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Join us at our AGM on June 17, 2021 - we will review Chapter business and then get right into a session you don't want to miss! About this Event As part of our AGM, we will have a very special learning component: Learning lessons of pandemic proportions with Chris Shewchuk, a communications director leading the COVID-19 response in B.C. Thursday, June 17, 2021 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM PT (including the AGM portion) on Zoom Free for CPRS members $65 for non-members Please register. Other notes: We will send a Zoom link to all registered participants a few days prior to the event. An AGM package will be sent to all CPRS-VI members as you will be required to vote on several items.

Five Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Design 10 Years Ago This session is for CPRS members who also have to produce some design work - whether it be for social, internal comms or something else. About this Event Whether the "designer" hat is one you've always wanted to wear or one that landed on you because there was nobody else to wear it, Peter will offer some tips on how to do it well. In this session about design basics, he will offer practical, honest takeaways for every kind of non-designer. What to try, what to avoid and when (and how!) to ask for help. Nobody will know that hat wasn't yours to begin with! Wed, March 31, 2021 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM PDT Please register: https://bit.ly/3sKkM8D This event is only for CPRS members and is free. You will be sent a Zoom link closer to the event date. About Peter: Peter Hunsinger is the communications manager for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. He holds a BFA from OCAD University and has been a practicing designer for over 13 years, working in marketing and communications shops and for private clients.

Each year, we celebrate our members in the month of March. We invite new communications professionals to join us and lapsed members to rejoin! if you've been thinking about joining, rejoining or renewing, here are some great reasons to do so this month: New members: Want to become a CPRS member but never got around to it? No better time than NOW! New members joining in March will not have to pay the $50 initiation fee. Calling all lapsed members: Renew your membership with CPRS in March and you won’t have to pay the $50 reinstatement fee. Renewing members: Got a member whose renewal date is in March? All members who renew in March will be entered into a draw to win a $50 voucher each week. Everyone who renews/joins in March will also be entered into a draw for a YEAR’S FREE MEMBERSHIP! Don't forget that all CPRS-VI members get access to all of our events for free until June 2021! Join us today! *The CPRS membership fee does not include the cost of also joining your local society, which is $50 for CPRS-VI.

This year the BC Communications Forums has grown into a new event spanning both marketing & communications. One full day dedicated to communication focused sessions + workshops One full day dedicated to marketing focused sessions + workshops Keep a head of the trends, hear directly from those with skin in the game and ensure you’re ready for wherever 2021 takes us. With an agenda created to deliver quality content from industry experts, you will walk away with strategy, tactics and knowledge you can immediately use to save time, energy and money. All from the safety of your own space, yet filled with unparalleled networking opportunities for that ‘close to real’ event feeling. Early bird pricing ends February 26, 2021 CPRS-VI has partnered with this event so that our members get an additional 10% off all pricing – YES, even early bird prices. Use code CPRSVI when you register. Watch our social channels for a chance to win a free day-pass! VISIT www.MarCommForum.com today to see the program and grab your seat.

Join your communications friends for a wellness-themed happy hour! Communications and public relations professionals from Vancouver Island are connecting online again! Pour yourself the beverage of your choice and join your friends — including those you have yet to meet — for our virtual wellness mixer on February 24. You can expect to share a few silly laughs and make connections as we check in with each other, and toast to the warm and sunny days ahead. Any communications pro can join us but this event is only free for CPRS members ($5 for non-CPRS-VI members). Please register so that we can send you the Zoom link on the day of the event. We look forward to hanging out with you! Wednesday, February 24 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Any communications pro can join us but the event is only free for CPRS members. (It is $5 for non-members). Please register so that we can send you the Zoom link! We look forward to hanging out with you!

