Leading Change Summit 2026: The Ripple Effect

This is a space for quiet reflection, mindfulness, and relaxation. Participants are welcome to drop in anytime throughout the day to disconnect, enjoy the various activities, and explore what is most supportive for them and their bodies in that moment.

Activities available will include:

• Tote Bag decorating
• Mindfulness worksheets and colouring pages
• Affirmation wall
• Smudging
• Puzzling, doodling, and fidgeting
• Relaxation – yoga mats, peaceful music, and mood lighting to help you decompress

Jenna Chornohus, a registered massage therapist, will be offering free drop-in massages for attendees on Day 1 & 2 of the 2026 Summit. She will be in the Zen Den from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM for anyone interested in enjoying a 10-15 minute massage.

About the Speaker:

Michelle Okere is a proud Métis-Cree leader, executive, and speaker dedicated to advancing equitable systems, ethical leadership, and community wellbeing. As Executive Director of the Indigenous Prosperity Foundation, she leads national initiatives that expand access to financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunities for Indigenous women, youth, and communities across Canada.

Through her consulting practice, Okere & Associates, Michelle has worked with non-profits, governments, Indigenous organizations, and social purpose leaders across the country in governance, strategy, leadership development, and community engagement. She is widely recognized for helping organizations navigate complex social issues with authenticity, build trust with communities, and communicate in ways that uphold dignity, respect, and inclusion.

Michelle is a sought-after speaker on ethical storytelling, Indigenous reconciliation, governance, and systems change. Drawing on more than a decade of leadership experience, she challenges audiences to rethink how stories shape public perception, influence policy, and impact the people and communities they are intended to serve.

Michelle holds an Executive MBA in Indigenous Business Leadership from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. She has spoken at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and represented Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance Summit in Brazil.

She serves on the boards of the Edmonton Community Foundation and PolicyWise for Children & Families. Her leadership has been recognized through honours including Edify Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40, the Deputy Minister’s Award for Innovation, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Website: https://okereandassociates.com

Relational Consent: Supporting Autonomy When Choice and Voice Have Been Taken Away

Speaker: Dr. Dawn McBride, University of Lethbridge

Description: Survivors of violence often enter helping systems after experiencing profound violations of autonomy, safety, dignity, and choice. Yet many consent processes unintentionally repeat dynamics of powerlessness through rushed forms, overwhelming policies, institutional language, and expectations that survivors simply “sign and comply.” 
 
This workshop introduces Relational Consent, a trauma-informed and decolonizing framework developed by Dawn McBride through decades of counselling, ethics education, family violence work, and professional training. Moving beyond signature-based approaches, Relational Consent reframes consent as an ongoing relational process rooted in transparency, pacing, collaboration, cultural responsiveness, and survivor autonomy. 
 
Grounded in the B.R.A.I.N.S. framework (Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, No/Know, Slow Down, Spread It Out, and Solicit), this session explores how consent processes can become acts of healing rather than administrative tasks. Participants will examine how workers can reduce overwhelm, prevent re-traumatization, strengthen trust, and support informed decision-making with survivors from Indigenous, newcomer, and diverse ethnocultural communities.

The workshop also explores how decolonizing consent involves moving away from one-size-fits-all practices toward approaches that honour collective values, storytelling traditions, emotional readiness, and culturally meaningful ways of understanding safety and choice. 
 
Practical tools, scripts, metaphors, visuals, and examples from women’s shelter and counselling contexts will be shared throughout the session.

Website: https://www.dawn-mcbride.com/

About the Speaker: Dr. Dawn McBride is a registered psychologist and an associate professor in counsellor education in Canada. Her work centres on professional ethics, particularly relational consent and consent practices in counselling. She also assists therapists with ethical or professional complaints. Her research interests include family violence, multiculturalism, supervision and training, trauma, disordered eating, and self-harm. She has experience working with complex presentations and using creative, bottom-up methods that promote emotional regulation, somatic interventions, EMDR, play-based therapies, and psychodynamic approaches such as transactional analysis. She has received several teaching awards and co-edited a book on teaching practices across cultures in higher education. Recently, she completed a textbook manuscript titled The Big Cs in Canadian Ethics: Care, Consent, and Charting, which provides a comprehensive Canadian framework for ethical counselling practice.  Webpage: www.dawn-mcbride.com 

The Fort: Fostering Resilience in Children and Youth Navigating Trauma and Transition in a Second-Stage Shelter

Speakers: Charity Chan and Sandrine Mendes, Heart Home Network

Description: This interactive and immersive presentation introduces “The Fort” Framework, a trauma-informed and developmentally responsive intervention model designed to support children and youth residing in a second-stage domestic violence shelter. Grounded in frontline practice experience and masters thesis research conducted within a second-stage shelter setting, the session explores the unique adjustment experiences, challenges, and protective factors impacting children and families navigating shelter life after domestic violence.

Participants will be guided through the three phases of “The Fort” Framework while experiencing elements of the model firsthand through storytelling, creative expression, and symbolic activities that emphasize emotional safety, resilience, attachment, coping skill development, and healing. The session highlights practical and relationship-based approaches that can be used to support children, youth, and families in a second-stage shelter.

About the Speakers:

Charity Chan is a Child and Youth Counsellor with Heart Home Network, where she has worked since 2024. With professional experience supporting children and youth in mental health since 2020, Charity brings a compassionate, trauma-informed approach to working with young people and families navigating complex circumstances. Her experience includes crisis counselling, child and youth mental health, and supporting individuals and families affected by domestic violence. Charity is passionate about creating safe, supportive environments where children and youth can develop resilience, strengthen relationships, and feel empowered in their healing journeys. She is particularly interested in the intersection of mental health, family relationships, and child development. Looking toward the future, Charity aspires to become a child psychologist specializing in play therapy and family reunification, with the goal of helping children and families rebuild meaningful connections and achieve lasting emotional well-being.

Sandrine Mendes is a Child and Youth Counselling Lead at Heart Home Network, where she has worked for the past six years, supporting children, youth, and families affected by domestic violence. She holds a Master’s Degree in Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health from Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom. Her thesis research examined staff perspectives on the impact of second-stage shelter environments on children’s resilience and resulted in a published research article. Findings from this research contributed to the development of the intervention module she is presenting at the 2026 Leading Change Summit. With 20 years of experience as a mental health professional, her practice has focused on supporting children, youth, and families experiencing vulnerability and complex life circumstances. Her work is grounded in trauma-informed, attachment-based, and evidence-informed approaches, with a focus on supporting resilience and positive outcomes for children, youth, and families affected by domestic violence.

Website: https://www.hearthomenetwork.ca/

Pregnancy Pathways: Building Rapport and Trust When it Matters

Speakers: Lesley Spry-Shandro and Jennifer Locke, Radius Community Health & Healing

Description: A brief introduction to Pregnancy Pathways and what has worked for our program to build trust with our participants and the staff and our community partners that are trying to support them.  This includes options with treatment and law enforcement to keep them safe.

About the Speakers:

Lesley Spry-Shandro, Program Manager, Currently the Program Manager at Pregnancy Pathways with Radius Community Health and Healing since 2017. She has experience in the field as a youth worker, Family School Liaison, and worked at the Women’s Shelter Transition House in Grande Cache.

Jennifer Locke, Wellness Coordinator, has been the Wellness Coordinator at Pregnancy Pathways for the last 2 years.  Prior to this she worked in other programs throughout Radius Community Health and Healing assisting people through a trauma informed lens.

When Categories Collide

Speaker: Lisa St. Cyr, BC Society of Transition Houses

Description: This interactive workshop invites participants to critically examine the categories we use to understand women’s circumstances and pathways into emergency housing programs. Together, we will explore the binary thinking that often positions women as either “unhoused” or “fleeing violence” and consider an alternative framework that understands women as housed, precariously housed, or unhoused, while recognizing that violence can occur across all housing situations.

Through discussion, reflection, and practical scenarios, participants will explore how these categories influence intake decisions on the frontline. We will consider how women’s experiences of violence intersect with housing instability, and how the conventional binary obscures the complexity of women’s lives.

Participants will be invited to reflect on questions such as: How do the lasting impacts of IPV shape women’s housing journeys? What happens when women fleeing IPV exhaust other options before seeking emergency housing? Together, we will explore how transcending binary thinking can support more nuanced, equitable, and responsive approaches to program eligibility.

Website: https://bcsth.ca/

About the Speaker:

Lisa St. Cyr (BA) is a Training & Development Specialist at the BC Society of Transition Houses. She has worked in the non-profit sector for the last 17 years in various roles including frontline, management, and human resources. Lisa works from an intersectional feminist and Trauma- and Violence- Informed lens and is passionate about developing innovative curriculum that elevates practice. Lisa has a BA in Social Sciences from SFU and is currently working on a Masters in Education: Curriculum & Instruction at Simon Fraser University. Lisa lives, works, and plays on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Introduction to the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics

**This is a 2.5-hour session and will run from 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM**

Speaker: Dr. Emily Wang, EY Wang Psychology Inc.

