TABLE OF CONTENT
- The Counselling Foundation of Canada
- Chairman's Remarks
- Executive Director's Report
- Grants Approved In 2000
- Continuing Projects 2000
- Grant Summary 2000
ANNUAL ACTIVITY REPORTS
2000 Activities Report
CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS
In 2000, The Counselling Foundation of Canada provided community investment grants worth more than $2.9 million to support 45 projects. In addition to our two primary areas of focus, Career Counselling and Practice, and Healthy Child Development, The Counselling Foundation of Canada has taken a leadership role in the development of a mentoring movement in Canada. An investment goal of approximately $1 million per year for the next 3 to 5 years has been set for mentorship initiatives. Of the 36 new grants approved, mentoring or tri-mentoring were core components of 8.
We are particularly excited about the new tri-mentoring models being developed and implemented by Ryerson University, The Canadian Youth Business Foundation, Canadian Executive Service Organization and Memorial University of Newfoundland, which link career development goals and civic responsibility, and in Quebec, Fondation de l'entrepreneurship, which is applying the mentoring model to encourage community economic development rooted in the career development of local entrepreneurs. Other models include a pilot for family mentoring, and a mentoring project with a housing component for homeless youth.
The Counselling Foundation of Canada, founded in 1959, was primarily established to promote the professional training and development of career counsellors. Our initial thrust was to provide financial encouragement to universities to establish counselling programs. In 2001, 42 years later, access to learning opportunities remains a high priority among career practitioners and continues to be an important focus of the Foundation.
Over the next year, we look to expand on our existing commitments to academic awards at Sir Sandford Fleming College, and the Career Practitioner Program at the Consortium of Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier, Waterloo and Guelph Universities. This strategy will expand to reach across Canada providing improved access to education for existing practitioners and those who have chosen career development as a vocation.
Again, on a national scale, The Counselling Foundation of Canada continued its sponsorship of The 26th National Consultation on Career Development (Ottawa, January 2000). NATCON provides almost 1400 career practitioners with three days of professional development and networking opportunities. This conference has played a defining role in the career counselling and development field and has forged a community. Our colleagues at Memorial University and Contact Point are assisting to expand that community through the development of the Canadian Journal of Career Development.
During 2000, The Counselling Foundation of Canada commissioned research towards a publication and video on the history of Career Counselling in Canada. It will come as no surprise that chronicling the evolution of the career counselling profession has proven to be a formidable task. We have discovered that while some of our shared history is quickly and readily available, much is not. There are two aspects which require further research and chronicling before publication. We are aware of many of the important developments in the evolution of career counselling in Ontario, but still need examples of successful programs that have been developed in every province of Canada.
Sessions at NATCON have shown that among those most in need of career counselling and career development services are immigrants, re-entry women, our native peoples and those on medical leave. Many are young people; those with no recent attachment to the workforce and the long term unemployed. Some, like our foreign trained professionals, are working but grossly under employed. Our experience as a funder also confirms this. We will take the time to get a more complete picture on the development and implementation of career counselling programs for these individuals so they may also be included in the history project.
Most of the career counselling and career development community is engaged every day in the activity of helping people make effective choices and decisions about their working lives. Every day, they experience success with the individuals with whom they work. All these efforts and commitment are something to celebrate. The Board, members and staff of The Counselling Foundation of Canada congratulate all the agencies, organizations and individuals on their accomplishments.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Donald G. Lawson
