When Reem Alsaegh came to Canada from Lebanon in 2014, she was eager to continue her career in electrical engineering. First, she would need to pass examinations required to earn a P.Eng. license. “When my family and I first came to Canada, I needed to pass licensing exams. This was overwhelming along with all the challenges of relocating, and I knew I needed support to prepare for the exam. That’s why I came to the School of Continuing Studies (SCS),” recalls Reem. 

In 2016, Reem enrolled in our Licensing International Engineers into the Profession (LIEP) Program: Electrical. This certificate supports internationally educated engineering graduates who wants to work as a professional engineer in Canada, and helps them earn their P. Eng. license. “When I reviewed the curriculum, I felt immediately relieved and confident that this certificate would prepare me to pass my examinations,” says Reem. “SCS offered the support I needed to navigate becoming licensed in a new country.”

Throughout the certificate, which is offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at U of T, Reem worked with her expert instructors to review basic principles and solve problems by working through previous examinations and model questions. “We explored laws of contracts and torts, ethical aspects, social responsibility, and sustainability issues faced by professional engineers,” says Reem. “The biggest benefit however was improving my confidence going into the exam, and being surrounded by peers who were in the same situation as me. It was really comforting and interesting to study with other learners who had the same goals. We could really relate to one another. Everyone came from different backgrounds and cultures, but we were all in same place with the same focus. It was really beautiful to have that level of comradery and support.”

Reem’s hard work and dedication paid off; she has passed her exams, and her application to earn her P. Eng. license is currently being processed. Today, Reem is working at an engineering firm as an electrical designer in transportation, and is eager to take on more responsibility once she has her official license in hand. However, her commitment to lifelong learning has only just begun. “I was working while taking the certificate, and could apply what I was learning in class the next day at work. I was able to bring fresh ideas to the table. My next goal is to study project management at SCS, because most of my work is really project-based and I want to learn more about how to handle complicated projects from A-Z,” asserts Reem. “SCS helped me get back into the career I love. I feel more confident, more settled. Soon I will be a fully licensed engineer in Canada; my future feels bright.”

Early in the pandemic, I was asked to re-write several email campaigns for a client. Why? The current version, which had been just fine, was suddenly out-of-step with all that was going on. Had my client ran with that copy, he would have received more complaints than sales.

That is the continuing challenge for copywriters during this pandemic. Even with vaccines getting into arms and hope (at last) in sight, the rules have been altered. 

Perhaps permanently. 

That's not necessarily a bad thing. I think copywriting has become more relevant, authentic— even caring. Sure, marketing copy still needs to be persuasive and sell, but the approach that works best these days is to have a genuine conversation with your audience rather than merely pitching them.

So, if we were to break these changes down into practical writing tips, what would they be? Here's my take...

1. Update your buyer personas

Your target buyer has changed; dust off those buyer personas and update them. If they were created before March 2020, they're way out of date.

What are your customers thinking about right now? What's concerning them? What are their hopes and desires? No doubt, the answers are very different than from a year ago. Even the way your customers buy may be different. These days, distribution managers are buying forklift trucks online. Business owners are retaining marketing firms via a Zoom call. Hardly anyone buys the same way anymore. Does your marketing copy reflect that? 

2. Write even more conversationally

In my copywriting workshops, I often show a picture of two people—a business owner and a prospective customer—chatting casually about a new product. I say, "Imagine how these two are talking? That's the conversational style and tone you want in your copy."

That's even more true now.

If stiff and formal marketing copy still had some life in it a year ago, it's dead today. You can no longer be aloof in your messages or hide behind "brand-speak" or, worse, "corporate-speak." People are demanding a more authentic connection from the companies they choose to buy from. Make sure your copywriting does that.

3. Focus more on facts and details

People are hungry for certainty. They're craving facts, details, and good information. So, as much as possible, fill your marketing copy with those ingredients. Use plenty of testimonials. Reference highly-credible sources. Quote the latest statistics.

Take as much of the uncertainty as possible from your campaigns and other marketing communications. And while we're on this topic, have you been using a "fact" in your marketing writing that's getting old? For example, "47% of home buyers say they hate virtual home tours," says a study from... ah... 2016. A lot can change in four years! Get the most recent information.

