In May 2020, not long after frontline service providers moved services online, North York Community House (NYCH) held a couple of interesting and useful webinars.
It was early days, but NYCH staff and leadership were learning some things, making progress. They decided to put themselves out there to share not only what they were learning, but also their struggles, and what they were learning. Both sessions were an opportunity for other similar organizations to join, ask questions, and discuss.
In fact, most of the agency leadership session was dedicated to a group conversation (not recorded) among participants. It resulted in more sharing, and useful collaboration. At least 150 people attended the frontline session and the Q&A illustrated how many agencies were still very much trying to figure it out. The back and forth, sharing and learning together, in particular during uncertain times, was valuable, and an excellent model of open work we should be aspiring to as a sector.
Here are both webinars.
This is the recording of On The Front-lines: Settlement Sector Edition. This webinar was presented by frontline staff at North York Community House on May 29, 2020.
Like everyone, the immigrant and refugee-serving sector became suddenly remote during the COVID-19 pandemic. Agencies had to make decisions quickly to respond to the ever-changing environment. We have all been learning, exploring, managing differently.
After two months of working remotely, the staff at NYCH shared their experience, highlighting what they have done and how they got to online service delivery including:
It’s not just about technology. Our team shared about how they’ve connected with clients and how they run/have adapted their programs or services. The technology they use is just part of the story.
In this session, we have staff representing these different program areas:
This is the recording of Looking Back Planning Ahead: A Strategic Discussion for Senior Non-Profit Leaders. This webinar was presented by the senior management team at North York Community House on June 3, 2020.
The discussion during the webinar was not recorded so as to facilitate more open conversations among participants.
After going through a period of chaos, innovation and major change, the conversation for non-profit organizations has now shifted to how we will re-open. Before we jump ahead, it's important for us to take a moment to pause and reflect on what we’ve just been through and what we’ve learned.
North York Community House invited senior leaders at non-profit organizations to join our senior management team in a conversation about leadership, strategy, culture, and capacity for non-profits during these challenging times.
Shelley Zuckerman, Bonnie Hunter, and Jin Huh shared some of their learnings, successes and challenges from the past couple of months around planning and implementing programs remotely and online, building capacities, creating/re-imagining systems and processes, and re-iterating organizational culture and values. Like you, we are still learning and experimenting. We invite you to share your experiences and ideas so we can together see how we can move forward, and re-imagine our organizations within the 'new normal'.