Skills Week

SKILLS WEEK 2022 (June 13 – 17th)

Dear SOGS leaders,

It’s my pleasure to invite you to our inaugural Skills Week (June 13th-17th).

Whether you may realize it or not, your involvement with SOGS is integral to its success as an advocacy and governance organization. It’s in this vein that I consider all of you to be leaders in your own right; it takes integrity, discipline, and courage to commit yourself to efforts beyond your immediate scope of graduate studies. 

Although the SOGS community and our services have remained intact during the COVID-19 pandemic, we made it through because of you. Your efforts, support, and engagement has helped the Society move forward during uncertain times and has allowed our student leaders to lean on each other. 

I’m hoping this Skills Week will set the tone for the year as we move our organization forward by providing its leaders with community-driven learning opportunities and reflective discussion spaces

No matter the context in which you show up for others, I hope this invitation shows that SOGS is here to show up for you; let collective care be our revolution

Wishing you a week full of (un)learning, growth, and reflection, 

Danica Facca (SOGS President)


Design Thinking During Grad School 

Date: Monday June 13th   |  Time: 9:30am – 11:00am EST

Location: UCC 147 A/B (in-person)  |  Featuring: David Feeney (he/him)

Session Overview:

What are you going to do with that? This question rears its ugly head constantly throughout your university education, and it becomes particularly loud in graduate school. Embrace concepts of design thinking to help you build a career path that will bring meaning and joy – this introductory workshop for Skills Week is just the beginning.

Learn more about David HERE!

Biography

David is a seasoned career development practitioner, assisting students in navigating a path to help them fulfill their career goals. Changing paths himself, after leaving Graduate School, David has a unique perspective on change and career design. Whether through the facilitation of workshops or one-on-one appointments, David is committed to creative career development and sees the career path as a multi-forked road. In his current role David helps support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in their journey toward a meaningful life and career. Film, theater, cooking and reading are activities that help David recharge.


Navigating Difficult Conversations

Date: Monday June 13th   |  Time: 1:00pm – 2:30pm EST

Location: UCC 147 A/B (in-person)  |  Featuring: Dr. Jeremy Johnston (he/him)

Session Overview:

Learning how to effectively manage conflict and navigate difficult conversations can lead to less stress. This Skills Week workshop will help you understand a variety of collaborative methods for resolving conflict and solving interest-based problems, as well as identify which strategies are appropriate in various situations. These strategies will also help you navigate what can be difficult conversations in both your professional and personal lives. Lastly, this session will lay the foundation for Jennifer Meister’s “Conflict Management” workshop later in the week, where you’ll have the opportunity to practice some of these strategies in a range of scenarios. 

*Strongly Encouraged for: All Chairs; All Committee Members; All Councillors; All Executive and Non-Executive Officers

Learn more about Jeremy HERE

Biography

Jeremy came to Western in 2016 for his Ph.D. in English, which he recently finished in 2021. During the final three years of his program, he was the VP Student Services for the Society of Graduate Students, which led him to pursue an interest in student affairs. Currently, he is a program coordinator on Student Experience’s Transition, Leadership, and Enrichment team, and he is primarily responsible for overseeing the Community Connections program and the Academic Success Program.


Disability Allyship  

Date: Monday June 13th   |  Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm EST

Location: Zoom (virtual)  |  Featuring: Rand Clayton (they/them)

Session Overview:

In this Skills Week session Rand will go over some basic disability-related concepts, discuss universal design and why it’s important, and facilitate a brief allyship exercise together. There will be a question period at the end for further discussion with anyone interested in learning more. Closed captions and chat will be enabled for this workshop. 

*Strongly Encouraged for: All Chairs; All Committee Members; All Executive and Non-Executive Officers

Biography  

Rand completed their undergraduate degree at McMaster University and their Master of Social Work at Toronto Metropolitan University. Rand has the lived experience of being a disabled student and feels lucky to have been able to connect and build community with other disabled students during their time in school. As the Accessibility Programming Coordinator they seek to create these spaces for mutual support and knowledge-sharing at Western University.


Power Up Your Skills 

Date: Monday June 13th   |  Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm EST

Location: Zoom (virtual)  |  Featuring:  Nafisa Gillani (she/her) & Dr. Tim Wilson (he/him) 

Session Overview:

As a graduate student, you tap into a variety of skills during your degree that you can leverage during your career search to find meaningful employment. This Skills Week session will discuss strategies you can utilize to prepare for your future career search including how to: identify your skills; understand your proficiency in those skills; and articulate the value of your skills to employers in all industries.