Description: The Neurosequential Model is a developmentally sensitive neurobiology- informed approach to clinical problem solving.  The model, developed by Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., is an approach that integrates core principles of neurodevelopment and traumatology to inform work with children, families and the communities in which they live.  Please join us to learn more about this model and how it has changed the way we understand and engage our young people, and support our staff.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Emily Wang, a Registered Psychologist for over 30 years, began her career in the U.S. and returned to Alberta in 1998. She has dedicated many years to understanding the impact of trauma–as a clinician, an invited speaker, and an Associate Member with the Mathison Centre and Hotchkiss Brain Institute. Currently, Emily is focused on guiding and expanding mental health knowledge and practice, and maintains a full time private practice. As an early adopter of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, and  a Senior Director at Hull Services, from 2011 to early 2026, Emily engaged staff to shift and evolve therapeutic practice across the agency, eventually expanding Hull’s reach beyond Alberta. Emily also established Hull as a Touchpoints Training Site, in efforts to increase transdisciplinary collaboration in developmental trauma prevention. Emily finds great fulfillment in teaching the next generation of professionals: she is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Cumming School of Medicine, (Psychiatry), an Adjunct Assistant Professor (Social Work) at the University of Calgary and a faculty member of the Infant Mental Health Fellowship (UC Davis).   

Emily is a current board member with the YW Calgary, the 2020 recipient of the University of California, Davis Continuing and Professional Education- Parent-Infant and Child Institute “Bruce D. Perry, Spirit of the Child Award” and the 2023 recipient of the Psychologist of the Year from the Psychologist’s Association of Alberta. 

Supporting Indigenous Peoples in Shelter: Trauma-Informed and Culturally Grounded Approaches

This session will run from 1:30-4:00 pm.

Speakers: Karlea Ryll and Kara Burnstick, Indigenous Wellness Parenting Program, Ben Calf Robe Society

Description: This interactive session explores how colonization, intergenerational trauma, and child welfare involvement shape Indigenous parenting, attachment, relationships, and engagement within shelters. Rather than focusing on cultural facts or clinical theory, the presentation centers on practical understanding and relational approaches staff can use to support Indigenous parents and children during times of crisis. Participants will examine how parenting styles, boundaries, bonding, and relationship dynamics are influenced by survival experiences and systems involvement. Common behaviors such as avoidance, anger, reluctance to engage in programming, returning to partners, or difficulty soothing children will be reframed as protective and adaptive responses rather than resistance or non-compliance. Through real-world scenarios, discussion, and practical communication tools, staff will learn ways to reduce shame, strengthen parent-child connection, and build trust without recreating institutional harm. The session emphasizes relationship-based practice, reflective questioning, and strengths-focused support that can be immediately applied in shelter settings.

Website: https://www.bcrsociety.ab.ca/traditional-indigenous-wellness-parenting-programd64230fc

About the Speakers:

Karlea Ryll is Metis from Edmonton, Alberta. She is a facilitator with Ben Calf Robe Society, where she is dedicated to supporting Indigenous people and communities. Her work focuses on supporting parents and walking alongside clients on their healing journeys. This work is deeply meaningful to her and continues to fuel her passion to serve in any way she can. Karlea has been working within her community for over 10 years, with many of those years spent at Ben Calf Robe Society. During this time, she has been supported in her commitment to helping, guiding and celebrating the strengths, resilience and success of their families and community members.

Kara Burnstick nitsiyihkâson is from Alexander First Nation Ochiniya. She is a facilitator with the Ben Calf Robe Society and believes that helping their communities access resources and supports is an important part of their people’s resurgence. She is passionate about serving others and is always happy to help in any way she can. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree and will be pursuing her master’s degree. Her long-term goal is to earn her Doctorate so she can continue to advocate for and support her Nation, communities, and families.

Ethical Storytelling in Gender-Based Violence Awareness

**This session will run from 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM**

Speaker: Michelle Okere, Okere and Associates

Description: This interactive workshop explores how organizations can tell powerful stories that inspire action while protecting the dignity, agency, and wellbeing of survivors. Participants will examine the unintended consequences of trauma-based storytelling, including retraumatization, victim blaming, and “saviour” narratives, and learn practical frameworks for adopting a survivor-centred approach to communications. Through discussion and reflection, attendees will leave with concrete questions and tools to help ensure their storytelling is ethical, empowering, and aligned with the values of gender-based violence prevention.

About the Speaker:

Michelle Okere is a proud Métis-Cree leader, executive, and speaker dedicated to advancing equitable systems, ethical leadership, and community wellbeing. As Executive Director of the Indigenous Prosperity Foundation, she leads national initiatives that expand access to financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunities for Indigenous women, youth, and communities across Canada.

Through her consulting practice, Okere & Associates, Michelle has worked with non-profits, governments, Indigenous organizations, and social purpose leaders across the country in governance, strategy, leadership development, and community engagement. She is widely recognized for helping organizations navigate complex social issues with authenticity, build trust with communities, and communicate in ways that uphold dignity, respect, and inclusion.

Michelle is a sought-after speaker on ethical storytelling, Indigenous reconciliation, governance, and systems change. Drawing on more than a decade of leadership experience, she challenges audiences to rethink how stories shape public perception, influence policy, and impact the people and communities they are intended to serve.

Michelle holds an Executive MBA in Indigenous Business Leadership from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. She has spoken at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and represented Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance Summit in Brazil.

She serves on the boards of the Edmonton Community Foundation and PolicyWise for Children & Families. Her leadership has been recognized through honours including Edify Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40, the Deputy Minister’s Award for Innovation, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Website: https://okereandassociates.com

Introduction to Advanced Safety Planning

Speakers: Lannah Guyon and Jessica Mawji, Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS)

Description: This session offers an introduction to advanced safety planning, providing a sneak peek into a more comprehensive course exploring approaches across the continuum of care and support. Participants will explore key indicators to consider when co-developing safety plans and ways to apply a trauma- and violence-informed lens throughout the process.

About the Speakers:

Lannah Guyon is a Member Support & Wellness Specialist with ACWS, bringing experience in counselling and shelter leadership. Her work focuses on supporting staff wellness and advancing trauma- and violence-informed approaches to client care. She is passionate about strengthening organizational practices and fostering meaningful systems and culture change. She believes that supporting the well-being of those who provide care is an important part of creating stronger, more responsive support for individuals experiencing violence.

Jessica Mawji is part of the Member Support team with Programs & Services at the ACWS. Jessica brings over 13 years of experience in the sector, with a strong commitment to strengthening services for those impacted by gender-based violence. Through her work at the ACWS, Jessica is passionate about advancing collaboration, learning, and supporting meaningful change across the sector.

Refreshment Break

Introduction to the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics

**This is a 2.5-hour session and will run from 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM**

Speaker: Dr. Emily Wang, EY Wang Psychology Inc.

Description: The Neurosequential Model is a developmentally sensitive neurobiology- informed approach to clinical problem solving.  The model, developed by Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., is an approach that integrates core principles of neurodevelopment and traumatology to inform work with children, families and the communities in which they live.  Please join us to learn more about this model and how it has changed the way we understand and engage our young people, and support our staff.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Emily Wang, a Registered Psychologist for over 30 years, began her career in the U.S. and returned to Alberta in 1998. She has dedicated many years to understanding the impact of trauma–as a clinician, an invited speaker, and an Associate Member with the Mathison Centre and Hotchkiss Brain Institute. Currently, Emily is focused on guiding and expanding mental health knowledge and practice, and maintains a full time private practice. As an early adopter of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, and  a Senior Director at Hull Services, from 2011 to early 2026, Emily engaged staff to shift and evolve therapeutic practice across the agency, eventually expanding Hull’s reach beyond Alberta. Emily also established Hull as a Touchpoints Training Site, in efforts to increase transdisciplinary collaboration in developmental trauma prevention. Emily finds great fulfillment in teaching the next generation of professionals: she is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Cumming School of Medicine, (Psychiatry), an Adjunct Assistant Professor (Social Work) at the University of Calgary and a faculty member of the Infant Mental Health Fellowship (UC Davis).   

Emily is a current board member with the YW Calgary, the 2020 recipient of the University of California, Davis Continuing and Professional Education- Parent-Infant and Child Institute “Bruce D. Perry, Spirit of the Child Award” and the 2023 recipient of the Psychologist of the Year from the Psychologist’s Association of Alberta. 

Supporting Indigenous Peoples in Shelter: Trauma-Informed and Culturally Grounded Approaches

This session will run from 1:30-4:00 pm.

Speakers: Karlea Ryll and Kara Burnstick, Indigenous Wellness Parenting Program, Ben Calf Robe Society

Description: This interactive session explores how colonization, intergenerational trauma, and child welfare involvement shape Indigenous parenting, attachment, relationships, and engagement within shelters. Rather than focusing on cultural facts or clinical theory, the presentation centers on practical understanding and relational approaches staff can use to support Indigenous parents and children during times of crisis. Participants will examine how parenting styles, boundaries, bonding, and relationship dynamics are influenced by survival experiences and systems involvement. Common behaviors such as avoidance, anger, reluctance to engage in programming, returning to partners, or difficulty soothing children will be reframed as protective and adaptive responses rather than resistance or non-compliance. Through real-world scenarios, discussion, and practical communication tools, staff will learn ways to reduce shame, strengthen parent-child connection, and build trust without recreating institutional harm. The session emphasizes relationship-based practice, reflective questioning, and strengths-focused support that can be immediately applied in shelter settings.

Website: https://www.bcrsociety.ab.ca/traditional-indigenous-wellness-parenting-programd64230fc

About the Speakers:

Karlea Ryll is Metis from Edmonton, Alberta. She is a facilitator with Ben Calf Robe Society, where she is dedicated to supporting Indigenous people and communities. Her work focuses on supporting parents and walking alongside clients on their healing journeys. This work is deeply meaningful to her and continues to fuel her passion to serve in any way she can. Karlea has been working within her community for over 10 years, with many of those years spent at Ben Calf Robe Society. During this time, she has been supported in her commitment to helping, guiding and celebrating the strengths, resilience and success of their families and community members.

