Working with VIRCS and guest lecturing at RRU and VIU

Posted by Lee on 17 August 2013

It's been a busy few months! 

Highlights have included helping the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society (VIRCS) with a large project focused on their excellent Citizenship 101 program.  The aim of their 10 week program is to get Permanent Residents ready to sit their Canadian citizenship test. 

Both Kath and I have been helping get a wealth of material edited into plain English, and then made pretty via desktop publishers.  Our goal is to have everything print-ready by the end of September.  After that, VIRCS hopes to extend their program outside of Victoria, possibly across Canada.

I have also been asked by Royal Roads University and Vancouver Island Univerity to guest lecture.  At RRU, I delivered a 3 hour lecture focussed on theories of organizational conflict.  This is close to my heart given some of the previous work experiences I've had (both good and stressful!) internationally in not-for-profit organizations.  It was great to put that experience into a lecture format.

My lecture at VIU is coming up in September.  It will be focused on community development, showing examples of where it has been done well, but also will be challenging people to be mindful of the pitfalls of community development, especially when instigated from outside the community.

Last, I've been part of a group helping Net2 Victoria (net squared), a group that exists "where technology and the not-for-profit sector converge".  Dan Pollock and Davin Greenwell are the main drivers of the initiative, but they are supported by a diverse group of volunteers.  Find out more about them and join us via MeetUp.