Learn more about Nafisa & Tim HERE

Biographies 

Nafisa is the Doctoral Professional Development Coordinator at Western University. She completed her Bachelor of Health Science with a specialization in Health Promotion from Western University in 2016 and obtained a Master of Public Health from the University of Guelph in 2019. During her undergraduate degree, she became passionate about program planning, evaluation, and research. In her current role, she gets to utilize her transferable skills as she coordinates Own Your Future, a professional development program for doctoral students, to help them identify and enhance their competencies and skills to succeed during their degree and to articulate their advanced skills and the value of their PhD for employability in all sectors. 

Tim is an associate professor in Anatomy and Cell Biology teaching, you guessed it, anatomy to Dentistry and Kinesiology students. His research concentrates on how we learn and the cogno-physiological barriers therein. He was, however, never trained for this job? He completed his PhD at Western in Kinesiology and his post-doctoral fellowship in autonomic neuroscience in Pittsburgh. This being said, it was his translation of marketable skills that made the job happen; translating competencies from his research realm into another where the need and de novo opportunities arose. Using his past experiences, he will accompany Nafisa and help you explore, contextualize, and unlock the power of the skills you currently possess to move to your next level.


Intercultural Communication 

Date: Tuesday June 14th   |  Time: 9:30am – 11:00am EST

Location: UCC 147 A/B (in-person)  |  Featuring: Dr. Melanie-Anne Atkins (she/her) 

Session Overview

In this highly interactive Skills Week session, you will discover your own communication style and explore strategies to navigate ‘stumbling blocks’ to intercultural communication, address miscommunications, and practice effective listening.

*Strongly Encouraged for: Equity Committee Members (EC); Graduate Peer Support Committee Members (GPS); Graduate Student Issues Committee Members (GSIC); International Graduate Student Issues Committee Members (IGSIC)

Learn more about Melanie HERE

Biography

Dr. Melanie-Anne Atkins is the Associate Director, TA Programs at the Centre for Teaching and Learning and a former Western graduate student. She has partnered with every faculty and university college at Western to develop a diverse set of educational resources and assessment tools in the areas of mental health and wellness, financial literacy, anti-oppressive practices in education, academic literacy and research skill development, intercultural communications, and eLearning. She has a special interest in engaging students with traditionally marginalized identities in the academy, peer mentorship and education, holistic graduate student development, anti-oppressive practices in education; and students as partners in teaching and learning.


SOGS Governance & Advocacy 101 

Date: Tuesday June 14th   |  Time: 3:30pm – 4:30pm EST

Location: UCC 147 A/B (in-person)  |Featuring: Nick DeSumma (he/him)

Session Overview:

At its core, SOGS is a student government and advocacy organization. But what does this mean? This Skills Week session will explore SOGS governance and advocacy – where it currently is and where it can go – and how we can work together to empower student-led change within SOGS, Western, and the London community as a whole. 

*Strongly Encouraged for: All Chairs; All Councillors; All Executive and Non-Executive Officers; Bylaws & Constitution Committee Members (BCC); Finance Committee Members (FC); Policy Committee Members (PC)

[“Learn more about Nick HERE”]

Biography

Nick is currently the inaugural Governance & Policy Administrator at SOGS where he oversees any and all things policy and governance for the Society. No stranger to governance, Nick served three years on Laurier Students’ Union’s Board of Directors, with one term as Chair of the Board & Chief Governance Officer, and on the Board of Directors for the Brant United Way. An educator and advocate for lifelong learning, Nick holds a BA in Human Rights & Human Diversity from Laurier, a BEd from Nipissing, and an MEd in Post-Secondary Studies from Memorial University of Newfoundland.  [/expand]


Leading with Empathy 

Date: Tuesday June 14th   |  Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm EST

Location: Zoom (virtual)  |  Featuring: Monica Munaretto (she/her)

Session Overview:  Empathy has been identified as one of the most important leadership skills in all industries. Empathy has also become more important during the challenging times of the pandemic, where those we engage with are experiencing multiple kinds of stress and have experienced great personal or professional disruptions. Join Monica in this Skills Week session to understand what empathy is, how to utilize it when working with others, and how you may lead with empathy in and beyond your role/s at SOGS. 