Kara Burnstick nitsiyihkâson is from Alexander First Nation Ochiniya. She is a facilitator with the Ben Calf Robe Society and believes that helping their communities access resources and supports is an important part of their people’s resurgence. She is passionate about serving others and is always happy to help in any way she can. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree and will be pursuing her master’s degree. Her long-term goal is to earn her Doctorate so she can continue to advocate for and support her Nation, communities, and families.

Ethical Storytelling in Gender-Based Violence Awareness

**This session will run from 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM**

Speaker: Michelle Okere, Okere and Associates

Description: This interactive workshop explores how organizations can tell powerful stories that inspire action while protecting the dignity, agency, and wellbeing of survivors. Participants will examine the unintended consequences of trauma-based storytelling, including retraumatization, victim blaming, and “saviour” narratives, and learn practical frameworks for adopting a survivor-centred approach to communications. Through discussion and reflection, attendees will leave with concrete questions and tools to help ensure their storytelling is ethical, empowering, and aligned with the values of gender-based violence prevention.

About the Speaker:

Michelle Okere is a proud Métis-Cree leader, executive, and speaker dedicated to advancing equitable systems, ethical leadership, and community wellbeing. As Executive Director of the Indigenous Prosperity Foundation, she leads national initiatives that expand access to financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunities for Indigenous women, youth, and communities across Canada.

Through her consulting practice, Okere & Associates, Michelle has worked with non-profits, governments, Indigenous organizations, and social purpose leaders across the country in governance, strategy, leadership development, and community engagement. She is widely recognized for helping organizations navigate complex social issues with authenticity, build trust with communities, and communicate in ways that uphold dignity, respect, and inclusion.

Michelle is a sought-after speaker on ethical storytelling, Indigenous reconciliation, governance, and systems change. Drawing on more than a decade of leadership experience, she challenges audiences to rethink how stories shape public perception, influence policy, and impact the people and communities they are intended to serve.

Michelle holds an Executive MBA in Indigenous Business Leadership from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. She has spoken at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and represented Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance Summit in Brazil.

She serves on the boards of the Edmonton Community Foundation and PolicyWise for Children & Families. Her leadership has been recognized through honours including Edify Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40, the Deputy Minister’s Award for Innovation, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Website: https://okereandassociates.com

Supporting Newcomers in Alberta’s Women’s Shelters

Speaker: Lisa Jane de Gara, Action for Healthy Communities

Description: Alberta’s population is rapidly changing– with an increasing population of immigrants and refugees from all over the world settling in communities large and small. When those families find themselves in crisis, and requiring the support of women’s shelters, it can often present multiple challenges: language, food and diet, and cultural understandings of safety and the law. In this session, we will discuss the nature of Alberta’s demographic change, practical ways of supporting immigrant and refugee families in the shelter system, and where to turn for help. This will be a rural-focused presentation.

Website: https://a4hc.ca/

About the Speaker:

Lisa Jane de Gara is the Manager of Small Centres at Action for Healthy Communities, where she has worked since 2021. Lisa is passionate about education and capacity building across the province.

The Restorative Reset Workshop – Somatic Practices for Unwinding Deep Stress

Facilitator: Natasha Young, Mind Body Bliss Collective Therapies

Description: An experiential workshop teaching micro-movements and grounding tools to de-escalate the nervous system during or after a difficult shift.

About the Facilitator:

Natasha Young blends psychology with somatic healing to get stress out of your head and out of your body. Holding a University Certificate in Counselling Women and a Diploma in Applied Psychology, she is a certified trauma-informed practitioner who specializes in helping people step out of constant survival mode. Her down-to-earth approach gives your brain a break and your body a safe place to unwind—perfect for anyone who is completely exhausted from running on permanent high alert and ready to finally feel at peace in their own skin.

Website: www.mindbodybliss.net

Many Hands, One Canvas

Facilitator: Kelsey Baker

Description: A collaborative art experience exploring the elements and principles of art through play, connection, and shared creativity. Participants will build on one another’s ideas as we move across the room, experimenting playfully with colour, mark-making (with objects like bubble rap and forks) and composition to playfully create something together. Each participant will finish and take home a colourful abstract work representing the importance of the work we collaboratively do in our communities. No experience required, come play and connect to close your day.

About the Facilitator: 

Kelsey Baker is an artist based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Born in Trail, BC, she earned her BEd, majoring in Art, from the University of Alberta. She works full-time as a teacher, exhibition designer, and arts advocate.

Largely self-trained, Baker began exploring immersive art and extended-plane compositions after receiving a Skills and Development Grant from the Edmonton Arts Council. As a painter and assemblage artist, her work is driven by awe and wonder, using vibrant colour and expressive techniques to evoke memories and emotions.

Baker’s whimsical and immersive pieces invite viewers into a world of resiliency and experiential art. She embraces experimentation and continually pushes the boundaries of her practice, creating an evolving body of work that sparks curiosity and invites contemplation. Through her art, Baker seeks to engage the senses and inspire deeper connections to ourselves, one another, and the world around us.

Website: https://www.novartcreativestudio.com/

Journal Journeys

Facilitator: Sarah Hall, Sun Fire Creations

Description: Journal Journeys is a welcoming, guided exploration of journaling as a tool for self-discovery, personal wellness, and creative expression. Participants are introduced to the many ways journaling can be used—not only to record daily experiences but also to process thoughts and emotions, practice gratitude, explore dreams, navigate life transitions, generate ideas, and intentionally plan for positive change.

Through guided writing exercises and reflective prompts, participants are encouraged to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and discover a style of journaling that feels natural and meaningful. There is no expectation to be a “good writer,” and no one is required to share what they write.

Each participant leaves with practical tools, renewed self-awareness, and a personalized practice they can continue long after the workshop ends.

About the Facilitator: 

Sarah Hall, whose Cree name is Sun Fire Woman—Pisim Eskowtew Eskwew—is a proud member of Peepeekisis Cree Nation in Treaty 4 and the owner of Sun Fire Creations. An artist, facilitator, and community connector, Sarah brings together creativity, cultural identity, storytelling, and personal reflection to create welcoming experiences that encourage connection and empowerment. Sarah works as a Client Advocate at Jessie’s House, where she supports individuals and families impacted by domestic violence. This work informs the compassion, care, and trauma-aware
approach she brings to every space she facilitates. Through Sun Fire Creations, Sarah develops and leads hands-on workshops, including Journal Journeys, Intuitive Feather Painting, and soapstone carving. Her workshops make creativity approachable and meaningful, offering participants space to slow down, explore their inner voices, and reconnect with their strength and intuition.

Sarah also serves as the Regional Coordinator for Teddy Bear Fairs across Treaties 6, 7, and 8, working alongside First Nations communities and health and social-service partners to support children and families through culturally grounded, community-led events. In all her work, Sarah leads with warmth, humour, authenticity, and a deep belief in the strength people carry within themselves.

Website: www.sarahhall.ca

Restoring the Healer: A Trauma-Informed Reiki & Nervous System Restoration Experience for Frontline Professionals

Facilitator: Kellie Cummings, Sacred Arrow Healing

Description: Frontline professionals dedicate their careers to supporting survivors, families, and communities through crisis, trauma, grief, violence, and transition. Over time, the cumulative impact of emotional labour, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, chronic stress, and continuous exposure to crisis can disconnect helpers from their own bodies, nervous systems, and sense of restoration.

This experiential wellness session offers participants an intentional opportunity to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and experience Reiki as a complementary restorative practice within a trauma informed and psychologically safe environment. Participants will be gently guided through grounding, breath awareness, mindful relaxation, and nervous system restoration practices. Reiki will be offered as a supportive restoring harmony modality, with participation always voluntary and adaptable to each person’s comfort level.

No previous Reiki, meditation, or energy based wellness experience is required. Participants are invited (not expected) to engage, and modifications will be available to support accessibility, choice, autonomy, and comfort.

*This session is intended to complement, not replace, clinical, therapeutic, cultural, spiritual, organizational, or evidence informed wellness practices.

About the Facilitator:

Kellie Cummings is the founder of Sacred Arrow Healing Inc. and brings over 20 years of experience working within Alberta’s gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, victim services, and complex trauma response sectors.

Throughout her career, Kellie has served in frontline, leadership, and systems development roles within women’s shelters, child advocacy, victim services, and community partnerships. Her work has included crisis intervention, high risk case management, court support, multidisciplinary collaboration, child advocacy, trauma informed program development, organizational leadership, and systems change.

Kellie is a Certified Coach, Reiki Practitioner, and Trauma Informed Restorative Wellness Facilitator. Her work through Sacred Arrow Healing grew from a deep recognition that those who spend their lives holding space for others also need intentional spaces where they are invited to receive care themselves.

After more than two decades supporting survivors, humans and rural/remote communities affected by all forms of complex trauma, Kellie came to believe that sustainable trauma informed care must also include sustainable care for humans providing it. Her approach bridges professional practice and restorative wellness by honouring the science of nervous system regulation, the psychology of human transition, the importance of meaning making, and the practical need for rest, reflection, and renewal.

