Lilly Grant Webinars 2025
We’re grateful for the funds from the Lilly Grant Foundation that made this series of webinars possible.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm ET
Trauma-Informed Practice: Fundamental Concepts for Complex Workplaces
Supporting people with complex needs can be challenging. Providing responsive and compassionate service is only possible when we recognize the pervasive impact that trauma can have on a person’s life and the way they engage with the world. When we reframe our perspective from “what is wrong with you” to “what happened to you,” we help to create an atmosphere of safety, trust, and collaboration.
In this setting, we empower the people we serve, those we work alongside, and ourselves to fully engage with the services we provide.
This training provides an introduction to the fundamentals of trauma-informed practice.
Key Learnings
• Understand trauma and identify myths and assumptions.
• Learn about the long-term impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on physical and mental well-being.
• Review the six guiding principles of a trauma-informed approach.
Click Here to Register
About Marlene O’Neill Laberge. MSW
Specialist in Organizational Health and High-Stress, Trauma-Exposed Work
Marlene is an Organizational Health Specialist and is the lead of the TEND Organizational Health Roadmap Program where she works collaboratively with leaders to create the best possible work environments for their teams. Marlene is a skilled trainer teaching on the topic of secondary traumatic stress, organizational health, trauma-informed practices, debriefing and intractable problems. Marlene taps into her years of experience by using stories and case examples to illustrate concepts in a tangible and engaging way. Marlene has worked in a variety of settings, including health care, child welfare, child advocacy and community mental health. With over 20 years of experience, she has worked in front-line, consultant and leadership roles across sectors, as well as within multidisciplinary teams. Marlene holds her Masters of Social Work, is a Certified Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator, a Certified Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, and is trained in DBT Skills for Adolescents.
Learn More About TEND Academy Ltd
tendacademy.ca
Wednesday, August 13, 2025 | 1:00pm ET
Becoming Ourselves with AI
A conversation about change, faith, and possibility
Join us for a thoughtful and down-to-earth conversation about AI: what it is changing, what still matters, and how we can faithfully show up in this moment. This session is not a tech tutorial. It is an invitation to pause and reflect on our relationship with a technology that is already shaping our lives, work, and faith communities.
Our guest is Curt Hammond, Service Champion at FourSimpleWords.ca and co-founder of the +AI Mindset. Passionate about the positive impact AI can have on our faith communities, he brings warmth, clarity, and a relentless curiosity to this space. Together, we will explore questions of leadership, service, and calling in the age of AI, especially through the lens of “Who are we becoming?”
Designed for faith and lay leaders, this session will create space to wrestle with new possibilities and stretch old hesitations. Come as you are, whether you are already experimenting or still deeply unsure. All are welcome
Click Here to Register
About Curt Hammond
Curt Hammond helps leaders ask better questions about technology, culture, and service. He is co-founder of the +AI Mindset and AskLucky.ai, and a partner at Four Simple Words. His work is rooted in curiosity, dignity, and a deep belief in human-centred change. He is a proud member of Hope Springs United Church located in Elora, Ontario.
Thursday, September 18, 2025 | 1:00pm - 2:30pm ET
Intergenerational Ministry
More Radical than We Realize
In the midst of an awareness of growing diversity and declining church attendance, many congregations are considering shifting their worship and formation practices to better include people of all ages. Intergenerational ministry is more than just putting people of different generations in the same room. It is a call to reimagine the practices by which faith communities engage in worship and become formed as disciples of Jesus. In this webinar, we will consider theories and practices that help congregations bring the generations together, focusing especially on how leaders can implement gradual changes as they experiment with all-age ministry.
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About David M. Csinos
David M. Csinos (www.davecsinos.com) is Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and founder of Faith Forward (faith-forward.net), an ecumenical network for innovation in ministry with children, youth, and families. Dave also serves as research director for Family Faith Every Day, a project of Chalice Media Group. He is author of several books and resources, including A Gospel for All Ages, Children’s Ministry in the Way of Jesus, and the upcoming book Church Together: An Essential Guide to All-Age Ministry, with Traci Smith. Dave is a sought-after speaker on topics related to children’s and youth ministry, faith formation, and ministry innovation.