4. Be ultra-realistic about benefits and outcomes

As every good copywriter knows, you must paint an enthusiastic yet realistic picture of benefits and expected outcomes. Otherwise, you won't be credible. That hasn't changed. What has changed is that buyers are being extra cautious and scrutinizing the claims made in marketing copy much more closely. 

That doesn't mean you can't come on strong and persuasive. You definitely can and should. Just double-check that the benefits and promises you're presenting are realistic. And back everything up with facts and details (see point #3).

5. Make your marketing copy rewarding

Sometimes, your marketing copy is making a straight-on pitch. For example, when you write an email to announce a big discount. However, if you just pitch, pitch, pitch with every marketing piece you create, you're going to give your buyers "pitch fatigue" (and they already have Zoom fatigue)!

An alternative approach is to make your marketing copy rewarding in and of itself. For example, you can write an email promoting a big discount—but also include a few tips on how to get more from the product. That makes the email exciting and helpful to the buyer, whether they buy or not. Salespeople do this all the time. They call it "adding value with every contact." It's an approach to copywriting I've seen working well over the past year.

COVID has changed the way we write copy. Keep these tips in mind the next time you're crafting a promotional email, ad, or web page.

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Steve Slaunwhite is a copywriting expert and author of The Everything Guide to Writing Copy (Simon & Schuster.) He teaches courses in the Strategic Copywriting Certificate at SCS. Learn more about Steve’s work at www.SteveSlaunwhite.com.

Being mindful in daily life is a skill. It’s all about paying attention to what you want to pay attention to, and seeing things clearly as they are. Many of the influential ads and technologies in our society aim to pull you away from what’s happening in the moment by triggering your desires, insecurities, and fears. That’s why it’s especially important to set parental limits for your inner child the same way you might with a bag of Doritos.

Remove specific apps from your phone

When you’re out and about in the world, what’s that one app that draws you to keep pulling out your phone? Is it social media? News? Games? Or maybe your work email? Whatever it is, do an experiment: pull out your phone, and delete that app now. Notice that little voice in your head saying “I can’t delete that app.” Is that true? I never thought I’d be able to remove email from my phone, especially since I work in tech. But I did, and it’s been wonderful. Best of all, my colleagues have learned to wait for my replies and they don’t seem to mind, either. Delete your cherished apps. It’ll be hard at first, but you’ll thank me in a week.

Use break timers when you’re working

When working on the computer, breaks are critical for your hips, shoulders, neck, eyes, and your mind. It’s easy to dismiss them, but they can make a world of difference, keeping you balanced and flexible throughout the workday. Set your own alarms or search online for one of the many break timers out there. I personally enjoy a 5 minute break every 40 minutes, and I keep a sticky with a short list of break ideas to help me short circuit the momentum of knowledge work. What’s on my list of break options you ask? Make tea, go outside, stretch, meditate, or pet the cat. 🐈

Manage notifications and subscriptions

These days, emails and notifications are the major channels through which attention merchants command our minds. Set aside an hour or two to comb through your inbox and unsubscribe from emails you don’t actually open (even if you wish you had the time to do so). Go into your smartphone and app notification settings and remove all notifications except those truly need your immediate attention. I have all sounds, banners, and lock screen notifications disabled on my phone except for calls. I only have badges enabled, so when I choose to look at my phone, I can see what’s waiting for me. But I never give giant tech companies or advertisers the power to pull me away from my own life to serve their needs - that’s what attention activism is all about.

Monitor and limit your tech use

Awareness is a powerful thing. As I like to say in my guided meditations, sometimes awareness is enough. We don’t always need plans and strategies to change, sometimes simply paying attention to our own behaviour plants seeds that grow into natural change. And with awareness, we might find ourselves naturally setting limits. There are wonderful tools like Apple’s Screentime, Google’s Digital Wellbeing, RescueTime, Freedom, and StayFocusd which help you monitor and limit use.

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Rethinking your relationship with tech is like meditation itself; a practice. Stay open and curious and explore. Maybe you try something and it doesn’t work, that’s okay. As long as you’re happy with your relationship with tech, that’s all that counts. And if you’re not happy with it, I hope some of these tips and tricks will help you fall in love with your tech all over again. Sometimes we need a bit of space from something to truly appreciate it.

Don't forget to check out Part I and Part II of this three-part series, exploring rest/sleep, and relationships/family! 

