Pre-conference Workshops
Tuesday, November 5, 2024 – 8 am to 4 pm
FNHMA is offering 2 pre-conference workshops this year. It is important to note that if you would like to participate in one of the pre-conference workshops, you must complete the workshop registration form and remit it with payment, in addition to your conference registration and payment.
Important: The registration fee for the conference does not include the pre-conference workshops. Registration for 2024 is closed.
Pre-Conference Workshop 1
Performance Management: Rooted in Culture and Committed to Quality
As a First Nations health leader, one of your many roles is managing your team and your employees. This can be one of the most challenging aspects of your role. How can you more effectively support your employees? How can you align your employees’ success with that of your organization? Continuous performance management is a key process that can be drawn on to support you in your work.
In alignment with the First Nation Health Manager’s Core Competencies of Human Resource Management, Communication and Cultural Awareness, this workshop utilizes a strength-based approach to explore how effective communication throughout the performance management cycle can support you in building stronger relationships and keeping your employees engaged and productive.
This workshop will utilize two-eyed seeing to draw on best practices from western approaches to performance management while reflecting on how culture remains at the foundation of how you approach this process and how you consider the contextual realities of your community.
Through group activities that explore the performance management cycle by focusing on communication best practices and tactics, you will walk away with practical, tangible tools to add to your leadership toolbox to better support your employees and your organization.
Facilitators: Lori Keith, Special Projects, First Nations Health Managers Association
Samara Lewis, Education Specialist, First Nations Health Managers Association
Pre-Conference Workshop 2
Enhancing Workplace Well-Being: A Holistic Approach at Individual, Organizational, and Systemic Levels
First Peoples Wellness Circle (FPWC) is an Indigenous-led national not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of Canada’s First Peoples. They focus on healing, wellness, and mental wellness barriers, utilizing the First Nation Mental Wellness Continuum Framework. FPWC supports the frontline mental wellness and trauma-specialized workforce to foster resilience, well-being, and mental wellness within First Nation communities.
In line with Indigenous holistic values, FPWC will host an interactive workshop drawing upon insights from their Workforce Wellness Strategy. This workshop will explore the various factors influencing workplace well-being and emphasize the shared responsibility at the individual, organizational, and systemic levels. It specifically targets First Nations health services managerial and supervisory staff, aiming to support, identify, and enhance aspects of workplace well-being.
The workshop will engage participants through round table discussions, interactive media, reflection exercises, and collaborative solution-sharing, offering opportunities to share wise practices and network with other health professionals. Practical tools and resources for identifying, maintaining, and exploring purposeful workplace wellness strategies will be provided.
Key highlights of the workshop include addressing individual, organizational, and systemic factors influencing workplace well-being. Participants will learn strategies, gain insights, and receive resources to promote and support a healthy work environment and workforce in First Nation communities. They will understand the importance of self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-evaluation at the individual level. At the organizational level, emphasis will be placed on establishing a strong support network, implementing wellness plans and activities, and developing clear policies and procedures. The systemic level is also addressed, acknowledging the influence of political factors, funding, and resources on workplace well-being. Advocacy for adequate funding and access to resources, such as mental health supports and therapy, is crucial for sustaining a healthy workforce.
Throughout the workshop, the importance of shared responsibility will be emphasized. Managers and supervisors will be urged to identify the needs of their teams and implement intervention and support strategies accordingly. Resiliency strategies such as ceremonies, land-based activities, and gratitude practices will be presented as tools for enhancing workplace well-being.
In conclusion, the workshop will emphasize self-reflection, self-care, and creating a supportive work-life balance as means to enhance overall well-being for employees. Participants will be encouraged to use their voices and honour their responsibilities as managers in promoting workplace well-being.
Facilitators: Anne Duquette, Program Manager, Mental Wellness Team Supports, First Peoples Wellness Circle
Maxine Peltier, Program Manager, Special Projects, First Peoples Wellness Circle