*Strongly Recommended for: All Chairs; All Executive and Non-Executive Officers; Graduate Peer Support Committee Members (GPS); Graduate Student Issues Committee Members (GSIC); International Graduate Student Issues Committee (IGSIC)

Learn more about Monica HERE

Biography

Monica currently serves as the Manager of Graduate Student Life at Western University in the division of Student Experience where she develops and leads programming promoting graduate student engagement and wellbeing. Currently a doctoral candidate at OISE/UofT, she holds an MA from UBC and MEd from OISE. Her research explores doctoral student success with a focus on how the evolution of their career plans is related to their well-being and persistence towards degree completion.


Equity, Inclusion & Allyship  

Date: Wednesday June 15th  |  Time: 9:30am – 11:00am EST

Location: UCC 147 A/B (in-person)  |  Featuring: Raghad Ebied (she/her)

Session Overview

This Skills Week session will address elements of equity, inclusion and allyship by identifying privilege and the importance of recognizing intersectionality in the work of anti-oppression. Raghad will guide discussion on how to practice allyship as a means of fostering healthy and inclusive environments for all.  

*Strongly Recommended for: All Chairs; All Committee Members; All Executive and Non-Executive Officers

[/expand title="Learn about Raghad HERE"]

Biography

Raghad Ebied is currently the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Education Coordinator with Student Experience at Western University and a PhD candidate with the Faculty of Education at Western. Her experience includes 12+ years experience in program development and management, teaching and delivering professional development to government, non-profit and schools on diversity, equity, inclusion; intercultural competence; and leadership. She is also a contributing author to the newly released book “Leading for Equity and Social Justice: Systemic Transformation in Canadian Education” published by the University of Toronto Press (2022). [/expand]


Optimizing Your (Clifton) Strengths 

Date: Wednesday June 15th   |  Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm EST

Location: UCC 147 A/B (in-person)  |  Featuring: Rebecca Smith (she/her)

Session Overview: Prepare for this Skills Week session by taking the StrengthsFinder Assessment: a personal development tool developed by Gallup Education which provides an individual with their “Top 5” strengths. Your Top 5 might include the Achiever strength, which helps you burn the midnight oil to get things done, Woo to help you make connections with new people, or Adaptability to help you go with the flow. Focusing on your strengths across all of your graduate student roles can have positive effects on your personal and professional well-being. Join Rebecca to uncover and explore your Top Five strengths!

Learn more about Rebecca HERE

Biography 

Rebecca Smith is an experienced student affairs professional who works with some of the highest achieving students in the country. Her leadership has “provided wings to many outstanding ideas and helped students flourish in their own development.” Smith received the Vice-Provost Innovation Award in 2010 and the Western Award of Excellence in 2017. In addition to her work with the Scholars community, Smith is an engaging facilitator who trains faculty, staff and students in various wellness and social impact topics, including safeTALK, ASIST and a new program co-created by Smith in partnership with Western’s Director of Health Services. The Leadership in Wellness program is a proactive and research-based training designed to educate faculty, staff and other campus leaders on how to promote wellness in their professional roles. Smith’s invigorating and positive energy is contagious and her genuine interest in student, staff and faculty well-being has earned her the trust and respect of students and colleagues alike. Her work with mental health training initiatives increases awareness campus-wide and equips campus community members at all levels with the resources necessary to support those in crisis – an extremely valuable asset to the Western community. She is a certified Gallup Strengths Coach and her educational background focuses on Sociology and Religious Studies. As a dedicated life-long learner, Rebecca is currently completing her work in Grief, Loss and Bereavement studies. In her free time, she enjoys staying active with her two daughters, and traveling to sunny destinations.


Conflict Management in Practice 

Date: Wednesday June 15th  |  Time: 6:30pm – 7:00pm EST

Location: Zoom (virtual)  |  Featuring: Jennifer Meister (she/her)

Session Overview: This Skills Week session will be an opportunity for you to practice your conflict management and difficult conversation skills. Through break-out groups, you’ll tackle scenarios that deal with conflicts and difficult conversations with other volunteers regarding opposing ideas; with other leaders regarding differing priorities; and with University or Association staff. This session accompanies the Difficult Conversations session led by Jeremy Johnston on Monday, June 13th (not a prerequisite, but strongly encouraged)!

*Strongly Recommended for: All Chairs; All Committee Members; All Councillors; All Executive and Non-Executive Officers

Learn more about Jennifer HERE

Biography 

Jennifer has been Ombudsperson at Western University since August 2010. The Ombuds Office guides students through academic and non-academic concerns on campus and can be a useful resource for graduate students encountering conflict with supervisors, as a TA, or as a student leader. Jennifer has a BA from Carleton University, an MEd from the University of Toronto and a Conflict Management Diploma from Western.