Jay Vidyarthi instructs our Technology and Mindfulness course. He is an attention activist working toward a society where tools for self-care and mental health are as diverse as the people who need them. He believes mindfulness will empower individuals to reclaim choice in the attention economy. As a designer, Jay has helped launch mindful technologies like Muse: the brain sensing headband, Sonic Cradle, the Healthy Minds Program, Brightmind, and 10+ more. Jay serves on the advisory council for the Mindful Society Global Institute, he’s taught design at major educational institutions, and he has been recognized and featured internationally (Harvard, ACM, MIT, UToronto, Forbes, Vice, Fast Company, TED, etc).

Did you know that social isolation is as dangerous for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes or being an alcoholic? Did you know loneliness is twice as harmful to both your physical and mental health as obesity? It’s hard to imagine, especially since we often think of our bodies as machines when in fact, we are social animals. Social media often trick us into thinking we have lots of ‘friends’, but the reality is a few likes, hearts, or texts aren’t going to provide the sense of connection our bodies need to feel okay. It’s essential that we learn to prioritize the people physically around us over those we connect with through our screens.

Don’t bring tech to the dinner table

Meals are a wonderful time to connect with those you’re closest to. If you are locked down with family or roomates, maintaining the ritual of the ‘family dinner’ can be a powerful way to stay connected. Eating while watching TV shows or side-texting can totally sabotage things. In fact, research has shown that the very presence of a phone on the table - even if the screen’s off - can reduce the intimacy of connection. So keep the tech away when you’re eating with other people.

Tether your phone to its charger

We call our smartphones mobile devices because we can take them wherever we go. This can be a huge advantage when you’re lost in Kensington Market, but it can actually be a challenge at home. You might find yourself becoming a couch zombie, zoned into your phone no matter what room you’re in. It can help a lot to leave your phone tethered to its charger when you’re at home. If I want to check something when I’m with my wife and son, I have to excuse myself and walk over to the office. I don’t give myself the option of ignoring my wife while staring at my phone, or accidentally subjecting my son to the still-face experiment.

Make intentional audio / video calls

It’s important to remember that a healthy relationship with your devices doesn’t mean you’re anti-tech. Especially in quarantine, tech provides an incredible lifeline for work and for relationships. You may want to schedule intentional video and phone calls with people who lift you up. Texting and messaging lacks any kind of embodied connection. Video calls don’t quite feel like meeting someone in the flesh, but some warmth is possible, especially if you intentionally set time to hang out with someone (and not just use it for work). It can also help to connect with people via voice notes or videos as opposed to text messages.

Don't forget to check out Part I of this three-part series, exploring rest and sleep! 

Jay Vidyarthi instructs our Technology and Mindfulness course. He is an attention activist working toward a society where tools for self-care and mental health are as diverse as the people who need them. He believes mindfulness will empower individuals to reclaim choice in the attention economy. As a designer, Jay has helped launch mindful technologies like Muse: the brain sensing headband, Sonic Cradle, the Healthy Minds Program, Brightmind, and 10+ more. Jay serves on the advisory council for the Mindful Society Global Institute, he’s taught design at major educational institutions, and he has been recognized and featured internationally (Harvard, ACM, MIT, UToronto, Forbes, Vice, Fast Company, TED, etc).

Years ago on April 14th, Catherine Fogarty was reading a “this day in history” article in the Globe and Mail. The story was about a riot that happened at the Kingston Penitentiary back in 1971. Intrigued by this piece of Canadian history she had never heard about, Catherine cut out the article, and tucked it neatly away in a folder on her desk. “One day”, she thought, “I want to learn more about this.”

That day came in 2017, when Catherine began developing a book proposal as part of her Master of Fine Arts (MFA). “Writing is a big part of my job and I really enjoy it, but I came to a point where I wanted to write for myself. I wanted to learn about writing creatively, not for a document. Something that was just for me,” reflects Catherine. “That was the impetus to come to the School of Continuing Studies (SCS). It has a diversity of writing courses, and I was really interested in learning about non-fiction.” Catherine began pursuing her Creative Writing Certificate, however her progress was temporarily paused when her Creative Non-Fiction instructor, Ken McGoogan, encouraged her to pursue an MFA after reading her work. Catherine applied to a program at King’s College and was accepted. Her primary project was to create and present a book proposal. Immediately she knew: it was time to tell the story that had caught her interest years ago, and explore the deadly Kingston riot.

