Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
The ever-popular Women in the North (WIN) conference is about to make its appearance again in the Peace Region, and organizers are hoping all women will consider attending.
“The Community Futures Peace Country staff strive every year to bring relevant, interesting and motivational experiences and information to women leaders,” says Community Futures Peace Country general manager Sherry Crawford.
“It is a day to network, share, learn and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with being with a group of like-minded women. It is also fun and rewarding.”
The conference will be held in two locations this year, with Manning hosting WIN on May 6 at the Battle River Agricultural Hall and Peace River holding the event on May 8 at the Chateau Nova.
“This year, we are focusing on helping to build stronger teams with hands-on workshop experiences so that everyone will come away with tangible skills they can utilize in their businesses, places of employment and their personal lives,” says Crawford, adding the event will help foster a better understanding of themselves and their coworkers.
“Community Futures offices are federally supported by PrairiesCan, and part of our mandate is to provide training opportunities for women and youth. So, the WIN conference was created 17 years ago to provide an experience for women leaders to network, learn and improve their skills in a relaxed and woman focused atmosphere.”
Crawford says the event will feature several guest speakers including Glenys Reeves-Gibbs, Jason Bacon, Andrew Kiedyk, and Jennifer Ireson.
“Glenys has a varied educational and professional work history including leadership positions in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors,’’ explains Crawford.
“Her consulting and coaching practice includes working with leaders and teams to assist in developing effective communication and collaborative problem-solving processes. During her career she had the opportunity to lead a women’s entrepreneurial project where the program introduced entrepreneurship to 4,800 women and did coaching and training with over 1,800 participants.”
Crawford says Bacon was born and raised in Peace River before moving down to Lethbridge for university where he obtained a Bachelor of Management, majoring in Finance. Through his professional career he held many positions within the finance industry, the last of which was as the senior manager of Entrepreneur Education for ATB Financial. For the past five years he has been a full-time entrepreneur with his business, Sunstone Strategic, with a mission of guiding entrepreneurs forward in their business.
He has helped thousands of business owners all across Canada and is the author of Entreprenenur-ish which draws lessons and insight in entrepreneurship from vikings, pirates and samurai.
“Andrew of Elevation 650 is a seasoned martial artist with over 35 years of experience, originally created this 4-pillar self-defense system to protect what mattered most – his family,” she notes.
“Driven by a father’s determination, he designed it specifically to equip his daughter with the confidence and skills to stay safe in any situation. Built on practical psychology and real-world tactics, Andrew’s system has one mission: empowering you with the same life-saving tools he trusted for his own family.”
And finally, Ireson of Balanced Perspectives is a Human Resources expert, speaker and entrepreneur.
“With over 20 years of experience in HR, Jennifer brings a wealth of knowledge, practical insights, and a refreshing balance of professionalism and humour to every conversation,” Crawford says.
“Her mission is to demystify HR for organizations, providing them with actionable solutions that align with their business goals. Jennifer’s journey into entrepreneurship has been marked by resilience and adaptability.”
Tickets for WIN are $100; however, Crawford says if you register a team of three or more you will receive a 20 per cent discount.
“With four hands-on workshops, there will be a lot to learn about yourself and your staff, how to use artificial intelligence effectively, how to manage conflict better and learn some self-defense techniques for women,” says Crawford of the value the conference will provide.
“Plus, as always, we will have a catered lunch, snacks, swag bags and tons of door prizes. We will also have our new WIN Merch store where participants can buy hoodies, travel mugs and more,” she adds.
Doors for the event will open at 8:30 a.m., with the conference starting at 9 a.m. and closing at 4:15 pm. Coffee, tea, lunch and morning and afternoon refreshments will be provided.
Workshops included will be 16 Personalities by Glenys Reeves-Gibbs, Artificial Intelligence by Jason Bacon, Self Defense with Andrew Kiedyk, and Conflict Resolution with Jennifer Ireson.
“Our focus this year is on building stronger teams, so we highly encourage business owners, managers and team leaders to bring a cohort of their staff,” Crawford concludes.
The conference has been sponsored so far by Government of Canada, Town of Grimshaw, Alberta Government, Town of Fairview and Town of Peace River.
To purchase tickets, visit www.womeninthe north.ca.
For more information or to sponsor this event, please contact Vanessa Burns, CFPC Communications and Project Lead at eventspc@albertacf. com