What are our responsibilities as communications professionals living and working on colonized, Indigenous land? We are honoured to invite you to join Kamala Todd and your CPRS friends to begin an introspective journey that will help us begin to explore our role in reconciliation. Kamala, a Métis-Cree mother, community planner, educator, and filmmaker who was born and raised in the beautiful lands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Skwxwú7mesh-speaking people (also known as Vancouver), will share her own learning and lived experiences with us. This conversation will inspire and encourage self-reflection, offer questions to ask ourselves about our responsibilities and relationships, and provide an opportunity for discussion. Kamala will also share some resources and tips to continue our own learning. Thursday, November 26, 2020 6:30 - 8:00 pm (PST) Zoom Cost: free for CPRS members, $65 for non-members Please register More about Kamala: Kamala is an adjunct professor for the Urban Studies Program at Simon Fraser University. Recently, she was the City of Vancouver’s first Indigenous arts and culture planner, where she co-wrote the City's culture plan, Culture|Shift: Blanketing the City through Arts and Culture, and worked actively to decolonize planning processes. Kamala has twenty years experience working through community planning, storytelling, video, and public art to increase awareness of the diverse stories of Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and urban Indigenous people in Vancouver. As a consultant, she was engaged with the Vancouver Dialogues Project, which brought together First Nations, urban Indigenous, and immigrant communities to build circles of dialogue and cultural-sharing. Read Kamala's biography: https://www.sfu.ca/.../adjunct-faculty/kamala-todd.html Watch her videography: https://vimeo.com/kamalatodd -------------------- A Zoom link will be emailed to all registrants closer to the event date. This event is the first of three events organized by the BC chapters of CPRS. ------------- All CPRS-VI hosted events are currently free for CPRS members until June 2021! Why? Because we care about you and we value your membership in our communications community. 2020 has been a tough year, but being a CPRS member shouldn't be. If you haven't renewed or are thinking of becoming a CPRS-VI member, join us today. https://cprs.ca/Join-us

Ever wonder why some key messages work, and some don’t. Are you writing key messages that don’t get used or picked up? **Update: members can watch the recording of this session at https://cprs.ca/Learn ** About this Event Sharlene Smith, APR, FCPRS, LM, will be speaking to us about what makes a good key message, how to develop them, and use them so that they're helping to achieve your communication goals and objectives. She will also talk about common mistakes. Feel free to bring a project or organization you’re working with that needs a key message refresh for this practical Lunch & Learn session. This free CPRS members-only event will offer tips for new and seasoned communication professionals. Please register so that we can send you a Zoom link prior to the event. Date: October 28, 2020 Time: Noon- 1 pm How: On Zoom Who: CPRS members only Cost: Free Register here. About Sharlene: Sharlene Smith, APR, FCPRS, LM is the owner/operator of CommPlan Canada, a communication management consulting firm she established in 1997 that specializes in strategic planning, training & coaching, facilitation and project management. She has a reputation for combining strategic thinking with the practical ability to get things done. In addition to her consulting practice, Sharlene is a founding member of both the University of Victoria and Royal Roads University’s public relations programs where she has taught hundreds of public relations and communications practitioners from across Canada. Sharlene has extensive governance experience; having held leadership positions with national, provincial and local organizations. She is currently the chair of the Board of Lymphoma Canada, a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and a life member of the Canadian Public Relations Society. Sharlene was inducted into the CPRS College of Fellows in 2003 and is a recipient of the Society’s Lamp of Service - Canada's most coveted public relations honor for an individual member.

September feels like a new start for our chapter. A new Board of Directors was voted in at our AGM in June, we spent some time planning in August and now we are back in the swing of things. So, welcome to our new year! 2020 has been challenging - as professionals, as parents, as family members, as friends, as community members, and as citizens of the world. There is so much that is still unknown and that creates all sorts of discomfort in many of us. What I do know though is that we have an incredibly supportive PR/communications community at the local, provincial, and national levels. I've experienced it first hand in the last few months and I can say with certainty that we will come together, collaborate, innovate and be there for one another more than we ever have before. I've put together this (amateur!) video so that you can see my face, get to know me better, and hear what you can expect from your chapter in the coming months. I would like to thank my incredible Board of Directors, Catherine Dooner (Past President), Celia Sollows APR (Treasurer), Gaëlle van Erp (Membership Chair), and Michelle Collyer (Secretary) for working so hard for our communications community on Vancouver Island. I invite you to read our Guiding Principles to get a peek at our beliefs and how we choose to continue to work together as a Board. I look forward to seeing you (virtually) soon, Tatiana President, CPRS-Vancouver Island

Join your communications friends for our first (virtual) happy hour of the fall season! It's been a while since we've spent time together. We know that you've been busy, that things have been rough the last few months, and that you are most likely zoomed-out. So this event is only one hour long and is all about reconnecting, replenishing our cup, and having some laughs. Join us with something that makes you happy - a glass of wine, a cup of tea, a beer, chocolate, Skittles, cookies, eye mask, whatever! We will reconnect and play a fun game of communications "I never". Tuesday, September 22, 2020 6:30 - 7:30 pm Any communications pro can join us but the event is only free for CPRS-VI members. ($5 for non-CPRS-VI members.) Please register so that we can send you the Zoom link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/virtual-happy-happy-hour-tickets-119641130843 We look forward to hanging out with you!