The foundational skills Catherine had learned at SCS helped her thrive throughout her MFA. “SCS had given me a very inspiring but realistic view of the writing industry in Canada. My professors at King’s College reiterated these realities, and taught me two key lessons: don’t make stuff up, and don’t quit your day job,” laughs Catherine. “I knew how incredibly difficult it was to get published in Canada, and that you need to write for the love of it. SCS really helped me hone-in on my passion of writing creative non-fiction. It was like falling into a comfy sofa; I finally felt I was writing what I was meant to write.”

Throughout her MFA, Catherine was dedicated to researching the riot, and examining how a handful of prisoners attacked the guards and seized control, drawing international attention to the dehumanizing realities of incarceration. However, she quickly realized that finding information about this historical event would require an investigative spirit. “I went in naively, thinking that information would be publicly available. But doors shut in my face; I learned that I would need to dig to uncover what really happened,” recalls Catherine. “I connected with Corrections Canada, visited the prison, spent hours in reference library basements reading old newspaper articles and tracking down people involved. It was challenging but thrilling.”

Once she had completed her two-year program—and finished a draft of her book—she returned to SCS to complete her Creative Writing Certificate. “I had heard about a specific instructor, Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, and really liked his work. I took his course, and asked him to be my mentor on my final project, which was finessing a portion of my book about the riot. His mentorship made a huge difference. I earned my certificate in 2019, and when I submitted my manuscript to publishers, it was very polished thanks to his editing and guidance; my book was picked up by the first publisher I contacted.” 

In March 2021, Catherine was awarded the Marina Nemat Award for Creative Writing for having the most outstanding final project of a Creative Writing Certificate learner at SCS. Her book, titled Murder on the Inside: The True Story of the deadly riot at Kingston Penitentiary, is now on bookshelves, and is available online. April 14th commemorates the 50th anniversary of this historic event. “Being published and winning the Marina Nemat award…I just feel so honored,” says Catherine. “When I came into the writing program at SCS, I was intimidated and so hard on myself. I figured I’ll just try my best and have fun learning. So to go from doubting my skills to where I am now is quite surreal.” 

With an MFA and SCS certificate under her belt, she is continuing her mission to tell Canadian true-crime stories. “I’m now exploring a new avenue of storytelling, and have a weekly podcast called Story Hunter Podcasts, which explores Canadian true crime through an investigative lens,” says Catherine. “Continuing education has allowed me to find my niche, and I want to continue telling great stories.”

I was on a podcast recently and someone asked me: “Jay, you’ve been exploring how to build healthier relationships with tech for years, but while many of us are locked down at home with nothing but our screens, it’s kind of a lost cause, isn’t it?”

I almost spit out my tea. Nothing could be further from the truth. Being left to our own devices has made it much more important to maintain a healthy distance from virtual reality. In a world where overflowing inboxes and incessant notifications constantly try to influence you to share, buy, and even vote in certain ways, you need to work harder than ever to reclaim your mind.

I write and speak a lot about the importance of mindfulness in this exponential age we live in. I’m passionate about technologies designed to bring more mindfulness into our lives. But the reality is that wholesome technologies are the minority. Most are junk food for your mind.

If you’ve ever tried to practice meditation and found it excruciatingly hard, you know that mindfulness is hard to maintain. But it’s even harder with ubiquitous influential tech like smartphones, social media, and digital workspaces constantly pulling at our attention without truly urgent reason.

In this day and age, I believe a healthy relationship with tech is a prerequisite for mindfulness. Here are a few tips to help you get the rest and sleep you need to thrive.

Prioritize sleep

Sleep is a basic human need, along with food, water, exercise, and social connectedness. Based on an American study, it’s estimated that 40% of people get less than the recommended 7 hours or more of sleep per night. That’s up from 11% from almost a century ago. Perhaps not unrelated, 65% of adults say they’ve slept with their phones, and 90% of young adults do it regularly. The first step to reclaiming your mind from the attention economy is to reclaim the solitude of night.

Don’t let the internet in your bedroom

When you grab your phone to disable your morning alarm clock, it’s impossible to ignore all the notifications. It’s a trap. Get yourself an old-school alarm clock and kick the internet out of your bedroom. No laptops, phones, or tablets. Books are fine. E-readers are fine as long as you only use them to read books. Not only will this give you space for sleep, it will also inspire you to be more decisive when you shut down your screens and go to bed.

