Month: December 2018

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A New Year. A Proclamation of Purpose.

2019 – Our Word of the Year – PURPOSE. 

In just under four years Doula Canada has accomplished a number of its development and organizational goals.  Our team is proud of its full-spectrum training opportunities, but we are even more proud of the passionate membership we have grown and retained.

Doula Canada.  You are amazing!

Although our goal-setting and development strategies are not set in motion by the dawning of a new fiscal year, we can’t help but get a caught up in the motivational elation a New Year brings forward.

2019.  You are going to bring new adventures!

So, what is Doula Canada going to achieve in 2019? 

Well, time will tell! 

But we begin our the new year with the launch of our Finding Your Centre: The Intentional Doula workshop, and as such are determined to live and teach in the present moment.  At this exact moment I am enjoying writing this resolution blog and enjoying some fine sips of Costa Rican coffee!  That being said, 2019 does have its defined focus.

What is our Call to Action for the year ahead? 

To confer to the world our PURPOSE.

Purpose is defined as:

noun – the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

“the purpose of the meeting is to develop our national alongside doula program”

or

verb – have as one’s intention or objective.

“My purpose as a doula is to positively effect the well-being of our countries future generations.”

The word “purpose” was intentionally chosen as a natural progression of our 2018 pathway “connection.”  2018 was all about building community, making connections, and beginning collaborations.  You can read more about that here at our 2018 Reflection Blog.

2019 will nurture connections and further develop the infrastructure and the programs that will expand our purpose as Canadian doulas and childbirth educators.  It will also be the year that we take our message about infant and maternal well-being outside of our great nation to develop our international voice.

We are Doula CANADA, but we have dedicated members in numerous countries! 

We will be making the space to hold difficult but important conversations with those who are working towards related support goals, and with those who make decisions about recognizing and heralding the work of our modern day support professionals.  We will be asking for more.  We will be asking for admission and appreciation.  We will be sharing our purpose and developing new ways to facilitate the exchange of discourse we hope 2019 will manifest. 

Purpose.  We will not be defining it.  That has been done.  We will be proclaiming it!

With our proclamation that Doula Canada is the Canadian voice for doulas and childbirth educators we will also be launching new programs, welcoming new positions on our team, and assisting in the development of our members goals and aspirations.

Here are some of the new and exciting things launching in 2019:

We will be showcasing our purpose and experience in places and partners in:

  • Federal and provincial ministries related to our professional goals
  • Programs and partnerships related to maternal and infant mental health
  • Fundraising and grant designating bodies who can assist with our Doula Fund
  • Infant and pregnancy loss conferences and affiliated community partnerships
  • Tanzania volunteer program, and other volunteer programs abroad 
  • Costa Rica retreat and alongside doula opportunities (Fall/ Winter 2019)
  • North American conferences (i.e. Evidence Based Birth in Fall 2019)

We encourage our members to contact us with conference opportunities and community partnerships you feel Doula Canada should take part in.

Purpose.  2019 you now have your Call to Action.  May be you be filled with vision, may you be progressive, and may you be always filled with badassery! 

Love, light and gratitude for the adventures of 2019 ahead. 

~ Shaunacy, and the amazing Doula Canada team

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About Us birth collaboration community connection gratitude Members Mentorship Postpartum Doula starting fresh

2018, a year of connection – A message from our Director

2018.  A year of connection.
A message of reflection from our Director.

When the last light switch is turned off on our yearly trainings I like to sit back and reflect on the growth, the hiccups, and the bounty of support we have created at Doula Canada.  Were our 2018 goals achieved?  What were the lessons we learned?  How can we make this better for our members in the year to come?  

365 days of continuous trainings and member support can feel like a daunting task at the turning of the new calendar year, but 2018 leaned towards healthy growth via the streamlining of our online learning centre and the dedication of our expert training staff.   In short, this past year was a year of vibrancy and commitment by our growing membership, our hardworking team, and the community of networking partners we set out to encompass.

It was also a lot of fun!  We made videos, held webinars, and we increased our communitas for members who wished to take part in our online check-in’s, social media platforms, monthly newsletters, and closed community forums.  

But fun wasn’t the only focus of this past year.  2018 was about making connections and beginning the work on collaborations both with and for our Doula Canada members.  The year allowed for us to ask and to receive.

In Canada we found incredible partnerships in The Gabriel Dumont Institute and the onset of our Indigenous Doula program.  We set the groundwork for our doula programs to be offered bilingually through Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB).  We continued to strengthen our relationship with Douglas College in New Westminster, BC, and we began discussions with multiple national partners to increase access to doula support through increased funding, alongside obstetrical partnerships, and increased awareness of maternal and infant mental health.  

We are grateful to have held space and made plans with First Family Wellness (Regina), Beausoleil First Nation (Christian Island), BirthMark (Toronto), Hon. Min. John Haggie (Newfoundland) and his community partners, Canadian Mental Health Association (National), and a number of hospital administrators and boards.  We look forward to continuing our discussions and plans in 2019.

Connections were also made outside of Canada as our team worked to create bridges between the maternal support needs of International communities and the strength of our Doula nation and its trainings.  Many of our members volunteered in countries like Honduras, Costa Rica, and Haiti, and in early 2019 a number of Doula Canada students will travel to Tanzania with Wombs of the World to work as alongside obstetrical support, and to increase access to safe water and sustainable job opportunities.  We will continue to support these initiatives as we make plans for future retreat and learning opportunities held abroad by Doula Canada in 2019.  

Lastly, 2018 was a year of growth.  As an organization we saw our membership increase by over 38% from the previous fiscal year, and we expanded our certifications and workshop offerings to include expansive programs such as Infant and Pregnancy Loss, Sex and Birth, Rock Your VBAC, and the announcement of our Fertility Support and Menopause Practitioner trainings. 

So, 2018, you were kind to us, and for that we are grateful.  Our organization at Doula Canada grew and created beautiful connections that we look forward to nurturing in 2019.   As the Director for this organization I am continuously grateful for the opportunities to learn from each of our members, for those who put forward their best intention to help our Learning Centre get off the ground, and for all the individuals who continue to show up for our profession and our communities.   I am also grateful to the Doula Canada team, who work 24/7, 365 days a year to support our growing membership and their professional needs.

This New Year’s Eve we will ring it in with many new friends and colleagues, and for that we say…

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