Written by Tanya Colledge, President, CPRS Vancouver
The leaves have begun to fall, the air is crisp, and pumpkin spice is everywhere. It’s officially fall in Vancouver and we’re excited to launch some great programs and initiatives for the 2020/2021 season.
After conducting our very first virtual strategic planning sessions, our board of directors is ready to tackle this year and deliver quality professional development (PD) and networking opportunities for our members. And while we might not be able to get together in person this year, the challenges presented to us due to COVID-19 also present amazing opportunities.
Expanding our networks provincially and nationally
With all PD moving to online platforms this year, the CPRS presidents from across the country see this as an opportunity for more networking and collaboration—nationwide. This means your CPRS Vancouver membership will not only allow you to network and learn from your peers in Vancouver, but from across Canada!
In our Essentials Newsletter, you’ll see a new section that will promote CPRS events happening from coast to coast open to CPRS Vancouver members. We’re also working on a series of events with our fellow B.C. chapters—CPRS Vancouver Island and Northern Lights—to bring our west coast members together in learning and networking.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
There’s no doubt that diversity, equity, and inclusion is a topic many communicators are looking to learn more about. CPRS National sent out some communication this past summer about their plans to create a national task force that will explore how CPRS, as an organization, can be more inclusive. CPRS Vancouver has also been having these conversations and are happy to have local members on this national task force. We’ll be providing more updates on what we’re doing as a chapter to address this, in addition to providing some training for our board of directors in the coming month.
Thank you to our events team
This year, we have a brand new group of Events Directors who are working hard to find the right mix of professional development, social events, and networking opportunities for our members. On behalf of the board, I’d like to thank them for their hard work—I know I’m super excited to see what they have planned for us.
I’d like to thank all of our members who continue to support CPRS Vancouver. We know this year will look different, but we’re looking forward to finding new ways to connect with each other, to learn from each other, and to be part of this great community.
Looking forward to seeing you at a virtual event soon!
-Tanya
President, CPRS Vancouver