Set time limits on screen time

If putting a space constraint on your tech doesn’t feel like the right fit, try a time constraint. You can set alarms on your phone or even get a handy timer which automatically shuts off your router at specific times. Having the internet evaporate at 9pm will feel frustrating at first, but soon it will become a cherished moment to warm up some chamomile tea and do a few quick stretches before you hit the hay.

Remove blue light from your screens at night

Over thousands of years, our bodies evolved to activate in response to blue light from the daytime sky. Your retinas have specific molecules which break down when subjected to light at blue wavelength, triggering cell signalling pathways which wake up you body. That’s why tools removing the blue light from your screens using tools like Apple’s NightShift and f.lux help you wind down at night.

Jay Vidyarthi instructs our Technology and Mindfulness course. He is an attention activist working toward a society where tools for self-care and mental health are as diverse as the people who need them. He believes mindfulness will empower individuals to reclaim choice in the attention economy. As a designer, Jay has helped launch mindful technologies like Muse: the brain sensing headband, Sonic Cradle, the Healthy Minds Program, Brightmind, and 10+ more. Jay serves on the advisory council for the Mindful Society Global Institute, he’s taught design at major educational institutions, and he has been recognized and featured internationally (Harvard, ACM, MIT, UToronto, Forbes, Vice, Fast Company, TED, etc).

When Mohammad Dahleh immigrated to Canada from Jordan, he was eager to use this fresh start as an opportunity to explore the world of finance. While his background was in computer and electrical engineering, he had always loved math and held a keen interest in finance and the stock market. “Coming to Canada felt like it was the right time to make a shift and really explore my passion,” says Mohammad. “I knew that continuing education would be the key to making this leap, and I trusted the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) to be my guide. I just went for it!” 

Mohammad dove head-first into the realm of finance, earning three certificates—Financial Analysis, Financial Analysis and Investment Management, and Financial Trading and Option Strategies—in only a couple years. With this solid foundation, he then decided to pursue his Canadian Securities Course (CSC®) credential, and again turned to SCS to support his efforts. “I wanted to be fully prepared for the exam, so I registered for Passing the Canadian Securities Course Exam in September 2019,” explains Mohammad. This intensive course, developed by SCS instructor Michael Hlinka, gives learners the opportunity to prepare for—and pass—both Volume I and Volume II of the CSC® exam within four months. “The course was such a worthwhile investment,” says Mohammad. “Michael is extremely experienced, the materials were very detailed, and the quizzes really helped me think critically and prepare for the two-part exam.”

His time was well spent; Mohammad passed both exams on his first try, and attributes this success to hard work and his learning experience at SCS. “Michael really pushed us. I also had a positive relationship with my classmates; we helped one another and studied together. That peer support was invaluable,” recalls Mohammad. “Earning three certificates at SCS, and completing the test preparation course, was the perfect way for me to explore a new industry and examine next steps for my career. As someone new to Canada, SCS was a welcoming and supportive space to learn and grow, and envision possibilities for my new life in Canada.”

Equipped with his new finance skills and CSC® credential, Mohammad’s next goal is to become a financial advisor. “Continuing education changed my life; I can’t imagine not taking these courses. Coming to Canada was the push I needed to pursue my dreams,” says Mohammad. “Figure out what drives you, what you are passionate about, and then explore educational opportunities. You are never too old, and it is never too late to learn new skills. I am 54, and just starting a whole new career in a new country! Putting myself out there and committing to learning was the best thing I ever did.”

Nishangan Paranthaman was eager to develop new management skills in order to navigate the challenges and nuances of leading in a unionized environment. After immigrating to Canada from Sri Lanka 11 years ago, Nishangan began working for Canada’s largest telecommunications company, and worked his way up to an Operations Manager role. Managing unionized employees was a new experience for Nishangan, and he decided that to fully thrive within the company culture, he needed to expand his skills and explore new leadership strategies.

“I can be a black-and-white thinker, and unionized culture was new to me,” explains Nishangan, who enrolled in the Project Management Certificate at SCS. “In my current role, I am managing unionized employees, some of whom are highly seasoned. I wanted to improve my ability to set employee objectives, foster motivation, make strategic decisions, and lead change management. In a unionized environment, with many specific rules and a distinct culture, I wanted to explore ways to implement meaningful and positive change, and how to work collaboratively with my peers.”

