC Talks will explore topics that are relevant and important to the Calgary community.

Empower: Knowledge is power, YYC Talkers will gain insight and applicable knowledge

Succeed: YYC Talkers will be encouraged to share their knowledge to promote success in the community.

Light refreshments will be available. Space is limited.

For more information or to register over the phone please call Champions Career Centre 403.265.5374.

If you are attending and require any accomodations please call us 403.265.5374.

========================================================================

Coming up in June: "Talkin about our Generation", June 11, 2014. Register for June's YYC Talks 

Join us for our Employer Open House, May 1, 2014

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Struggling with a job search? Come to our Client Open House on April 29!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE