Conference Sketches

By Phil Hedges, President, Ontario School Counsellors’ Association

OSCA 2000: Another Successful Conference

More than 250 delegates were informed, challenged and entertained at the annual conference of the Ontario School Counsellors’ Association

“Looking Out, Looking In” was, in many ways, a departure from past practice. For the first time, the organizing committee was not a local affiliate of OSCA. Instead, the committee was made up of representatives from the Central Region Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology and the Ontario College Application Services.

Organizing any conference is a complicated and challenging task. Organizing a conference for school counsellors in the current climate of job actions, reduced opportunities to participate in conferences due to budget and staffing restraints, and high levels of stress and frustration due to the increased demands on counsellors’ time made this an even greater challenge. Led by Barb Riach from Humber College, this highly motivated conference committee met that challenge and created an event that clearly responded to the needs of Ontario school counsellors.

From the moment delegates arrived, the fact that the setting for OSCA 2000 was Clevelands House, a resort in the Muskokas, had an immediate impact. The opportunity to physically “get away from it all” as well as the great networking opportunities provided by the fact that conference delegates were the only guests at the resort provided early indications that this conference would be a success.

Opening keynoter, Barry Spilchuk, co-author of “A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul” inspired delegates to continue to find time to focus on the essentials, the little things that really matter. Day two keynoters from Magna International highlighted the need to continue to develop partnerships between education and industry. The final keynoter, Ann Buller-Caron, Vice-President, Student Advocacy and Services at Centennial College gave a thoughtful presentation on how we can and must continue to work together to ensure student success at the postsecondary level. Excerpts from keynote addresses can be found on our web site in the “Upcoming Events” section.

Workshops touched on traditional and timely themes but also focused on expanding our understanding of the variety and depth of programs available at Ontario’s colleges.

Maintaining teacher morale is becoming a common concern but by the time delegates left this conference, we saw and heard evidence of a renewed sense of enthusiasm, commitment and connectedness to colleagues.

Plans are already well in hand for OSCA 2001, “A Space Odyssey: Understanding Your Space” to be held Nov. 1-3 in Ottawa. If you’d like to keep up-to-date on this and other OSCA activities, visit us on the web at www.osca.ca