Nishangan found Leading Projects in Organizations to be particularly helpful. The course helped him navigate how to have difficult conversations, and prepare for potentially high-stress meetings. “I learned how to stay calm, enter a meeting prepared, and be thoughtful about the messages I choose to communicate. I’ve also learned to grow from my experiences! Now after meetings I do a quick audit; what went well, what didn’t, and what can I learn from that interaction” reflects Nishangan. “I bring a whole new level of respect, trust, and strategy to the table. I know how to use empathy to neutralize situations, and to really hear what the other person is saying from their unique perspective.”

Instructor Jose Costa ensured the classroom was a safe space for learners to share their experiences, and bounce ideas off one another. “Jose offered very real and tangible strategies for things I was struggling with. He encouraged me be more open in my thinking, and to put myself in other’s shoes when it comes to having difficult conversations or implementing organizational change. He was a real mentor in conflict management and effective leadership,” says Nishangan. 

After earning his certificate in April 2020, Nishangan is now confident in his capacity to implement change in a strategic and sensitive manner. “My ability to work with others and communicate with tact has resulted in more mutual agreement with our union. We are seeing fewer grievances, and increased collaboration,” says Nishangan. Next, he plans to pursue a certificate in Agile Project Management at SCS, and continue advancing his soft skills. “Continuing education is so important,” he asserts. “It’s important to embrace learning opportunities with an open and humble mind. When you aren’t learning and changing, you’re limiting yourself and missing the bigger picture.”

The pandemic has shown us just how fragile many of our operational systems are. From health care to supply chains, we are seeing the importance of organizational resilience — a concept that is often overlooked in business strategy. Most organizations want to be more resilient, however many do not know how. 

A company’s ability to adapt, recover, and thrive in altered circumstances is critical to its longevity and success. “Innovation and resiliency are two sides of the same coin, a coin that unlocks our potential to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world,” says John Dumo, Director of Customer Experience and Business Transformation at Softchoice, a leading North American IT solutions provider. “When paired with the tools to quickly anticipate and address obstacles to innovation, that coin buys us the insurance we need to avoid pitfalls and enables us to pivot while staying ahead of the pack. In these times, it is those individuals and companies that put innovation and resiliency to work that future-proof their organizations, and create an environment of relevancy for years to come.”

Today’s business environment is unpredictable; factors such as rapidly evolving technology, interconnected markets, changing climates, and mounting social inequalities all contribute to a highly dynamic landscape. And of course, the pandemic has had unimaginable effects on businesses. “In January 2020, every single company, small or large, had some business plan for the year ahead. By March 2020, every single one of those plans were worthless and impractical. When the pandemic hit, nobody in the business world had a plan for it,” says Ferhan Bulca, a VP in the medical device industry, serial entrepreneur, and innovation expert. “As a result, hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide went out of business, or will in 2021. In contrast, a large number of companies thrived in the pandemic.” According to Ferhan, some well-known companies have expertly innovated in the face of chaos. For example: 

1. Amazon quickly adapted to an enormous increased demand by continuing to offer fast delivery while prioritizing high-demand items, such as coffee and dog food.
2. The Gap utilized its textile business to address the  shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) in the USA. 
3. Givenchy, Louis Vitton, and Dior all leveraged their perfume and cosmetics manufacturing capabilities to deliver hand sanitizers, instead of luxury fragrances. 

“These companies used their strengths to address a rapidly emerging market need in a way they had never planned,” he explains. “The fundamental capability they had was their ability to recognize an emerging need, know their strength, and create a solution to meet the need. Innovation is addressing a real need in a timely manner. Companies that can do that, repeatedly and consistently, will continue to be with us for a long time. Those that cannot, will have a short shelf life.”

So how can companies cultivate and exercise resiliency and innovation? According to Michelle Sengara, a learning innovation strategy consultant, innovation is not just a business outcome, but a systemic process that directly connects to organizational culture. “With many moving parts to consider, it's critical that both individuals and organizations are able to better identify and address the components required for a culture of innovation,“ she says. “By breaking down innovation into smaller themes, such as lifelong learning and data management, we are able to train specific skills, like creativity and communication, and learn how to more sustainably build and maintain either an individual's or an organization's capacity for agility.”