Kellie’s facilitation style is grounded, inclusive, mystical, choice based, and psychologically safe. Her work does not replace clinical, therapeutic, or evidence informed approaches. Instead, Sacred Arrow Healing offers complementary wellness experiences that support frontline professionals to pause, regulate, reconnect with themselves, and restore the energy required to continue doing meaningful work

This is a space for quiet reflection, mindfulness, and relaxation. Participants are welcome to drop in anytime throughout the day to disconnect, enjoy the various activities, and explore what is most supportive for them and their bodies in that moment.

Activities available will include:

• Tote Bag decorating
• Mindfulness worksheets and colouring pages
• Affirmation wall
• Smudging
• Puzzling, doodling, and fidgeting
• Relaxation – yoga mats, peaceful music, and mood lighting to help you decompress

Jenna Chornohus, a registered massage therapist, will be offering free drop-in massages for attendees on Day 1 & 2 of the 2026 Summit. She will be in the Zen Den from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM for anyone interested in enjoying a 10-15 minute massage.

Reclaiming Play after Trauma: Expanding Imagination Beyond Survival in Child-Centered Play Therapy

*This is a 3-hour workshop that will run from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM*

Speaker: Jennifer Sims, The Redwood Center

Description:Trauma reorganizes a child’s play around survival, often filling their symbolic world with themes of danger, control, and repetition. Grounded in Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) and current trauma research, this presentation examines how trauma shapes imaginative expression and how to distinguish trauma-organized play from typical childhood fantasy. Attendees will explore practical CCPT skills—such as tracking, reflection of feeling, and facilitative responding—to foster emotional regulation, relational safety, and imaginative flexibility without directing, interpreting, or intervening prematurely. Through case examples, experiential activities, and reflective discussion, attendees will learn how to activate the therapeutic powers of play to help children move beyond rigid survival narratives toward safety, creativity, and connection.

Website: www.theredwoodcenter.org

About the Speaker: 

Jennifer Sims is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, educator, and founder of The Redwood Center for Children and Families. She specializes in Child-Centered Play Therapy and is passionate about helping therapists, parents, and educators see behavior through a relationship-based, neuroaffirming, and child-centered lens. Jennifer’s work explores childism, child liberation, and the belief that children deserve dignity, autonomy, and genuine emotional safety in their mental health treatment.Through engaging trainings and widely viewed educational social media content, she challenges traditional power dynamics and equips adults with practical skills that strengthen connection, foster resilience, and honor the inherent wisdom of play. 

From Burnout to Balance: A Practical Mental Wellbeing Workshop for Everyday Life

Speaker: Barb Barber

Description: Move beyond simply coping—and build practical skills for greater balance, resilience, and wellbeing. Stress can feel relentless, and knowing what supports mental wellbeing does not always make it easy to take action. This engaging workshop explores why burnout happens, how stress affects us, and what we can do to protect our psychological wellness in everyday life. Through practical discussion and reflection, you will build a clearer understanding of mental health, mental wellness, stress, anxiety, and burnout—and leave with realistic strategies you can use in your personal and professional life.

About the Speaker:

As a registered social worker with certificates in nonprofit management and crisis counselling, Barb Barber has dedicated more than 35 years to the field of human services. Her career has been defined by a deep commitment to supporting individuals and families affected by domestic violence, combining frontline experience, leadership, education, and advocacy. For 23 years, she served with the Red Deer Outreach Centre, including 13 years as its executive director, where she helped guide important community-based work and strengthen supports for those experiencing violence and crisis. Throughout most of her career, she focused on helping people navigate the impacts of domestic violence with compassion, practical support, and a strong belief in safer, healthier relationships. During retirement, she spent three years working with Sagesse to support IMPACT Alberta, a collective impact initiative dedicated to strengthening supports for individuals and families affected by domestic and sexual violence. This work was part of Alberta’s broader shift toward primary prevention, accountability, and safer relationships. Over the past 15 years, she has also worked with AUPE to provide workshops on domestic violence in the workplace and mental wellness. She brings a generous willingness to share her knowledge, experience, and lessons learned with others. In retirement, she continues to support frontline workers through training and workshops, drawing on her understanding of the emotional impact of human-service work and the importance of mental wellbeing for those who serve others. Outside of her professional contributions, she enjoys spending time with her partner and her five grandchildren, has recently taken up golf, and shares her time between home and Crawford Bay.

Build on What’s Bright: Anti-Oppressive Practice Through Participatory Evaluation

Speakers: Jen Archer and Jerilyn Dressler, Discovery House

Description: This session explores Bright Spots, a participatory evaluation project designed to strengthen alignment between anti-oppressive values, day-to-day practice, and client outcomes. In response to increasing variability in service delivery following COVID, our organization adopted an iterative, appreciative-inquiry approach focused on identifying and replicating the behaviours, practices, and relational approaches that lead to meaningful client success after experiencing domestic violence. Participants will learn how front-line staff, program leadership, and clients were engaged in shaping the evaluation process, how ethical and relational considerations informed the methodology, and how the project is being used as a tool for organizational culture change rather than compliance. The session will explore how equitable outcomes are being measured across client groups and how organizations can build on what works to create more consistent, impactful services for populations that have faced or are currently facing violence.

Website: https://discoveryhouse.ca/

About the Speakers: 

Jen Archer is the Manager of Housing and Research at Discovery House. Her work has been shaped by a desire to understand and strengthen the systems that support people through some of life’s most complex challenges, particularly those experiencing violence, housing instability, and social inequities. Jen holds a Masters of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University and a Bachelor in Social Work from the University of Calgary. She is currently drawn to the space where leadership, research, evaluation, and practice come together. She enjoys making sense of complexity, asking questions that help us see things differently, and working with others to turn good intentions into meaningful action.

Jerilyn Dressler is the Director of Programs at Discovery House. She is a dynamic and purpose-driven leader with a deep commitment to empowering individuals and strengthening communities. Jerilyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Social Work with a specialization in Leadership in the Human Services from the University of Calgary. Known for her authenticity, collaboration, and transformative leadership style, Jerilyn’s work is grounded in a passion for helping others thrive and a belief in the power of community to create meaningful change.

Nisa Learning: Cultural Sensitivity & Responsiveness Workshop

*This is a 3-hour workshop that will run from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM*

Speakers: Nawal Vajeed and Saima Mafat, Nisa Foundation

Description: This workshop explores the intersection of culture, religion, and domestic violence, helping participants understand how cultural beliefs can sometimes be mistaken for Islamic teachings, creating barriers to seeking help and contributing to victim-blaming. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the unique experiences of Muslim, immigrant, refugee, non-status, and racialized women and children fleeing abuse and/or homelessness. Through a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens, the workshop provides practical strategies for creating inclusive, empowering, and supportive environments while considering religious and cultural factors to better meet the needs of diverse clients and promote safety, dignity, and justice.

About the Speakers:

Nawal Vajeed is the Grants and Government Relations Manager at Nisa Foundation, where she oversees funding strategy, government relations, grant management, and strategic partnerships. Since joining Nisa in 2020 as a research and data analysis intern, she has progressed through frontline and leadership roles, including serving as a caseworker for Nisa Homes Calgary before advancing to her current position in 2022.

With a background in Biomedicine, public health, and research, Nawal brings expertise in community-centered research, program evaluation, and social sector capacity building. As a Nisa Learning Ambassador, she facilitates Cultural Safety and Responsiveness workshops, Domestic Violence 101 and Help the Helper workshops for professionals and community members.

Saima Mafat is the Regional Director for Alberta and BC at Nisa Foundation, where she provides strategic leadership and oversight for programs supporting women and families experiencing gender-based violence, homelessness, and other forms of vulnerability.

With more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, Saima’s work has spanned organizational leadership, fund development, program growth, community engagement, and capacity building. She is particularly passionate about strengthening culturally responsive services and ensuring the voices and lived experiences of diverse communities are reflected in program design, partnerships, and systems change initiatives.

She brings a practical, collaborative approach to leadership, grounded in strong relationships, community impact, and sustainable systems change.

Reclaiming Play after Trauma: Expanding Imagination Beyond Survival in Child-Centered Play Therapy

*This is a 3-hour workshop that will run from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM*

Speaker: Jennifer Sims, The Redwood Center

Description: Coming Soon!

Website: www.theredwoodcenter.org

About the Speaker: 

Jennifer Sims is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, educator, and founder of The Redwood Center for Children and Families. She specializes in Child-Centered Play Therapy and is passionate about helping therapists, parents, and educators see behavior through a relationship-based, neuroaffirming, and child-centered lens. Jennifer’s work explores childism, child liberation, and the belief that children deserve dignity, autonomy, and genuine emotional safety in their mental health treatment.Through engaging trainings and widely viewed educational social media content, she challenges traditional power dynamics and equips adults with practical skills that strengthen connection, foster resilience, and honor the inherent wisdom of play. 

Pregnancy Pathways: Risk Mitigation Approaches from a Safe Space

Speakers: Lesley Spry-Shandro and Jennifer Locke, Radius Community Health & Healing

Description:What risk mitigation looks like in different areas and how we can support women with trauma.

About the Speakers:

Lesley Spry-Shandro, Program Manager, Currently the Program Manager at Pregnancy Pathways with Radius Community Health and Healing since 2017. She has experience in the field as a youth worker, Family School Liaison, and worked at the Women’s Shelter Transition House in Grande Cache.

