Our event page provides opportunities for families to connect and experience new activities in a stress-free, accepting space. Check out our special events below for more information and dates. This calendar is updated regularly, so please check back often. Please get in touch if you have an event to share with us.
SESSION INFO: « Back to all events
Everyone has dreams and goals. For people with a disability it can take planning and ingenuity to identify dreams and goals and make them a reality. WayFinders is a free program that is here to help. WayFinders Facilitators support families with person-centred planning and visioning to set the direction toward a full, inclusive life. Once the direction is set, supports and resources can be identified.
May 11 Session: School’s out!! So what’s next? Join our guests, Mark Fornier from Camosun College and Alison Roy from Selkirk College as we discuss the next steps in the education world – post secondary. • Build on strengths and interests, boosting self confidence
• Identify, create and achieve personal goals
• Build self-awareness and learn to work with others
• Develop and use effective strategies for handling conflict, change and stress, and problem solving
• Develop resource and support networks • Enhance employment readiness and develop useful and transferable workplace skills
• Identify and practice appropriate safety procedures
• Increase numeracy, literacy and technology skills With our help and support, you’ll learn entry-level employment skills, obtain external certifications, get practical workplace experience, and develop the confidence to pursue further learning, volunteering and employment opportunities.
Meet our Guest Speakers:
My name is Alison Roy and I am the Program Coordinator and Instructor for the SOAR program in Nelson. I have my Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta, and currently working on my Masters in Education from the University of Calgary, specializing in Adult, Community and Higher Education. I live in Nelson, BC. My husband and I moved here five years ago to live in the beautiful mountains. We enjoy outdoor activities, such as mountain biking, hiking and skiing. One interesting fact about me is that I love curling and have played the sport since I was in grade four! It is one of my winter hobbies that gets me out of the house on the dark evenings. I am inspired for teaching by the wise words of Socrates. There is something very magical about teaching. The fire within each of us can be very powerful. I hope to always guide and support the fire for learning in others.
Mark Fournier, M.Ed. – Mark has lived on traditional territories of Coast Salish Peoples as an uninvited settler most of his life. He gratefully acknowledges the gracious welcome, stewardship and support the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ People show Camosun College. Creating and delivering programming for people experiencing barriers to inclusion has been Mark’s passion for most of his career. His approach to teaching and learning focusses on individual strengths and community connections to support learners towards their own vision of success. Mark enjoys both working directly with students and working behind the scenes to develop programs, design curriculum and create an awesome learning environment. Serving as Chair for Employment Training and Preparation and as a member of the Education Counsel at Camosun College has provided Mark with a close-up view of the college. He approaches leadership as a champion for supportive and inclusive learning.
SESSION SCHEDULE
• Mar 2 – All about WayFinders. Meet the WayFinders
• Mar 16 – WayFinders Compass
• Mar 30 – If I had a Hammer – Tools for Person Centered Planning
• April 13 – School/IEP • April 27 – Mind your IEPs and Qs!
• May 11 – Post secondary Education Panel
• May 25 – Get to Work with Annette Burrows
• June 8 – Circle of Friends/Relationships
• June 22 – PLAN for the Future!
Meet your WayFinders: 
Shelley Nessman | Fraser Valley Chapter Shelley Nessman has been working in the Social Justice field for over forty years with a particular interest in person centered work and planning. She is a Resource Family Member with Family Support Institute and makes her home in Steveston where she lives with her daughter, son-in- law and two ginger cats.
Rachel Goddyn | Burnaby Chapter Rachel has been volunteering and working in the Community Living movement since her son, Leslie, was diagnosed with a rare disability. Leslie, now 39, has a life filled with meaningful activities and relationships. Rachel shares part of Leslie’s story…..”At a recent celebration, Leslie sat with two of his friends from high school. As I watched them enjoying each others company, I reflected on how much they have learned in the 19 years since Leslie graduated. They are, all three, much more mature and capable. All young people develop through out their twenties, but for individuals with disabilities, this development can be extraordinary. The transition to adulthood is often the start of a period of tremendous learning.” Rachel aspires to help families and individuals who are in the midst of this transition overcome obstacles and find their way to a meaningful life.
Rachel Skidmore | Victoria Chapter Rachel Skidmore is a mother of two teen girls, one of whom has neuro and physical diversity. Rachel has a passion for inclusion and believes strongly that employment and community are crucial in ensuring people with Diversity are included in society. So much so that employment goals have been a part of her daughters IEP’s since kindergarten. Everyone has a gift to share with people, something they can receive monetary gain with, even if it is just a few hours a week.
Gord Robertson | Prince George Chapter Gord lives in Prince George with his wife Terry and adult daughter Bree-Anna, who lives with multiple disabilities. Gord has been a resource parent with the FSI since 2004, and has spent countless hours helping families navigate their way through many different disability related topics and issues. He and Terry, together with Bree and her extended family, first developed a vision for Bree’s life when she was 2 1/2, and have worked to continually evolve that vision to change with her as her needs, wants, and desires changed over her 33 years, allowing her to lead a great life, rich in relationships, experiences and contribution. Through his connections with FSI, Vela Microboard Association, and Community Living BC as the chair of the North Region Community Council, Gord is well informed about the world of adults living with disabilities in BC.
Ben Postmus | Kootenays ChapterFamily Support Institute of BC (FSI) is a provincial not-for-profit society committed to supporting families who have a family member with a disability. FSI is unique in Canada and the only grass roots family to family organization that has a broad volunteer base. FSI SUPPORTS AND SERVICES ARE FREE TO ANY FAMILY
You are invited to join FSI CONTINUING CONVERSATIONS, a private Facebook Group intended to continue conversations of support or provide an alternative platform for support. www.facebook.com/groups/fsicontinuingconversations/ All FSI Zoom sessions can be accessed by telephone only if access to computers and/or internet is a barrier. If you need assistance registering for any session, please call our office at 1-800-441-5403.
*RS
227 6th Street
New Westminster, BC
V3L 3A5
(604) 540-8374 ext. 523
Support Line:
1-800-441-5403
Did you have a great experience with FSI? Please let us know!
As a provincial organization FSI acknowledges that our work spans across all of the traditional, ancestral, and unceded Indigenous territories in BC. Therefore, we respectfully honour all First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, as well as their ancestors, who have lived here and cared for these lands. It is with gratitude that we can live, learn and do our work in the province now known as British Columbia.
©2023 Family Support Institute | Privacy Policy | Registered Charity Number: 105629497RR0001. We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia.
