In case you missed it, interVivos is hosting its first community engagement event in over three years! On May 11th, we’re saying thank u, next to gender-based pandemic roadblocks, and thank u, yes, to Edmonton-made solutions.
Sarah Chan is our emcee for the evening. She was a natural fit for the role. Her love of mentorship and community advocacy made it a no-brainer for us. Before the event kicks off, we are sharing Sarah’s perspective on the shifts taking place around us. Everything from work and life to friendships and community — we know she has a lot to share that we as a community can learn from.
Sarah is a musician, yoga advocate, and community thought leader. She is also the Community Engagement & Relationships Lead with the Alberta Mentoring Partnership (AMP). AMP is a network of community mentoring agencies, government, and leaders working together to raise the profile of mentoring in Alberta.
interVivos recently became a partner with AMP. This was due in large part to Sarah’s encouragement to join.
Mentorship is a big part of our work here at interVivos. Our next mentorship program will be launching this summer…in person! Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s get back to sharing Sarah’s reflections.
Rediscovering skills The last two years have been one of crisis for many, but some positives have managed to emerge. “I have worked from home running my music studio for many years [but] one of the big changes [for me] was teaching music virtually,” Sarah shares. “It was great to realize how effective and convenient it could be. I rediscovered a lot of skills I had developed while teaching group music classes in my twenties.”
Strengthening relationships that matter most Building and maintaining networks during the pandemic have also proven to be a challenge. When reflecting on her friendships, Sarah says “I am an extrovert by nature, but it turns out I really, really enjoy my own company too! There was a lot of chatter about editing friendships because of the shift. I am proud to report that the people in my circle of supportive friends are now even stronger than ever.”
Being intentional Sarah also talks about how the pandemic forced her to be intentional. “We had to really reflect on what was or wasn’t working both at work and socially. Seeing friends had to be very structured. We had to seek consent constantly! It was a great time for reflection”.
The interVivos team feels so encouraged to see that community connection can continue to grow — even prosper — despite obstacles with meeting in person.
Earlier this week, we held a dress rehearsal for the event with Sarah. She was so upbeat and positive. We’ve been so focused on planning the event that we haven’t taken much time to breathe and celebrate success. She reminded us of the importance of being patient and accepting that mistakes happen.
thank u, next will be interVivos’ fourth virtual event during the pandemic. Thanks to the support of community leaders like Sarah, we’ve been able to strengthen our non-profit and inspire more Edmontonians.
Join Sarah and other community leaders on May 11th as we say thank u, next, and move forward together as a community. Tickets are available here. If you can’t join us, check out the blog for sharings from the event or follow the event hashtag #ThankUNextYeg.