Jennifer Locke, Wellness Coordinator, has been the Wellness Coordinator at Pregnancy Pathways for the last 2 years.  Prior to this she worked in other programs throughout Radius Community Health and Healing assisting people through a trauma informed lens.

The Ripple Effect of Healing: The IndigiRise Life Skills Program as an Indigenous-Led Model for Prevention and Community Change

Speakers: Natasha Delany and Corey Delany, Indigenous Projects and Events

Description: The IndigiRise Life Skills Program is an Indigenous-led personal and professional development program designed to support healing, identity, self-worth, emotional awareness, healthy relationships, financial wellness, conscious parenting, and community connection. Created by Indigenous Projects & Events, the program offers a practical and culturally grounded approach to prevention by addressing the deeper roots of harm, including trauma, disconnection, shame, poverty, lateral violence, systemic barriers, and the ongoing impacts of colonial systems.

This presentation will showcase the IndigiRise Life Skills Program as part of a larger Indigenous-led ecosystem that supports both community participants and Indigenous facilitators. The program is designed to be delivered by trained Indigenous facilitators, motivational speakers, and community leaders who bring cultural knowledge, professional experience, and lived experience into the learning space. By creating opportunities for Indigenous role models to lead, share, teach, and facilitate, the program strengthens community voice and supports a ripple effect of healing, leadership, and prevention.

Presenters will share the purpose of the program, key curriculum themes, real-world delivery examples, and how Indigenous-informed life skills programming can support survivors, families, and communities by strengthening identity, voice, resilience, and self-leadership. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions about program delivery, partnership opportunities, facilitator development, and how organizations can better support culturally grounded approaches within their own communities and services.

Website: https://www.indigenousprojectevents.com/

About the Speakers:

Natasha Delany (nee Saddleback) is a Cree entrepreneur, facilitator, speaker, and the Founder and Executive Director of Indigenous Projects and Events from Samson Cree Nation. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration and has built her work around creating culturally grounded opportunities for Indigenous people, organizations, and communities. Through Indigenous Projects and Events and the IndigiRise programs, Natasha develops and delivers initiatives focused on life skills, leadership, entrepreneurship, healing, identity, and community development. Her work brings together Indigenous knowledge, lived experience, personal development, and practical tools that support individuals in recognizing their potential and creating meaningful change in their lives and communities. Natasha is also the Founder of the IndigiRise Foundation, a federally registered nonprofit organization focused on expanding access to culturally relevant education, leadership development, workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and community-based programming.

Corey Delany is the Chief Operating Officer and co-owner of Indigenous Projects and Events, as well as the Co-Founder of the IndigiRise Foundation, he is a member of the Metis Nation of Alberta. He supports the strategic growth, operations, financial planning, project development, and delivery of the organization’s programs and events. Corey brings a practical, systems-focused approach to building sustainable Indigenous-led initiatives. He works closely with Natasha to develop partnerships, strengthen organizational capacity, coordinate large-scale projects, and expand the reach of the IndigiRise Life Skills, leadership, entrepreneurship, and community development programs. As a speaker and facilitator, Corey contributes insights related to leadership, personal responsibility, identity, resilience, healthy decision-making, and the role individuals can play in creating positive ripple effects within their families, workplaces, and communities.

Nisa Learning: Cultural Sensitivity & Responsiveness Workshop

*This is a 3-hour workshop that will run from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM*

Speakers: Nawal Vajeed and Saima Mafat, Nisa Foundation

Description: This workshop explores the intersection of culture, religion, and domestic violence, helping participants understand how cultural beliefs can sometimes be mistaken for Islamic teachings, creating barriers to seeking help and contributing to victim-blaming. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the unique experiences of Muslim, immigrant, refugee, non-status, and racialized women and children fleeing abuse and/or homelessness. Through a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens, the workshop provides practical strategies for creating inclusive, empowering, and supportive environments while considering religious and cultural factors to better meet the needs of diverse clients and promote safety, dignity, and justice.

About the Speakers:

Nawal Vajeed is the Grants and Government Relations Manager at Nisa Foundation, where she oversees funding strategy, government relations, grant management, and strategic partnerships. Since joining Nisa in 2020 as a research and data analysis intern, she has progressed through frontline and leadership roles, including serving as a caseworker for Nisa Homes Calgary before advancing to her current position in 2022.

With a background in Biomedicine, public health, and research, Nawal brings expertise in community-centered research, program evaluation, and social sector capacity building. As a Nisa Learning Ambassador, she facilitates Cultural Safety and Responsiveness workshops, Domestic Violence 101 and Help the Helper workshops for professionals and community members.

Saima Mafat is the Regional Director for Alberta and BC at Nisa Foundation, where she provides strategic leadership and oversight for programs supporting women and families experiencing gender-based violence, homelessness, and other forms of vulnerability.

With more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, Saima’s work has spanned organizational leadership, fund development, program growth, community engagement, and capacity building. She is particularly passionate about strengthening culturally responsive services and ensuring the voices and lived experiences of diverse communities are reflected in program design, partnerships, and systems change initiatives.

She brings a practical, collaborative approach to leadership, grounded in strong relationships, community impact, and sustainable systems change.

Reframing Sibling Aggression: When Conflict Becomes Abuse

*This is a 3-hour workshop that will run from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM*

Speaker: Jennifer Sims, The Redwood Center

Description: Coming Soon!

Website: www.theredwoodcenter.org

About the Speaker: 

Jennifer Sims is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, educator, and founder of The Redwood Center for Children and Families. She specializes in Child-Centered Play Therapy and is passionate about helping therapists, parents, and educators see behavior through a relationship-based, neuroaffirming, and child-centered lens. Jennifer’s work explores childism, child liberation, and the belief that children deserve dignity, autonomy, and genuine emotional safety in their mental health treatment.Through engaging trainings and widely viewed educational social media content, she challenges traditional power dynamics and equips adults with practical skills that strengthen connection, foster resilience, and honor the inherent wisdom of play. 

Bridging Belonging: Culturally Responsive Mentorship and Community Connection to Prevent Gender-Based Violence

Speaker: Tamara C. Larson, Grow Leaders, Learn Peace Canada

Description: 

This workshop examines how mentorship, trust-building, and intercultural partnership can transform violence prevention and intervention for Indigenous, newcomer, and ethnocultural communities. Grounded in real-world practice, participants will explore how systems unintentionally create barriers to safety and belonging, and learn practical strategies to build more community-led, culturally safer responses.

The session highlights mentorship not only as a support tool, but also as a violence prevention strategy that reduces isolation, strengthens protective factors, and improves access to services. Through interactive activities including practice scenarios, small-group discussion, and partnership mapping, participants will identify barriers, co-create solutions, and leave with adaptable frameworks they can implement immediately. This workshop aligns with ACWS’s 2026 themes of resilience, inclusion, and systems change, centring community voice and professional experience in strengthening Alberta’s response to gender-based violence.

Website: https://learnpeacecanada.org/

About the Speaker: 

Tamara C. Larson, MA, CWHP‑A, is an award-winning CEO, impact speaker, and peace ambassador committed to helping leaders serve with courage, compassion, and accountability. As Founder and CEO of Tamara C. Larson Grow Leaders, she supports organizations to build inclusive, psychologically safe workplaces where every voice is valued and people are empowered to lead.

Tamara is also Founder and CEO of Learn Peace Canada, a national nonprofit advancing transformative peace education for youth, educators, and communities. With more than 30 years of experience across education, arts, business, and the nonprofit sector, she creates practical learning experiences connecting servant leadership, positive peace, human rights, mental health, and inclusion.

An engaging keynote speaker and facilitator, Tamara inspires audiences to build “lead to serve, serve to lead” cultures rooted in belonging, dignity, and shared responsibility. Her leadership has been recognized through nominations for the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize and RBC Women of Influence, as well as the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.

CANCELLED

Understanding Behaviour Begins with Understanding the Experience Beneath It

Speaker: Fathima Fahim, Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS)

Description: Every day, frontline workers encounter moments that can be difficult to understand—withdrawal, anger, returning to abusive relationships, substance use, emotional dysregulation, or difficulty engaging. In those moments, it is easy to respond to what we see.

This interactive session invites participants to look beyond behaviour and become curious about the experiences that shape how people think, feel, and respond. Participants will discover how changing the way we understand people transforms the way we respond, the relationships we build, and the experiences we create.

Through guided reflection, discussion, and practical application, participants will explore how understanding the experiences beneath behaviour strengthens safety, trust, and meaningful human connection. They will leave seeing both the people they support—and themselves—through a different lens, recognizing that the way we understand people shapes the way we respond to them.

About the Speaker:

Fathima Fahim is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who works as a Member Support and Wellness Specialist with the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters. With a background in counselling psychology and over a decade of experience in mental health and community-based work, Fathima has supported survivors, individuals, families, diverse communities, and helping professionals. Her experience in the domestic violence sector includes working directly with survivors and supporting teams, giving her a firsthand understanding of the realities and complexities of this work.

At ACWS, Fathima provides counselling and therapeutic support to staff across member organizations. She also develops and facilitates tailored trainings based on the needs and priorities of member organizations and supports the delivery of the Danger Assessment training.

At the heart of Fathima’s work is a genuine curiosity about people and the experiences that shape them. She brings warmth and a thoughtful, relational approach to her therapeutic practice and the learning spaces she creates. Her work is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, strengths-based, and grounded in cultural humility. Fathima also brings an intersectional lens to her work, recognizing the importance of understanding people within the context of their lived experiences. She considers how culture, identity, relationships, strengths, and the systems people navigate shape their needs, experiences, and interactions.

