BCPF Member & Community Event Listings
Do you want members of the BCPF Advocacy Committee or Youth Leadership Committee to present to your school or work group about self-advocacy or our human rights? Please get in touch with us to book a presentation for your organization or to get more details.
All BCPF Members are invited to join us at our Annual General Meeting!
Wednesday, April 7th, 2021 | 5:30pm - 6:15pm PST
If you are a Member and want to attend, please register by April 1st to let us know you can make it. Just email us at bcpfcoordinator@gmail.com or hello@bcpeoplefirst.com. This is a virtual conference call meeting held by phone.
Call For Board Nominations
Our BC People First AGM is coming up on April 7th, 2021 at 5:30pm PST. There are a few Board of Directors terms coming to an end and all BCPF Members in good standing are invited to attend the AGM or apply to join the team as a Board Member.
To be a Member in good standing means that your BCPF Membership is up-to-date at least 30 days before the AGM. Please make sure your membership is active and up-to-date by March 8th to keep your voting rights with the BCPF Society and to be eligible for a Board position if you're interested.
To apply for a Board Member position please email us to express interest up to 3 weeks before the AGM - you must nominate yourself for a Board of Directors position by March 18th. Just email us to let us know you are a Member, what position you want to run for at the AGM election, and why you want to be a Board Member.
Being a member of the Board of Directors of BC People First is a very important role and a rewarding opportunity. As a Board member, you will work to promote the inclusion and full citizenship for people who feel labelled by disability and unheard in our province. You get to help decide on what the Society will focus on, what advocacy projects we work on, you get to participate in special training, learn new skills and make wonderful new friends. Our Board is operated by Self-Advocates and people with disabilities who are dedicated to the People First movement - we are an independent grassroots society run by volunteers.
2021 Positions Up For Election:
- Director, Vancouver Island/Sunshine Coast Region – located in this region, for example: Nanaimo, Victoria, Powell River, Sechelt, etc. – 3 year term
- Director, Lower Mainland East Region – located in this region, for example: Surrey, Langley, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, etc. – 3 year term
- Director, The North Region – located in this region, for example: Prince George, Prince Rupert, Smithers, Dawson Creek, Fort St John, etc. – 3 year term
- Director At Large – located anywhere in British Columbia – 3 year term
- Director At Large – located anywhere in British Columbia – 2 year term
Volunteer Position Time Commitment:
- Attend one Board meeting via conference call per month (these are currently on the 2nd Wednesday of each month). Joining projects, events and committees may require attending other meetings.
- Volunteer an average of 4-8 hours per month working on BCPF projects, committees, events, presentations, attending meetings, etc.
- Leading in-person social/educational events for Members in your area as needed and when opportunities come up.
- Most of our work is done virtually by phone, email, and Zoom. But the Board also meets as a group in-person once per year for the AGM or BC People First Conference. Your expenses for travel to these amazing events are provided by BCPF but travel costs are subject to our funding and grant allowances. (Due to the pandemic we are not currently doing any of our usual large in-person events).
Requirements:
- Be a member of BCPF in good standing. Membership is FREE.
- Have a passion for our values and mission
- Attend all board meetings, cannot miss more than 3 meetings per year. (There is no Board meeting in August or December).
- Agree to adhere to the BCPF Code of Conduct, representing yourself and the Society in a positive way.
- If needed, have a person that you trust to advise/help/support you in the role if needed. (This person will give their contact info to BCPF).
Skills that help Board Members do their work:
- Attends meetings regularly
- Is willing to serve on committees
- Speaks up during the meeting, not after the decision
- Keeps comments relevant
- Asks for the opinion of others
- Understands how to compromise
- Gives praise to others when due
- Accepts the majority vote in motions
- Reads background material and minutes
- Organizes thoughts before presenting
- Listens when others speak
- Keeps confidentiality of discussions
- Receives and gives constructive criticism
- Keeps their community and peers informed of BCPF events
- Speaks as one voice outside the “boardroom”
To Nominate:
- Email us your name, the position you are nominating for, and a short biography about you and why you want to be a Director of BCPF. Email us at hello@bcpeoplefirst.com or bcpfcoordinator@gmail.com.
- Nominations are due March 8th, 2021. There will NOT be nominations during the AGM event. This is because we need to send out the nomination candidate information to all BCPF Members for review 2 weeks before the AGM.
Help us design a BCPF "thinking of you" greeting card!
If you are a BCPF Member you can submit a design for our new greeting card. Submit your design by March 15th to be considered as a finalist for the contest. After the decision process from the BCPF Board of Directors, the winning card design will be chosen by April and announced at our AGM on April 7th, 2021.
The BCPF Member who designs the winning card design will win a $100 cash prize (the winner will receive a cheque) and have their art credited to them on the back of the card as well.
We're excited to checkout all your ideas and designs!
- You can draw, colour, paint, or use graphic design software to make your card design
- Anything you think would be a good design for the front of a "thinking of you" greeting card
- It must be an original design made by the person submitting it, not copied from anywhere else. You are the designer or creator of the art.
- Cards will be about 4" x 6" in size and designs can be vertical or horizontal, it's up to you
To submit your design just email a copy of it to us at BCPF by March 15th and let us know it is your original art design. Email us at bcpfcoordinator@gmail.com or hello@bcpeoplefirst.com. If you have any questions please let us know.

