2018 St. Catharines Mini-Conference Presenters
Pascale Diverlus – Perfecting your social media
This workshop is all about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!! Social Media is a powerful tool to dessiminate information, mobilize your masses, and keep folks up to date on all the amazing campaigns and events you’re organizing. This intermediate course will include the basics of social media but also make sure to include the tips and tricks that you need to employ to get the most love possible on your posts!
Pascale Diverlus – Understanding equitable language – in media and in our own work
This workshop will display how media uses particular coded language to target, neglect and perpetuate oppression and discrimination to marginalized communities. This workshop will show writers and media makers how they can be more inclusive and equitable in their portrayal of varying identities.
Roxanne Dubois – Communications to bring campaigns to life
Roxanne will walk delegates through the most innovative and exciting ways to engage members through campaigns, with a mix of tradition and emerging organizing tools and tactics. She will focus on engaging those members who are not currently involved.
Nora Loreto – Security and Privacy: is your union ready?
The Digital Privacy Act – 2015 ushers in a new era of digital privacy legislation. Unions collect private information, but we aren’t always up-to-date with ensuring that our online security infrastrucures and protocols are in-line with industry best practices. This course will outline what the legislation says, what your union’s responsibilities are, common weaknesses and threats, and ways in which we can do better in protecting private information and digital infrastructure.
Ethan Clarke – Engaging members where they are at: Facebook advertising
This workshop will discuss why your union should consider Facebook advertising and how to ensure you get the most bang for your buck. Using real examples, we will review the process for targeting your audience and getting them to move to action. Ethan Clarke of Campaign Gears will lead this interactive workshop.
Chelsea Connor – Campaign and crisis communications
For crisis communications, knowing when to starve the beast and when to feed the beast can make all the difference in how your union handles a tense situation. In this advanced-level workshop, delegates will learn how to effectively manage a crisis, avoid pitfalls and whether the storm, no matter how intense!
Nadine Tkatchevskaia – The NDP surge in Toronto: building a strategy that works.
Nadine’s workshop will focus on organizing tactics, and how to do effective prep, research and execution with stories from the field in the Ontario provincial election
Erika Tran – Knowing how to use effective elements of design
This workshop will look at fundamental principles of design that can be used to increase impact and professionalism of your communications materials. Erika Tran, Senior Graphic Designer at B+H Architects, and regular CALM contributor, will teach participants key things to keep in mind to produce visually-engaging content. Covering tips on typography, colour theory, spatial theory, using illustration and photography, to a dive into of why these methods work.
Nora Loreto – one-on-one writing critiques
Send your articles and newsletters to CALM’s editor and you will sit down together to talk about ways in improve your writing. Note: this is not a standalone workshop. Please send your content to Nora at editor at calm.ca before the conference. We will find a time during the conference to sit down.
Presenter Bios

Erika Tran
Born in a small town in the Yukon, Erika Tran is a multi-disciplinary art director and designer with a knack for creative advertising. Erika graduated from OCAD University with a Bachelor of Design in 2014. She has worked with clients for the last decade, and spent her early career working for agencies and a number of NGOs, including CALM, Greenpeace, TTC Riders, Tools for Change and more. Currently, in addition to working on several exciting client and personal creative projects, Erika also works at B+H Architects, a global design and consulting firm, where she is a Senior Graphic Designer for all the North American studios, leading a small, but talented team of graphic designers.

Nora Loreto
Nora Loreto is CALM's Editor. She is a writer, musician and activist based in Québec City. She is the author of From Demonized to Organized, Building the New Union Movement. She writes regularly for blogs and magazines, and wrote a chapter in Canada After Harper, released by Lorimer Publishers in August 2015.

Pascale Diverlus
Hailing from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Pascale Diverlus is a communications specialist, digital strategist, educator, and community organizer. In 2014, Pascale co-founded Black Lives Matter -Toronto, the first international chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement; a trans-feminist movement committed to the preservation of black art, black space, black families, and black life. There, Pascale’s work is focused on curriculum development, public education, and direct action coordination. Pascale is also a core organizer of BLMTO’s biggest actions, including #BLMTOtentcity and halting Toronto Pride to highlight the over policing of Toronto’s black queer and trans community.

Ethan Clarke
Want to win? Hire those that have! Ethan is the President of Campaign Gears, the first consultancy in Canada built and run by current union freelance professionals living and breathing the political and advocacy landscape. Ethan started Campaign Gears because he was passionate about bringing a digital edge to traditional organizing. He is currently president of the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Ethan’s career includes working as the Organizing Director of Workers United Canada Council, Organizing Coordinator for UNITE HERE, a volunteer organizer for PSAC, an intern for SEIU, USW, and CAW. He is the former mobilization chair of a Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) local. Ethan began his career with an undergraduate degree with a joint major in Political Studies and Computer Studies. He also holds a certificate in website development from OCAD University.

Chelsea Connor
Chelsea Connor currently serves as the Director of Communications and Media Relations for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Chelsea joined the labor movement after completing a two-year contract with the Government of Canada and with Global Affairs Canada working in Ottawa and New York. In that capacity, Chelsea served as a spokeswoman under two Canadian Prime Ministers (PM Harper & PM Trudeau) and was responsible for the strategic communications planning and execution for the Government of Canada through the transition of governments, and its portfolio of digital, advocacy, diplomatic, technology, energy, trade and foreign relations work.
Roxanne Dubois
Roxanne Dubois is a Unifor national representative working in the Organizing department in the National office. She is a proud Franco-Ontarian and occasional writer. Based in Toronto, she spends most of her time organizing, educating and activating young people and precarious workers. She scribbles stories in different forms and continues to believe in a better world.