Reframing Sibling Aggression: When Conflict Becomes Abuse

*This is a 3-hour workshop that will run from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM*

Speaker: Jennifer Sims, The Redwood Center

Description: Coming Soon!

Website: www.theredwoodcenter.org

About the Speaker: 

Jennifer Sims is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, educator, and founder of The Redwood Center for Children and Families. She specializes in Child-Centered Play Therapy and is passionate about helping therapists, parents, and educators see behavior through a relationship-based, neuroaffirming, and child-centered lens. Jennifer’s work explores childism, child liberation, and the belief that children deserve dignity, autonomy, and genuine emotional safety in their mental health treatment.Through engaging trainings and widely viewed educational social media content, she challenges traditional power dynamics and equips adults with practical skills that strengthen connection, foster resilience, and honor the inherent wisdom of play.

Recognizing and Responding to Canada Red Flags Laws: What Everyone Needs to Know

Speakers: Paulette Leer and Silvia Clark, Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter Association

Description: This session will explore Canada’s Red Flag firearm laws under Bill C-21, which create new legal pathways for courts to issue Emergency Prohibition Orders when someone may pose a danger to themselves or others. The legislation also introduces Emergency Limitations on Access Orders to temporarily restrict access to firearms in urgent risk situations.

The session will cover how these orders work, who can apply, the Alberta Court of Justice application process, the evidence required, and the implications for professionals supporting individuals experiencing domestic, intimate partner, and gender-based violence. Reflecting the broad scope of safety considerations, this session highlights how Red Flag laws can support individuals across all ages and stages of life.

This presentation is educational in nature and focused on enhancing institutional understanding. It does not constitute legal advice.

About the Speakers:

Paulette Leer has 16 years of experience working in the field of family violence, supporting women and children through crisis, outreach, and second stage housing.  For the past six years, she has had the privilege of working as the Second Stage Coordinator at Mountain Rose Centre. What she loves most about her work is connection.  She values the relationships she builds with women and the opportunity to walk alongside them during difficult times.  Being able to build trust, listen without judgement, and support them as they move toward safety, healing and independence is incredibly meaningful to her. Over the years, she has learned it is the connection we make with someone that can be the beginning of hope and change.

Silvia Clark is the Red Flag Law Project Co-Coordinator at Mountain Rose Centre, where she brings more than 10 years of experience supporting women and families impacted by gender-based violence and abuse. In addition to her coordination role, Silvia works directly with survivors as a front-line Community Outreach Worker. She supports individuals who may face barriers to accessing emergency shelter services by advocating for immediate and long-term safety and helping establish connections with relevant community resources and supports. Her work is grounded in a trauma-informed, survivor-led approach that prioritizes safety, dignity, and empowerment.

Website: https://www.mrwsa.net/

Breaking the Cycle: Understanding Generational Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

Speaker: Johanna Baynton Smith

Description: Generational trauma does not discriminate. It exists across all communities, whether Indigenous, Black, East Asian, or any other background. While it’s roots and expressions may differ, the impact can echo through generations. Generational trauma silently shapes families, workplaces, leadership styles, and communities. While trauma can be inherited through behaviours, survival patterns, and emotional responses, healing can also become generational.

This presentation explores the lived realities of generational trauma through the lens of resilience, leadership, and personal transformation. Drawing from both professional leadership experience and personal lived experience, the session will examine how adversity impacts identity, emotional safety, self-worth, and community connection, while also highlighting the powerful role of authenticity, compassion, and accountability in healing.

Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how trauma patterns are formed, how they surface in everyday interactions, and how intentional leadership and human connection can interrupt harmful cycles and create lasting change.

About the Speaker:

Johanna Baynton Smith is a retired Registered Nurse, healthcare leader, speaker, and survivor advocate with more than 40 years of experience in healthcare. Throughout her career, she led with compassion, integrity, and a deep commitment to creating psychologically safe environments for both patients and staff.

Alongside her professional journey, Johanna has lived the realities of intimate partner violence. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her, she transformed them into a lifelong commitment to advocacy, education, and systems change. She believes that lived experience is expertise and that survivors must have meaningful voices in shaping the policies, practices, and services that impact their lives.

Johanna speaks on trauma-informed leadership, generational trauma, resilience, kindness, psychological safety, and the critical role of survivor- informed approaches in healthcare, policing, social services, and community organizations. Her presentations thoughtfully combine evidence, professional insight, and personal experience to challenge perspectives, inspire action, and encourage meaningful change.

Guided by her personal philosophy, Rooted in What Matters, Johanna invites audiences to lead with courage, empathy, and authenticity while recognizing that healing, hope, and lasting change are possible for individuals, families, workplaces, and communities.

From Informal Disclosure to System Response: Scoping Family Violence Prevention in Language‑Based Settings

Speaker: Hessan Hanif, Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA)

Description: Language providers are often where newcomer families first talk about sensitive issues, even when organisations are not resourced to address family violence directly. This session shares findings from the Alberta‑government funded Family Violence Prevention Project, which is scoping how language providers across Alberta respond to family violence‑related concerns in practice. These conversations often emerge alongside broader experiences such as parenting challenges, trauma related to incidents prior to immigration, and the impacts of settlement stress and culture shock, all of which intersect with family and relationship dynamics.

Drawing on an environmental scan of newcomer language programmes, the session explores what supports and resources currently exist, how instructors and organisations navigate informal disclosures, and the challenges created by limited time, training, and access to specialised staff. The session also examines how embedding discussions about communication, relationships, and parenting within language learning can serve as a less stigmatising, more accessible approach to prevention, particularly when family violence‑related issues arise indirectly rather than through formal service pathways.

Designed for practitioners, managers, and policy stakeholders, this session focuses on realistic, adaptable strategies to strengthen prevention efforts without placing unrealistic expectations on frontline staff.

About the Speaker:

Hessan Hanif is the Policy and Evaluation Lead at the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA), where he leads policy, research, and evaluation initiatives focused on advancing evidence-informed practice across Alberta’s settlement sector. His work explores emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities impacting newcomer-serving organizations, with a focus on translating research into practical tools and sector-wide collaboration. Hessan currently leads AAISA’s Family Violence Prevention Project, an initiative that examines how settlement and language service providers can play a proactive role in supporting family wellbeing, healthy relationships, parenting, and violence prevention. Through sector scoping, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge mobilization, the project seeks to strengthen culturally responsive approaches and build stronger connections between newcomer-serving organizations and family violence prevention systems.

Website: https://aaisa.ca/

The Restorative Reset Workshop – Somatic Practices for Unwinding Deep Stress

Facilitator: Natasha Young, Mind Body Bliss Collective Therapies

Description: An experiential workshop teaching micro-movements and grounding tools to de-escalate the nervous system during or after a difficult shift.

About the Facilitator:

Natasha Young blends psychology with somatic healing to get stress out of your head and out of your body. Holding a University Certificate in Counselling Women and a Diploma in Applied Psychology, she is a certified trauma-informed practitioner who specializes in helping people step out of constant survival mode. Her down-to-earth approach gives your brain a break and your body a safe place to unwind—perfect for anyone who is completely exhausted from running on permanent high alert and ready to finally feel at peace in their own skin.

Website: www.mindbodybliss.net

Many Hands, One Canvas

Facilitator: Kelsey Baker

Description: A collaborative art experience exploring the elements and principles of art through play, connection, and shared creativity. Participants will build on one another’s ideas as we move across the room, experimenting playfully with colour, mark-making (with objects like bubble rap and forks) and composition to playfully create something together. Each participant will finish and take home a colourful abstract work representing the importance of the work we collaboratively do in our communities. No experience required, come play and connect to close your day.

About the Facilitator: 

Kelsey Baker is an artist based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Born in Trail, BC, she earned her BEd, majoring in Art, from the University of Alberta. She works full-time as a teacher, exhibition designer, and arts advocate.

Largely self-trained, Baker began exploring immersive art and extended-plane compositions after receiving a Skills and Development Grant from the Edmonton Arts Council. As a painter and assemblage artist, her work is driven by awe and wonder, using vibrant colour and expressive techniques to evoke memories and emotions.

Baker’s whimsical and immersive pieces invite viewers into a world of resiliency and experiential art. She embraces experimentation and continually pushes the boundaries of her practice, creating an evolving body of work that sparks curiosity and invites contemplation. Through her art, Baker seeks to engage the senses and inspire deeper connections to ourselves, one another, and the world around us.

Website: https://www.novartcreativestudio.com/

Intuitive Feather Painting

Facilitator: Sarah Hall, Sun Fire Creations

Description: In Cree culture, the feather represents a link between the heavens and earth. The gifting of a feather is a symbol of honour and respect, and finding a feather is understood as a message that you are on the right path.

In this signature Sun Fire Creations workshop, participants are guided step by step through meditative brush and colour work, while tapping into their own intuition. Each person creates a meaningful, one-of-a-kind feather painting that reflects their personality, inner world and personal journey.

No previous painting experience is needed. The process is encouraging, meditative and designed to make creative expression accessible to everyone.