Building Your #DreamTeam 

Date: Thursday June 16th   |  Time: 9:30am – 11:00am EST

Location: UCC 147 A/B (in-person)  |  Featuring: Dr. Jeremy Johnston (he/him)

Session Overview: Have you ever been part of a team that just clicked? Maybe you thought the right combination of people “just happened” that way. But what if there was a way to turn that magic into more than just a chance? What if you could rig the odds in your favor? Join Jeremy to explore what makes teams effective and what the academic literature says about predicting stages of group development. We hope you’ll leave this session with some strategies to help your teamwork in and beyond SOGS make the jump to the next level.

*Strongly Recommended for: All Chairs; All Committee Members; All Executive and Non-Executive Officers

Learn more about Jeremy HERE

Biography: Jeremy came to Western in 2016 for his Ph.D. in English, which he recently finished in 2021. During the final three years of his program, he was the VP Student Services for the Society of Graduate Students, which led him to pursue an interest in student affairs. Currently, he is a program coordinator on Student Experience’s Transition, Leadership, and Enrichment team, and he is primarily responsible for overseeing the Community Connections program and the Academic Success Program.


Supporting Gender-based & Sexual Violence Disclosures  

Date: Thursday June 16th   |  Time: 1:00pm – 2:30pm EST

Location: UCC 147 A/B (in-person)  |  Featuring: Amelia Seed (she/her)

Session Overview: Graduate students have a unique role within the University community, as both a student and a member of the staff. This Skills Week session is designed to build upon a foundational understanding of gender-based and sexual violence as a societal issue and its impact on our community. By participating, you’ll learn supportive ways to identify and respond to gender-based and sexual violence disclosures as both a peer and instructor and know how to access support and resources. 

*Strongly Encouraged for: All Chairs; All Committee Members; All Executive and Non-Executive Officers

Learn more abut Amelia HERE

Biography

Amelia is an intersectional feminist with a passion for challenging systemic oppression and encouraging positive social change. She completed her B.A. in Social Justice and Peace Studies at King’s University College and her M.A. in Gender Studies and Feminist Research at McMaster University. She is not only a survivor of sexual violence but has also worked with folx in this particular community for several years. Amelia focuses on applying a trauma-informed, anti-racist, anti-oppressive and harm reduction lens to everything that she does.


“R” is for Robert’s Rules 

Date: Thursday June 16th   |  Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm EST

Location: Zoom (virtual)  |  Featuring: David Feeney (he/him)

Session Overview: Who is Robert and why is he so interested in rules? While the idea of discussing how to run a meeting might sound deadly dull, David will do his best to keep this topic interesting and, of course, running efficiently, just as Robert intended. Join David to learn how to navigate Robert’s Rules and wow your colleagues when making a motion at your next meeting…or SOGS Council. 

*Strongly Encouraged for: All Chairs; All Councillors; All Executive and Non-Executive Officers; Bylaws & Constitution Committee Members (BCC); Policy Committee Members (PC)

Learn more about David HERE

Biography

David is a seasoned career development practitioner, assisting students in navigating a path to help them fulfill their career goals. Changing paths himself, after leaving Graduate School, David has a unique perspective on change and career design.  Whether through the facilitation of workshops or one-on-one appointments, David is committed to creative career development and sees the career path as a multi-forked road. In his current role David helps support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in their journey toward a meaningful life and career.  Film, theater, cooking and reading are activities that help David recharge.


Be Kind to Your Mind

Date: Friday June 17th   |  Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm EST

Location: UCC 147 A/B (in-person)  |  Featuring: Laura Donelan (she/her)

Session Overview: In this Skills Week session, you’ll learn general information about graduate student mental health, including how the pandemic has affected our mental well-being. Laura will shae ways to initiate and maintain positive mental health and how to help a friend/colleague in need of support including an overview of mental health resources that are available on campus and our local community.

*Strongly Encouraged for: All Executive and Non-Executive Officers; Graduate Peer Support Committee Members (GPS); Graduate Student Issues Committee Members (GSIC); Health Plan Committee Members (HPC); International Graduate Student Issues Committee Members (IGSIC)

Learn more about Laura HERE

Biography: Laura Donelan, MSW, RSW, is a Mental Health Counselor in Western’s department of Wellness and Well-Being and at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She has more than 25 years of experience providing counseling services to young adults in an education setting. Laura is a Western graduate student herself, in the MPEd program- Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice.

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