Join us February 25th and 26th, 2021 for a series of online Zoom workshops BY self-advocates FOR self-advocates in British Columbia.

- 11:00AM - 12:00PM | Keynote Speaker & Self-Advocacy Panel on the Power of Positivity. Keynote Speaker & Self-Advocacy Panel on the Power of Positivity with Karen Lai, Barb Goode, Charlene Barney, and Jo-Anne Gauthier. Hear from our panel of self-advocacy experts on how to stay positive when things are tough.
- 1:00 PM - 2:00PM | Free To Be Me. Presented by Jo-Anne Gauthier, Manjeet Ghangass, and Michaela Robinson. Learn about self-confidence and body image and how to stay strong when surrounded by media images that tell us to look and be a certain way.
- 3:00 PM - 4:00PM | CRPD Information & Training. Presented by Michael McLellan & Lorie Sherritt. Learn about our rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilties and how we use the CRPD to stand up for our rights.
- 11:00AM - 12:00PM | Entrepreneurship & Self-Advocacy Panel: Starting Your Own Business with panel members Margaux Wosk, Krystian Shaw, and Andrew Bingham. Plus, find out some information about supports available through WorkBC assistive technology services.
- 1:00PM - 2:00PM | Deinstitutionalization & Community Housing. Presented by David Sherritt, David Johnston, and Jo-Anne Gauthier. Learn about the history of institutionalization and what we can do to stop it.
- 3:00PM - 4:00PM | Digital Literacy & Computer Tips. Presented by Conrad Tyrkin and Kelly Reaburn. Find out about computer and internet safety and computer tips based on BCPF Member questions and concerns.
- 7:00PM - BCPF Members & Friends Zoom Social Happy Hour & 2021 Award Ceremony. Performer
Digger Dan will be playing for us and we will be announcing our Self-Advocate Leadership of the Year Award winners and having lots of fun! Please make sure your BCPF Membership is up-to-date to get the Happy Hour login link.
Join BCPF presenters Michael McLellan and Conrad Tyrkin for public speaking training in plain language. Michael and Conrad are both experienced facilitators and have lots of information and knowledge to share with other self-advocates and people who want to learn more about public speaking for self-advocacy success.
Join BC People First as we host a CRPD information and training session on Zoom with SALN - the Self Advocate Leadership Network of BC.

For the past eight months, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have faced unique challenges due to COVID-19.

Why Self-Advocacy? To find out why, join our panel of experienced self-advocates for stories and a live Q&A!

- Sherwin Strong, Self-Advocate Liaison
- Alexander Magnussen, CBI Employment Specialist
- Jo-Anne Gauthier, BCPF President & Self-Advocate Mentor
- Charlene Barney, Office Assistant & Self-Advocate Mentor
- Krystian Shaw, Reporter & Publisher at The Kamloops Self Advocate
- Conrad Tyrkin, BCPF Secretary & Youth Ambassador

BCPF Members are invited to join us on Zoom while we each separately complete the Canadian Human Rights Commission's survey about monitoring the CRPD.
Wednesday, July 29th, 2020
7:30PM - 8:30PM PST

Join us for virtual video meetings on Tuesday nights until December 15th, 2020