About the Facilitator: 

Sarah Hall, whose Cree name is Sun Fire Woman—Pisim Eskowtew Eskwew—is a proud member of Peepeekisis Cree Nation in Treaty 4 and the owner of Sun Fire Creations. An artist, facilitator, and community connector, Sarah brings together creativity, cultural identity, storytelling, and personal reflection to create welcoming experiences that encourage connection and empowerment. Sarah works as a Client Advocate at Jessie’s House, where she supports individuals and families impacted by domestic violence. This work informs the compassion, care, and trauma-aware
approach she brings to every space she facilitates. Through Sun Fire Creations, Sarah develops and leads hands-on workshops, including Journal Journeys, Intuitive Feather Painting, and soapstone carving. Her workshops make creativity approachable and meaningful, offering participants space to slow down, explore their inner voices, and reconnect with their strength and intuition.

Sarah also serves as the Regional Coordinator for Teddy Bear Fairs across Treaties 6, 7, and 8, working alongside First Nations communities and health and social-service partners to support children and families through culturally grounded, community-led events. In all her work, Sarah leads with warmth, humour, authenticity, and a deep belief in the strength people carry within themselves.

Website: www.sarahhall.ca

Restoring the Healer: A Trauma-Informed Reiki & Nervous System Restoration Experience for Frontline Professionals

Facilitator: Kellie Cummings, Sacred Arrow Healing

Description: Frontline professionals dedicate their careers to supporting survivors, families, and communities through crisis, trauma, grief, violence, and transition. Over time, the cumulative impact of emotional labour, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, chronic stress, and continuous exposure to crisis can disconnect helpers from their own bodies, nervous systems, and sense of restoration.

This experiential wellness session offers participants an intentional opportunity to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and experience Reiki as a complementary restorative practice within a trauma informed and psychologically safe environment. Participants will be gently guided through grounding, breath awareness, mindful relaxation, and nervous system restoration practices. Reiki will be offered as a supportive restoring harmony modality, with participation always voluntary and adaptable to each person’s comfort level.

No previous Reiki, meditation, or energy based wellness experience is required. Participants are invited (not expected) to engage, and modifications will be available to support accessibility, choice, autonomy, and comfort.

*This session is intended to complement, not replace, clinical, therapeutic, cultural, spiritual, organizational, or evidence informed wellness practices.

About the Facilitator:

Kellie Cummings is the founder of Sacred Arrow Healing Inc. and brings over 20 years of experience working within Alberta’s gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, victim services, and complex trauma response sectors.

Throughout her career, Kellie has served in frontline, leadership, and systems development roles within women’s shelters, child advocacy, victim services, and community partnerships. Her work has included crisis intervention, high risk case management, court support, multidisciplinary collaboration, child advocacy, trauma informed program development, organizational leadership, and systems change.

Kellie is a Certified Coach, Reiki Practitioner, and Trauma Informed Restorative Wellness Facilitator. Her work through Sacred Arrow Healing grew from a deep recognition that those who spend their lives holding space for others also need intentional spaces where they are invited to receive care themselves.

After more than two decades supporting survivors, humans and rural/remote communities affected by all forms of complex trauma, Kellie came to believe that sustainable trauma informed care must also include sustainable care for humans providing it. Her approach bridges professional practice and restorative wellness by honouring the science of nervous system regulation, the psychology of human transition, the importance of meaning making, and the practical need for rest, reflection, and renewal.

Kellie’s facilitation style is grounded, inclusive, mystical, choice based, and psychologically safe. Her work does not replace clinical, therapeutic, or evidence informed approaches. Instead, Sacred Arrow Healing offers complementary wellness experiences that support frontline professionals to pause, regulate, reconnect with themselves, and restore the energy required to continue doing meaningful work

This is a space for quiet reflection, mindfulness, and relaxation. Participants are welcome to drop in anytime throughout the day to disconnect, enjoy the various activities, and explore what is most supportive for them and their bodies in that moment.

Activities available will include:

• Tote Bag decorating
• Mindfulness worksheets and colouring pages
• Affirmation wall
• Smudging
• Puzzling, doodling, and fidgeting
• Relaxation – yoga mats, peaceful music, and mood lighting to help you decompress

Crisis Responders: Regulation & Response

Speaker: Lannah Guyon, Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS)

Description: This session introduces practical tools for crisis responders supporting individuals experiencing violence, with a focus on trauma- and violence-informed practice. Participants will explore strategies for regulating themselves and supporting their clients, using intentional language and communication while navigating interactions before, during, and after a crisis. The session will provide practical techniques that can be adapted to different roles and contexts across the continuum of care and support.

About the Speaker:

Lannah Guyon is a Member Support & Wellness Specialist with ACWS, bringing experience in counselling and shelter leadership. Her work focuses on supporting staff wellness and advancing trauma- and violence-informed approaches to client care. She is passionate about strengthening organizational practices and fostering meaningful systems and culture change. She believes that supporting the well-being of those who provide care is an important part of creating stronger, more responsive support for individuals experiencing violence.

The Invisible Population: Older Women at the Intersection of Elder Mistreatment and Gender-Based Violence

Speakers: Denisha Nandkumar and Francis Guerrero, Dr. Barrie Strafford Centre for Learning, Innovation & Quality

Description: Older women experience many of the same forms of violence recognized within the gender-based violence sector, including coercive control, emotional abuse, financial abuse, and intimate partner violence. Yet violence experienced in later life is often categorized as elder mistreatment rather than gender-based violence, resulting in older adults becoming largely invisible within prevention, intervention, and support systems.

Drawing on findings from CLIQ’s literature review titled Elder Mistreatment & Interpersonal Relationships, exploring the intersections of elder mistreatment, intimate partner violence, and domestic violence, this presentation examines the systemic and ideological divide between aging and violence-prevention sectors. Participants will explore how ageism, service fragmentation, accessibility barriers, and differing professional frameworks can obscure the experiences of older women and limit access to appropriate supports.

The session will highlight emerging opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, age-inclusive violence prevention, and innovative approaches that better recognize violence across the lifespan. Participants will leave with practical strategies for strengthening awareness, partnerships, and responses for older adults experiencing violence.

Website: https://www.goinnovate.ca/

About the Speakers:

Denisha Nandkumar is a social worker and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist at the Dr. Barrie Strafford Centre for Learning, Innovation, and Quality (CLIQ). Her diverse experience includes working with older adults, marginalized communities, and research projects, as well as frontline service delivery. These experiences fostered her passion for knowledge translation, stakeholder engagement, and making research and evidence accessible to diverse audiences. Denisha holds a Bachelor of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Calgary and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work. She brings an open-minded, collaborative approach to her work, with a strong focus on relationship-building and meaningful engagement. Grounded in person-centred and trauma-informed perspectives, Denisha is committed to ensuring lived experiences are reflected in knowledge sharing and mobilization initiatives at BSF.

Francis Guerrero is a Registered Nurse with over six years of progressive experience in long-term care, specializing in clinical coordination, interdisciplinary collaboration, and quality improvement. He holds a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Calgary, along with additional certifications in Perioperative Nursing, Wound Care, and Leadership. Francis brings expertise in leveraging Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) data to support resident-centred care, nursing practice, and compliance with Continuing Care Health Service Standards and Accreditation Canada requirements. Highly proficient in PointClickCare and clinical documentation systems, he has extensive experience in policy implementation, staff education, internal auditing, and operational projects. His leadership experience includes managing MDS departments and implementing facility-wide initiatives. Passionate about geriatric care and continuous improvement, Francis is committed to advancing quality, innovation, and excellence in healthcare delivery.

Coming Soon!

A Brief Introduction to the HUGG Intersectional Case Management and Outcome Measurement Tool

Speakers: Tosha Duncan and Dr. Miranda Pilipchuk, ACWS

Description: This workshop will provide learners with the opportunity to engage in direct practice using the tool to explore a case study.  The developers of the Healing Understanding Growth Guide will facilitate this workshop and provide hands on guidance and support offering insight to the guiding principles and framework behind the tool.  This workshop is geared towards frontline professionals who are curious about how the HUGG can support case management and data collection and whether the this tool aligns with their individual or organizational approach to practice.

In this keynote, award-winning journalist and podcaster, Jana Pruden, looks at the power of women’s voices and stories to make change. And how one women’s courage to speak out can be the ripple that starts a tidal wave.

About the Speaker: 

Jana G. Pruden is an award-winning reporter and feature writer at The Globe and Mail, and the host and co-creator of the hit feminist true crime podcast series, In Her Defence. The show’s third season, In Her Defence: Breach of Trust, is out now.

Jana is a frequent speaker on subjects related to crime and justice issues, domestic violence, and writing craft. Her longform and narrative writing has been recognized internationally, including with multiple awards and citations from the National Newspaper Awards, the Canadian Association of Journalists, and the Canadian Journalism Foundation.

Jana is the former crime bureau chief of the Edmonton Journal, and has lived and worked throughout the Canadian prairies. She is a sessional journalism instructor at MacEwan University and a frequent teacher and mentor at Haq Story School. She was a 2024 Ochberg fellow at the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University, and is the 2026 Writer-in-Residence at the University of Alberta.

Survivor-Centered Care in Practice: Learning from Lived Experts.