Neal Tougas was officially presented with the Denis Racine Bursary at the virtual CPRS-VI AGM on June 24, 2020. Neal is sharing the following blog post with us so we can get to know him a little better, as he advances his education in public relations and communications. I am honoured to be this year’s recipient of the Denis Racine Bursary. Nearing the end of my program, I am excited to continue learning in an environment with inspiring organizations and individuals. The bursary will be dedicated toward my budget in the remaining school year. Last year, I decided to attend the Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communication program at Royal Roads University. Since then, I've had opportunities to work alongside organizations in the community. I’ve endured the hardships of an intensive program but embraced many rich experiences. I've challenged myself with projects in multi-media production, communications planning and more. I am also a volunteer for organizations such as the Royal Roads University Student Association and the Canadian Public Relations Society. Within my roles, I continue to challenge myself as a leader in the community. In November of 2019, I joined RRUSA to Orlando, Florida, for the National Conference on Student Leadership. There we participated with professionals of varying industries from around the continent in engaging workshops. While studying, I have applied my newfound skills as Vice President of Communications for RRUSA. In previous months, I have been more involved with my university and the community than ever before. Lately, we have been hosting online contests to give students a chance to win a Skip the Dishes coupon, simply by entering an Instagram contest. We constantly strive to build a wider sense of community for the students. What astonishes me about communications is the relevance it paints on modern society. Every day, I see new topics that recall a portion of my studies. The need to convey clear and effective messages becomes so present, especially today. 2020 has been a ride so far, but it's made me appreciate the importance of my studies, for better or for worse. I am full of excitement as I enter this new world and prepare for more rich experiences. Thank you to both Denis Racine's family and CRPS-VI for the support. The assistance is greatly appreciated. - Neal

Join us at our AGM - we will review Chapter business and then get right into the learning and fun stuff! If you are a CPRS-VI member and you can't make it, please send in your vote via proxy. We need 20 voting members to have a quorum. All the details have been sent to you via email. If you have any questions, please send an email to our chapter secretary at cprs.vi.secretary@gmail.com. Thank you! About this Event: As part of our AGM, we will have a very special learning component - a presentation and discussion lead by Andy Watson of the BC Coroners Service & Joint Information Centre for COVID-19 . Topic: Communicating in the midst of a dual health emergency Andy will discuss the communications lessons learned for communicators during the BC Government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The session will include a brief presentation and facilitated discussion to examine the effectiveness of frequent and timely communications during a public health crisis and the challenges presented for non-health related impacts and how to communicate those effectively and with credibility. The discussion will also explore the complexity of keeping a concurrent public health emergency, the illicit drug overdose crisis, on the radar in B.C. Discussion topics will include the overall provincial response and structure, credibility of spokespeople, how Dr. Bonnie Henry became a celebrity almost overnight, and some of the unintended consequences of having a health response and non-health response. While the presentation will suggest some lessons learned, it is designed to facilitate discussion so we invite you to participate! Registration: Free for CPRS-VI members, $5 for non-members. To register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/cprs-vi-annual-general-meeting-tickets-108792689864 We will email a Zoom link two days prior to the event to everyone who is registered.

We are accepting applications for the Denis Racine Student Bursary until May 13, 2020. Denis Racine was a prominent figure in Victoria's public relations community and a strong mentor for youth. He was president of both CPRS-VI and CPRS National as well as Tournament Director for the Times Colonist Open and an advisor for the University of Victoria. This $1,000 bursary is awarded annually to a CPRS-VI student member who lives on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands, is registered in a communications-based post-secondary educational program, and has completed three or more courses. Apply here. At least one bursary is awarded each year. The successful recipient will be expected to write a thank you note to Denis Racine’s family as well as be invited to write a CPRS-VI blog post for future promotional purposes. The deadline is May 13, 2020. ​ Read about Paula Duncan who was the 2018-2019 recipient.