Leadership training

Leadership training

All CISV Canada leaders, staff and Junior Counsellors (JCs) are required to go through rigorous leadership training at both the local and national levels. Local leadership training is facilitated by the local chapter, and national leadership training is facilitated by the National Leadership Training Committee over a weekend in the spring. At these national training weekends, CISV leaders-to-be meet people from other chapters who will be participating in similar programmes, further prepare for the upcoming programme, and exchange ideas and experiences from CISV, all while getting to know CISV in a fun, camp-like environment.

Who attends?
  • Leaders for Village, Youth Meeting, Step Up, and Interchange (new to the program OR who have not received training in that program and that position in the last THREE years);
  • Junior Counsellors; and,
  • Staff for Villages, Step Ups, and Youth Meetings hosted in Canada.
  • National Leadership Trainer Bios

Please Note: All leaders as identified above MUST attend national leadership training. Trainees are expected to attend the national leadership training in their region, and to stay for the duration of the training.

What should I do to prepare for National Leadership Training?

You will receive local leadership training prior to attending National Leadership Training.  If you have not received local training and/or local training is not scheduled, please contact your local leadership trainer or chapter chair as soon as possible. 

Start making a list of questions you want answered. The training days are very busy, but there is always some time available for informal discussions and a chance to ask questions of experienced leaders. Past participants have found this to be a very valuable aspect of national leadership training. 

What to bring?

Make sure you pack for the weather as it can be very unpredictable. You should bring:

  • a sleeping bag and pillow
  • towel and toiletries
  • flashlight
  • change of clothes for a weekend away
  • rain boots AND/OR separate footwear for indoor and outdoor use (the campgrounds can get very muddy in wet weather)
  • pen, paper and a binder for additional handouts
  • CISV spirit!!!
What to expect?

We have a very limited time together so the training weekends are intensively packed with material and activities. The day gets started by 8am and activities run until 10pm. Yes, there are meal times and breaks, but you can expect to feel a bit like the pace of the weekend is “go, go, go”!  In order to avoid getting tired and overwhelmed it’s important to arrive fully rested and ready to take part in a fun and information packed weekend. Also, one aspect of the weekend is to recreate a CISV camp-like atmosphere. As such, we expect participants to stay on-site throughout the weekend and to ensure that all formal and informal activities are fully inclusive.

How do I get to the campsite?

It is the responsibility of each participant to arrange their transportation to training. However, we strongly encourage that each chapter coordinate communal transportation/carpooling to the site in order to save money and cut back on emissions. Often the best way to coordinate your travel with other participants from your chapter is to contact your chapter’s local leadership trainer. See below for details of travel costs.

Please be on time. Ensure that you are at the training site by 7 PM on Friday at the latest. Training ends on Sunday at noon. Allow for driving time to and from site and arrange your travel plans accordingly.

Trainers and participants are all travelling from many different cities and regions to attend training.  Please be courteous:  plan to arrive on time and ready to participate in a fun weekend of training.

Cost of National Leadership Training

For all those required to attend training, travel and registration fees are paid by CISV Canada.

Anyone is welcome to attend National Leadership Training, space permitting, at their own expense.  We strongly encourage Canadians travelling as international staff to attend the nearest staff training session (note that not every workshop is set up to train staff). The registration fee for National Leadership Training is $150 per participant.

2020 Leadership Training

Dates and locations
  • Eastern: May 8-10, 2020
    Location: Montreal
  • Central: May 1-3, 2020
    Location: London
  • Western: April 24-26, 2020
    Location: Saskatoon
Registration
  • Eastern Training
    • Coming soon
  • Central Training
    • Coming soon
  • Western Training 
    • Coming soon