Speakers: Members of ACWS’ Survivor Advisory Committee

About the Speakers: 

The ACWS Survivor Advisory Committee is composed of survivors from across Alberta who have lived expertise of family abuse. Since 2022, the Survivor Advisory Committee has provided crucial insights that inform ACWS research, projects, and programs, and have benefited ACWS, our members, our community partners, and Albertans more broadly. Key achievements of the Survivor Advisory Committee include: hosting a visioning session that brought together key leaders from the non-profit, public health, legal, and education sectors to envision meaningful solutions for barriers survivors face and promote systemic change in sectors that impact survivors’ safety and wellbeing; producing Survivors Speak, a documentary about the experiences of survivors navigating the legal system that premiered at NorthwestFest, Canada’s longest running documentary film festival; hosting a half-day workshop for the Ministry of Children and Family Services on survivor experiences of accessing and navigating systems of care; and partnering with Diverse Voices to bring a keynote panel of people with lived expertise to the 2025 Diverse Voices Family Violence Conference. The ACWS Survivor Advisory Committee continues to advocate for systemic change to better support all people in Alberta who have experienced family violence and abuse.

Inside Inspire: A Sneak Peek into Online Safety Training for Youth

Speakers: Jessica Montgomery & Aaron Dupuis, Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation

Description: Join Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation for a dynamic, interactive preview of the revamped Inspire Program, a school-based, trauma-informed initiative designed to support youth in building confidence, healthy relationships, self-advocacy, and digital respect. Inspire is a 12-14 week program, and this session will feature a mock workshop for the Online Safety and Digital Respect module. This session for youth is focused on online safety and respectful digital behaviour, giving attendees a firsthand look at how Inspire engages students through conversation, reflection, and practical learning.

Following the mock workshop, presenters will debrief the experience and share how the broader Inspire Program supports both educators and parents in reinforcing key messages at school and at home. As a preventive program, Inspire is designed to equip youth with the knowledge, language, and confidence they need before harmful patterns take root, helping them build healthy relationships, set boundaries, recognize red flags, and navigate online spaces safely. Participants will learn how the program creates a coordinated approach to youth learning through age-appropriate activities, relationship-based facilitation, and school-community collaboration.

Website: https://jessicamartelmemorialfoundation.com/

About the Speakers: 

Jessica Montgomery wants to end gender-based violence. As the Senior Manager of Community Impact and Education at the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation, she oversees all advocacy, communications, and preventive programming, including the Inspire Program. She brings more than 15 years of nonprofit experience, using her design degree to creatively tackle solving society’s toughest problems. Jessica has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and this curiosity drives her to push to make the world a better place.

Aaron Dupuis is the Community Education Lead with the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation, where he supports gender-based violence education and the Inspire Program. Brought in to help expand the program to include boys and a co-ed model, he brings EDI training and a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive approach to his work with youth, families, and schools. With 19 years supporting youth in educational settings, Aaron is committed to building safer, healthier, and more inclusive communities.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this session is cancelled. Please join one of the other three sessions.

PATH Program (Parenting After Trauma and Healing)

Speakers: Jayden Jans and Samantha Chang, SPARK Foundation of Lloydminster

Description: This session introduces the SPARK Foundation’s newly developed PATH program, an initiative created specifically to address the critical gap in parenting resources tailored to families navigating shelter and transitional housing environments. Attendees will explore the full lifecycle of the program, from initial design and curriculum development to on-the-ground implementation. Beyond examining the PATH framework, this session provides concrete, step-by-step strategies for group program development, facilitating engagement, and adapting content for vulnerable populations.

About the Speakers: 

Jayden Jans (she/her) is the Transitional Housing Team Lead at The SPARK Foundation of Lloydminster, where she helps oversee long-term housing and supportive programming for individuals and families impacted by domestic violence. Along with a background education of a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, Jayden brings over a decade of dedicated experience in crisis intervention, community advocacy, and client care.

Her career spans key roles as a Family Violence Outreach Worker, Case Plan Facilitator, alongside years of volunteer service as a Victim Services Advocate with the RCMP and Midwest Victim Services. Jayden is passionate about holistic, trauma-informed support and group facilitation. Her background is grounded in extensive specialized training and she is committed to empowering individuals, building community resilience, and fostering inclusive, compassionate care environments.

Samantha Chang (she/her) is one of two Transitional Housing Support Workers at the SPARK Foundation of Lloydminster’s Transitional Housing Program, where she supports individuals and families who have been impacted by domestic violence. This is provided through one-on-one individualized support, as well as through the creation and facilitation of group programming, with the goal of preparing these families for the lives they envision for themselves.

Prior to working with adults in transitional housing, Samantha worked for over three years with at-risk youths through the Lloydminster Community Youth Centre, which is another branch of the SPARK Foundation of Lloydminster. These experiences taught her fast-paced program facilitation alongside practical skills for providing trauma-informed support in a variety of situations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Sociology with First Class Honors from the University of Alberta. This academic background is where she gained the experience she needed to excel in the research and writing portion of program creation for working with diverse needs clients.

With passions in both tangible support provision and research knowledge, Samantha is committed to providing the best support she can to the individuals and families she serves.

Dr. Miranda Pilipchuk, Manager of Research & Evaluation, ACWS

Dr. Miranda Pilipchuk (she/her) is a gender-based violence scholar, advocate, and survivor. She has expertise in community-based research, applied ethics, and intersectional feminist theory. She specializes in conducting trauma and violence-informed, survivor-centered research that values the voices and perspectives of people with lived experience, speaks to the intersections of abuse and systemic barriers, and seeks to dismantle all forms of oppression. Dr. Pilipchuk is currently the Manager of Research and Evaluation at the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, where she works with family violence and elder abuse shelters, community and academic partners, and people with lived experience to construct innovative, high-impact research programs that work to understand and end violence and abuse, and to establish and implement best practices for supporting people impacted by violence and abuse. Her research has been influential for the general public, media, academics, government, and policy makers, and has been instrumental in securing both funding increases and commitments to systemic change in Alberta.

Sergeant Paolo Magliocco, Lethbridge Police Service

Sergeant Paolo Magliocco is a member of the Lethbridge Police Service and has been a police officer for over 14 years. He is currently a Sergeant assigned to the Field Operations Division where he oversees a patrol team with responsibility for front line policing, general investigations including domestic violence, and emergency response. Previously, he served for 3 years in the Violent Crimes Unit where he was responsible for investigating major, complex, and sensitive investigations such as homicides, robberies, assaults, sexual assaults, missing persons, child and family abuse, firearm offences, and home invasions. Additionally, he worked in the Economic Crimes Unit for 5 years where he was responsible for investigating major and complex financial crimes including frauds, money laundering, proceeds of crime, elder abuse, and theft. He is a proud graduate of Lethbridge Polytechnic, the University of Lethbridge, and Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington State.

Tracy C. Brown, J.D. – Family Lawyer & Arbitrator, Brown Law Group

Tracy is the founder and managing lawyer for Brown Law Group in Edmonton, and since 2012 she has practiced exclusively in Family & Divorce Law representing adults and children.  She is a passionate advocate for fair resolutions to family disputes guided by the best interests of children, and an enhanced ethical obligation for family lawyers to “do no harm” in the practice of Family Law.

While the assistance of the Court is sometimes required, Tracy is increasingly guiding Family Law disputes away from the Courthouse to alternative dispute resolution processes, which are often more accessible and ameliorative in addressing power imbalances.  She is a registered Collaborative Lawyer, Mediator, Arbitrator, trained in meeting with children and screening for family violence.

Recipient of the Advocates’ Society 2024 Alberta Excellence in Mentoring Award, Tracy is a devoted volunteer and mentor, sitting on numerous Boards and Committees and engaged in policy advocacy related to access to ‘family justice’ and legal aid. She is past Chair of the Canadian Bar Association National Family Law Section and sits on the Executive of the CBA Women Lawyers Section and the Alberta Agenda for Justice and Voice of the Profession Committees. She is a founding member of the Alberta Family Lawyers Association and advocates for inter-disciplinary collaboration through the Alberta Chapter of the Association of Family & Conciliation Courts.

Shannon Knight Jones

Shannon is an economist; a lived-expertise advocate & speaker on gender-based violence & family justice reform; & a proud member of the ACWS Survivor Advocacy Committee. She is a lifelong learner, pursuing post-graduate study focused on: Critical Disability issues; Legislative research & Policy reform; & Human Rights Law. Her research is centred on identifying systemic patterns enabling harm post-separation, applying economic impact analysis of family law & interrelated systems and exploring intersectional impacts undermining Disability Rights & Children’s Rights.  She is dedicated to advancing Anti-Abuse family law reform through development of novel policy solutions to disarm perpetrators’ tactics through policy tools capable of operationalizing the good intent at the foundation of family law systems: access to justice, safety, and protection, when exercising one’s Right to end a relationship.

She is a proud mother, raising her three daughters alone; experiencing the life-altering impacts on child-survivors forced to grow-up within the reality of our systems that re-traumatize children who disclose abuse – just as it re-traumatizes the adult survivors. Shannon’s lived experiences have resulted in what she calls an ‘accidental expertise’ about the enormous systemic cracks throughout Family Law processes, and the ways these are weaponized by perpetrators, enabling them to escalate and amplify their abuse tactics after victims escape their relationship.

Shannon decided to turn this expertise into purpose by contributing to family law reform efforts:  first through submitting a written brief to Parliament’s Standing Committee on the Status of Women, which was ultimately referenced in the Committees’ report tabled in the House of Commons: Towards a Violence-Free Canada: Addressing and Eliminating Intimate Partner and Family Violence; and flowing from that experience, by joining ACWS; participating in Provincial & Federal Government projects aimed at Family Law systems reform; and as a keynote speaker and panel member challenging audiences to expand their understanding of lived realities of IPV&FV, and to pivot their own roles towards achieving intentional survivor-centred outcomes.