Worth every penny

I spent the past week at the Canadian National Child and Youth Care Conference in St. John's Newfoundland. And it was a fine experience.

It was fine, of course, because it was well organised, we were all well looked after and because it was a time of learning and fun. But there are other reasons why it was a fine experience. And I think these other reasons reflect the value of staff attending national conferences with their own profession.

First, yes first, there was the feeling of homecoming “the reunions, the long awaited greetings between friend and professional colleagues who actually get to see, and be with, each other far too infrequently. There is a sense of belonging within a profession like ours which is re-kindled by the conference experience. A sense of being together, of being commonly committed, of not-being-alone in this struggle we have chosen to adopt as our own. A sense that we are together.

So, there is a value to staff in attending. It helps all who take advantage of the opportunity to feel connected to, as Ernie Hilton likes to say, something larger than themselves. Staff leave feeling that they are a part of something. They are more grounded, more aware, more family-connected. And that can only be good.

I was especially struck, however, by the workshops I attended, or participated in, which were facilitated by people who work in programs. I was impressed by the amount of work they had done, how they had worked to be clear about what they wanted to say. How they had anticipated the questions that might arise and the degree to which they made sure that they “knew” their material. And I couldn’t help but think how good this would be for their programs when they went home. Presenting at some conference forces one to sort through their thinking, to be clear about what they believe, to organise their thinking about the subject which is the focus of their workshop. And I remember a few points during the conference when I thought about how, when these people went back to their programs, they would go back with a greater clarity and specificity than they had before. And their programs would benefit from this. I mean, who wouldn’t want their staff to be clearer, more sure, more confident and more organised in their thinking?

Attending, and presenting at, conferences has a direct benefit to the programs from which the staff come. Staff go home feeling energised, connected, clearer, more self-assured. They feel a part of something, and if they present, then they also develop their own knowledge base. It is a professional development experience which cannot be duplicated.

Worth every penny if you ask me.

Thom