Strive

NEW TO STRIVE ONLINE! 💻📣

Did you miss some of our recent professional learning events? The session recording for "Renegade Rules: Words Teach More Than We Think - Session 1: Do I Have to Say Sorry?" is now available on Strive Online! This is available for free on the new password-protected Strive Online - no account required!

Watch this session to:
💙 Explore how “being nice” can sometimes get in the way of meaningful learning and authentic connection. Unpack the messages sent through forced apologies and compliance-based responses, and look at how these approaches can unintentionally limit empathy and accountability.

Sessions 2 and 3 of Renegade Rules are coming up on June 11 and 25!

Visit www.strive-online.ca and enter the password (message us if you need it). Scroll down to "Just Added" or browse all areas of learning.

In an era of digital disconnect, authentic connection is the new luxury. "Social Fitness & The Art of Presence: Rebuilding In-Person Connection", facilitated by Sofia Eidath and Sam Tall of Railway City Improv, helps professionals rebuild their social agility by moving beyond "parallel play" to "Active Connection." Using the principles of applied improv, we focus on lowering social anxiety, silencing perfectionism, and hardwiring the psychological safety needed for high-stakes, in-person collaboration. Participants will learn to treat every interaction as an "offer," transforming "Wait-to-Speak" syndrome into radical acceptance and genuine presence. While this session is hosted by an improv group, it is not comedy based. It is focused on conversation and listening.

📅 Wed. July 8
🕡 6:30 - 8:00 PM
📍 Civic Gardens Complex - Birch Room (625 Springbank Dr., London)
💲 London/Middlesex Professional: Pay What You Can | Elgin/Oxford Professional: $10 (Ticket type is based on the county you WORK in)

Registration closes on Tues. July 7 at 12:00 PM. Learn more at www.striveswo.ca/event-posts/social-fitness

Strive’s Professional Resource Centre and offices will be closed on Wed. July 1 for Canada Day. We will be open regular hours Tues. June 30 and Thurs. July 2.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to connect with us via phone, email, or DM!

Do you have a professional learning topic request? Share it with us so we can bring it to our community! ✨

Strive follows a community endorsement process for professional learning opportunities. This means that between identifying topics of need, researching facilitators, and bringing them forward for endorsement, learning opportunities may take several months to become available to professionals.

To help support and streamline this process, we encourage community members to submit requests at https://forms.gle/RrrTLxLxDFEyi3Fr5 (which is also found at the bottom of our Event's page). A higher volume of detailed requests for specific topics or skills may allow us to prioritize and action opportunities more quickly!

NEWLY ADDED! 📣

Educators ready to take on the outdoors, join us for our next Outdoor Play Community of Practice! 🌿🤸‍♀️

Facilitated by Childreach’s WILD CHILD team (Nadine Reeves, RECE, Tandy Morton, MSc, OCT, and Nicole Van Beers), this Community of Practice invites professionals who work with children in outdoor environments to come together and collaboratively reflect on leading and supporting outdoor play and learning in various early learning and childcare programs.

📅 Tues. July 14
🕡 6:30 - 8:00 PM
📍 Westminster Ponds (930 Western Counties Rd., London)

Registration closes Mon. July 13 at 12:00 PM. All Community of Practices are FREE for professionals in the regions we operate. A reminder that ticket type is based on the county you work in. Learn more at www.striveswo.ca/event-posts/cop-outdoor-july

Thank you to all of the ECEC leaders who joined us on Friday for two sessions of The Aware Leader! We hope this half-day professional learning provided insight into the impact words and actions can have in creating inclusive workplaces. We also hope you left feeling empowered with the tools provided to facilitate Strive's new DEIB microlearnings, ensuring every educator in our sector has a foundational understanding of these important topics.

A special thank you to Mariam Waliji, Caitlin Villeneuve, and Eaman Fahmy for facilitating our morning keynote, leading us through such an impactful presentation, and creating a space for thoughtful reflection and conversation.

Thank you to the City of London for funding this special learning opportunity for leaders.

Finally, thank you to everyone in attendance who donated products to help us Fill the Truck with Fairy Godparents London & Area! We appreciate you so, so much!

Hear all about our upcoming opportunities for learning, connection, and reflection during your June 2026 Professional Learning Update with Andera! 🎤

Listen now at www.striveswo.ca/podcast-posts/minisode-43 or through our link in bio!

Also available on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts! ✨