If you are eager to foster innovation and resilience within your organization, our Innovation program explores concepts, frameworks, and processes that will help you identify, develop, and deploy innovation opportunities. Through hands-on, practical exercises and projects you will learn skills you can apply directly in your day -to-day work, while receiving valuable feedback from innovation experts.

Check out our program if you are ready to:

• build resilience
• improve processes
• gain competitive advantage
• evaluate current processes and resources
• identify opportunities for resource reallocation
• find solutions for new and unexpected challenges
• stimulate idea generation

Upcoming courses:

• Foundations of Business Innovation, Instructor: Ferhan Bulca, starting March 3, 2021
• Systematizing Innovation, Instructor: Michelle Sengara, starting March 10, 2021
• Leading Innovation and Managing Development, Instructor: John Dumo, starting March 11, 2021

Thanks in part to the generosity of writer and Creative Writing Certificate earner Marina Nemat, the School of Continuing Studies offers this award to the most promising Creative Writing Certificate learner(s) each year. Up to two $1000 awards are given to the most outstanding Final Project of a Creative Writing Certificate learner. The winner is chosen by an esteemed panel of Canadian publishing industry professionals. 

This year’s judging panel includes:

Elizabeth Philips, Senior Editor, Thistledown Press, 
Douglas Richmond, Senior Editor, Anansi
Patrick Crean, Publisher and Editor-at-Large, HarperCollins, Canada

2019/2020 Shortlist:

The Marilynn Booth Award of Excellence was established in 2017 in honour of former Dean Marilynn Booth upon her retirement from the School of Continuing Studies in 2016.

Throughout her career, former Dean Booth has shown how continuing education broadens horizons, creates opportunity, enriches our culture, and builds stronger communities - in our city, across Canada, and around the world. The award was created to recognize and reward career-focused learners who have demonstrated academic success, personal commitment, and exemplary leadership. 

The Marilynn Booth Award of Excellence is valued at $1,000; primary donors to this award include staff, friends, and family of former Dean Booth. On February 10th, 2021, we hosted a virtual event where our six exceptional winners shared the impact of continuing education on their lives and careers. 

Congratulations to all winners! 

2020 Winners

Michael Coelho 
Daniel Fernandes 
Lauren Hummel 
Taara Smith 
Jordan Stevens 
Clara Tsim 

After serving for 18 years as a Canadian Armed Forces Officer specializing in intelligence and strategic risk analysis, Karine Lachapelle had gained extensive experience in risk management and global affairs; throughout her career, she served and supported deployments to the Baltics, Africa, Afghanistan, and NATO headquarters in Belgium. Upon retiring from the Armed Forces in 2016, she began working for a global gold mining company as their Senior Manager, Risk and Assurance. Her new role involved performing audits - a skill that was relatively new to Karine - and she wanted to up her game. Karine chose to pursue an Internal Auditing Certificate at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies (SCS) to enhance her abilities and support her team.

“I was determined to better understand the audit process and apply it in my daily work,” recalls Karine. “I wanted to gain credibility with my peers, and was excited to learn new skills. Being in the Armed Forces means you have to be open to constant learning and new experiences. I was a bit unsure about the demands of an in-class experience, but it was great because I really got to know my classmates and grow relationships. I was working full time, commuting, and dealing with the demands of daily life, but I really enjoyed coming to SCS, participating and building my confidence. The final course was online as a result of the pandemic, which was also a great learning experience. I felt very supported by my instructor.”

Karine appreciated the clear class structure and real-life auditing examples provided by her instructors. She especially appreciated instructor Jason Yarmolinsky’s sense of humour and knowledge. “He created such a fun learning environment, which really made a difference on cold dark November evenings,” she reflects. Now that she has earned her certificate, Karine is eager to use her new skills to craft and implement an audit plan and schedule for 2021. “My new abilities are helping me plan, interview, pull and assess information, and execute an audit. I’ve learned how to systematize my approach to auditing and produce efficient reports,” she says. “I know my skills are going to really support my team and expand my impact on my company.”

Reflecting on her time at SCS, Karine refutes the notion that learning becomes more challenging as we age. “I think learning as an adult is easier than as a teen or young adult! When you start learning again, even if you know nothing about the topic or material, as an adult you’ve accumulated time management, organizational, and adaptability skills that can help you succeed,” she says. “My professional experience has made me a more efficient learner. If you’re motivated and committed, you’re golden!”