BOARD CHAIR REPORT

Welcome to the Skills Society 2022-2023 AGM Report. It has been a pleasure to serve in the position of Board Chair this past year. I have a long history with Skills that spans 30 years, and I am very fond of this organization, its people, and the work they do. Over the years I have been privileged to be involved in projects with Skills staff when I worked for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD). We learned together about person-centred practices that listen and are responsive to the voices of the people we support so they can live their best lives. Skills was an innovative organization back then and I’m happy to see, under the leadership of Ben Weinlick and his team, that has not changed. As the mother of a young man who has a disability, I am hopeful for the future as I continue to see this organization creatively and thoughtfully lead the way in broadening the horizons of what is possible for all people with developmental disabilities.

In our third year of dealing with COVID, we saw an end to public health restrictions in June with COVID losing its “pandemic” status as it transitioned to an endemic stage. Though COVID cases have not disappeared, the widespread use of vaccines and lessons learned in managing any new cases resulted in the Skills family being able to return to some level of normalcy. Skills staff and the people they support are gaining a sense of freedom and connection as they begin to resume their lives out in the world. I would also like to mention this will be our first in-person AGM after 3 years of Zoom!

In June 2022, Skills held its first in-person gathering at Laurier Park for a picnic. It was a much-needed opportunity for the Skills Society Community – the people they serve, staff, board members, volunteers, and their families to reconnect with each other over games, food, and music. The next annual picnic is scheduled for August 8.

Earlier this year, Skills was involved in imagining different and inclusive housing possibilities for people with disabilities as part of their Future of Home: Inclusive Housing Solutions Lab. A prototype that emerged from this work developed into an innovative “Community Concierge” role. Skills entered months of negotiations with Leston Holdings (a local for-profit developer) to pilot this Concierge role in their Edgemont development. This new development will house people with and without disabilities in an inclusive apartment-style living arrangement. The Concierge will be a contractor of Skills and work 8 hours/week doing thorough asset-based community development in the building. We see many possibilities for rich learning around how to nurture belonging and meaningful relationships amongst all the tenants of this building.

The pilot will be 18 months in length and will run from August 2023 - January 2025 (6-month planning phase and 12-month active pilot in the building). I would like to acknowledge and thank two of Skills’ staff - Paige Reeves and Rebecca Rubuliak, who were instrumental in the negotiations that led to this agreement with Leston Holdings.

Report continues on page 24