The 2022 SOS Leadership Conference was a weekend packed full of learning and fun!
After 2 long years of postponements and delays, the 2022 Leadership Conference was worth the wait! Volunteers from around the province gathered at the DoubleTree Hotel in Regina on April 8-10, to learn, network, and have fun! Overall, there were 44 people in attendance, including volunteers and SOS staff.
What happened over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday?
The Conference began with a supper and social on Friday night. The first part of the Social featured a team trivia challenge, where Team 3 proved they were the brains of the group with a dominating performance and took home 1st place. The second part featured several Minute To Win It Games, including Oreo forehead stacking, balloon juggling, penny stacking, team flippy cup and more. Teams 3 and 5 tied for first place, and all teams showed determination and a competitive spirit.
On Saturday night, the attendees took part in “Escape Rooms” which were conveniently located right in the Hotel. Teams 5 and 6 managed to make it through, while others were left wondering where they went wrong. In addition to the Escape Rooms, there were also many rounds of bingo in the Moose Jaw room, which saw many people take home prizes such as mugs, keychains, balls, and bingo dabbers.
The weekend was filled with valuable information, discussion, and self reflection from the sessions and speakers. The sessions and speakers for the weekend included:
- Opening Keynote Address: Jennifer Jones, Olympic Gold Medalist Curler: Jennifer spoke about how teamwork, leadership and communication are keys to success both in sport and in life.
- Session on Non Profit Board Roles and Responsibilities: Shari Hildred, Owner of Valmore Consulting: Shari spoke about the importance of organization, planning, and financial management, and the keys to creating and sustaining strong governance practices for operational boards.
- Session on Stakeholder Engagement: Lara Schroeder, Owner of Spark Solutions: Lara spoke about cultivating an environment that is both safe and effective for gathering info and feedback from stakeholders within Communities.
- Conflict Management: Lara Schroeder, Owner of Spark Solutions: This session focused on identifying different styles of conflict management, and the negative consequences of not addressing conflict.
- Closing Keynote Address: Linda Edgecombe, Motivational Speaker, Author Linda spoke about resiliency, challenging yourself, and navigating the highs and lows of life. Her sense of humor, and realness captivated the entire room.
The Leadership Conference is engineered to support, facilitate and encourage SOS volunteers to enhance their skills and knowledge both in their volunteer roles, and in their personal lives. Thank you to all the volunteers who attended the Leadership Conference this year. We hope to see you all again in 2024!