we heard you Archives - Canucks Autism Network

Mar 2, 2019

In order to provide a consistent, supportive, safe and fun environment in which participants of all abilities thrive in CAN programs, we train every staff and volunteer.

We share your high expectations for CAN staff and volunteers. Ensuring that our team has the skills, confidence and attitude to support the success and safety of each participant is of utmost importance to us as an organization. Each staff and volunteer on-boarded to our team receives training specific to their role.

All staff and volunteers:

Autism and neurodiversity
CAN program and participant policies and procedures
Strategies for supporting positive behaviour in sports and recreation

Coaches:

Program specific, curriculum-related training offered seasonally

Support Team:

Additional training related to supporting staff and volunteers, delivering feedback, collaborating with parents and advanced behaviour support strategies
Training to create and implement Behaviour Support Plans for participants
Safety-Care™ Training (crisis prevention, de-escalation, managing dangerous behaviour)
Specific seasonal training addressing current topics and issues

CAN is committed to providing ongoing professional development opportunities for all staff and volunteers. In addition to receiving initial training during on-boarding, staff and volunteers receive training offerings in the CAN Newsletter on a regular basis. Some examples of training recently offered include:

Standard First Aid Training with CPR A/C & AED (16 hours)
- Delivered in partnership with Pacific First Aid
Safety-Care™ Training (8 hours):
- Delivered in partnership with QBS, Inc.
- Crisis prevention training that teaches a variety of supportive interaction strategies
safeTALK Training (3 hours):
- Delivered in partnership with LivingWorks
- Suicide-alert helper preparedness training:
CAN Youth & Young Adult Program Training (2 hours):
- Supportive interaction strategies for the unique needs of youth and young adults
CAN Support Strategies Training (2 hours):
- Topics include enhancing communication, increasing motivation and predictability, and using visual supports
All Youth Matter Inclusion Training (4 hours):
- Delivered in partnership with viaSport
- Tools, techniques and best practices to create inclusive sport, recreation and physical activity experiences for youth from marginalized populations
Introduction to Basic American Sign Language (3 x 3 hours)
- Delivered in partnership with Queer ASL

We are proud to support the growth and development of the CAN team and we strive to dynamically identify areas for growth in our staff and volunteer teams. Our training is always evolving with feedback from families and program observations. If you identify an area in which you believe our team could improve or have an area of expertise you would like to share, please reach out to us with your input.

We believe our programs are strongest when we work together to achieve our shared vision and we welcome your feedback.

Have a question? Contact: training@canucksautism.ca

Sep 28, 2018

We Heard You is a new blog series that addresses some of the common questions and themes that arise from our seasonal parent and participant feedback surveys.

Today we are answering a frequently asked question about the timing of our programs.

Why are programs offered at less than ideal/times of the week?

We are proud and fortunate to partner with various community and municipal organizations across the province to deliver our programming. Some of the agreements provide us with reduced rates or even free space, however, the subsidized costs can also mean that we are limited by the days and times offered to us.

We recognize that some program days and times are less than ideal and will continue to work with our partners to secure the best times available. That said, recreation centres are under a lot of pressure from multiple other user groups looking for pool, ice and gym time and as a result they have limited availability, particularly when it comes to arena and pool time.

By delivering our programs in facilities that offer reduced rates or complimentary space, we are able to save costs and accommodate even more individuals with autism, which is our ultimate goal with registration.

The graph below depicts the level of member satisfaction with various elements of CAN programming including length, timing, location, and cost of the program.

See articles more like this:
What is each staff and volunteer’s roles in programs?
Why aren’t swim programs longer?
Who gets into programs?

Sep 7, 2018

We Heard You! We are introducing a new blog series that will address some of the frequently asked questions that we receive in seasonal parent and participant feedback surveys.

Today, we tackle a common question about our weekly swim programs. Stay tuned for more We Heard You posts this Fall!

Why aren’t Canucks Autism Network swim lessons longer?

In Spring 2017, we formalized a partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, a nationally-recognized organization renowned for quality swim and water safety programs. As standardized by the Canadian Red Cross, swim programs for ages 3-6 and 7-12 are 30 minutes, while those for ages 13+ are 45 minutes.

Like CAN, Red Cross Swim programs are designed in alignment with the Canada Sport for Life model. As such, the curriculum has been designed to emphasize a positive first experience to sports and rec in order to promote a lifetime of overall physical health and activity.

“To engage in sport and physical activity, individuals must be aware of what opportunities exist for them, and when they try an activity for the first time, it is critical that the experience is positive.”
–Canada Sport For Life – Awareness and First Involvement

Please visit our CAN Swim webpage for more program information.

See more articles like this:
What is each staff and volunteer’s roles in programs?
Who gets into programs?
Why are programs offered at less than ideal times of the week?
Why I volunteer for CAN: Kyle Boyle