2019 Miniconference Presentations in Victoria

Social Media – best practices for a changing scene
Staying on top of social media feels like a never-ending battle. Virginia Ridley will examine emerging trends on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, including Facebook’s new public information disclosure, and how our interactions through these platforms are changing.

75-minute e-Newsletter
For unions with few resources or staff available, Virginia Ridley will walk delegates through making a quick and effective e-newsletter, complete with beautiful templates and standing content items.

Media relations – how to nail that interview
Everyone working in communications has their own story of the time that they really nailed an interview and the time they perhaps may have bombed an interview. In this workshop, Nora Loreto will cover the basics of how to stay on message and do a good interview. Don’t be fooled though. With a role-playing component, even the most seasoned of media activists will want to brush up on their skills in this fun and interactive (and hilarious) workshop.

The best tools to get media coverage
Are you using photos in press releases? Graphs in statements? Newswire services? Do you text your local reporter? There are thousands of different ways to try and get your story out, and sometimes, with a little creativity, we can rise above the din and get our issues onto the radars of journalists. Nora Loreto will go through some ways that you can push your union’s message further into the limelight.

Writing op/eds
Whether you’re writing an op/ed in your local newspaper or you’re writing for your local newsletter, a compelling op/ed has the power to change peoples’ minds. In this workshop, seasoned journalist and communications representative David Climenhaga will go over the best practices in writing compelling, short copy and where and how to use them.

Improving your union’s visual storytelling
Hugo Wong will join us for a photography workshop that we are hoping to organize around the skills and needs of our delegates. If you have registered, please watch your email for a call-out and let us know what you’re hoping to learn about using your DLSR.

Confronting right-wing rhetoric
Spotting and deconstructing right-wing rhetoric can be hard for even a season media critic. When it comes to our members, how can unions be proactive in helping workers how to read through far-right and right-wing spin in the mainstream press. In this presentation, David Climenhaga will examine how to root out these biases, who is paying to place them in mainstream news sources, and how to best counteract these narratives.

Your union and your brand
Maintaining a consistent brand can be difficult when we’re running multiple campaigns with different branding. Caroline Mitic will cover some of the basics to keep in mind while branding your campaigns and ensuring that you maintain an overall cohesive aesthetic.

Presenter bios

David Climenhaga
David J. Climenhaga is an award-winning journalist, blogger, author, post-secondary teacher, poet, and trade union communicator who has held senior writing and editing positions at the Globe and Mail and the Calgary Herald. He has published the AlbertaPolitics.ca blog, also found on Rabble.ca, since 2007. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Carleton University. His 1995 book, A Poke in the Public Eye, explored relationships among Canadian journalists, public relations people and politicians. He was vice-president of Local 115A of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada during the 1999-2000 Calgary Herald strike. He was communications director of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees from 2000 to 2011 and is now communications advisor to the United Nurses of Alberta. He was asked by Jack Layton in 2008 to be the late NDP leader’s personal poet laureate, and he can prove it.

Nora Loreto – CALM Editor
As CALM’s Editor, Nora works to help CALM members improve their communications capacity. Nora frequently writes for the National Observer and the Washington Post. She has managed provincial and national communications in her role as director of communications and government relations for the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario and has worked as a newspaper editor and labour beat editor for rabble.ca

Caroline Mitic – Partner & Graphic Designer, DesignCoast Creative
Caroline Mitic completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UVic in 2005, and went on to pursue a career in graphic design.  After spending ten years working in-house for various organizations including Camosun College, she decided to venture into the world of the great unknown as a freelancer. With three years of successful solo work under her belt, Caroline joined forces with another talented designer to form DesignCoast Creative. The pair now do contract graphic design for a number of clients, most of who are located in Victoria. They specialize in branding, print design, and web design, and they especially enjoy working with small businesses.

Caroline loves the world of self-employment because it allows her to keep a flexible schedule and work with a diverse list of clients, including The First Peoples’ Cultural Council, Synergy Enterprises, and the Investment Agriculture Foundation. She is passionate about design, art, writing and photography. She has also become an expert at time-management and personal finance.    

Virginia Ridley – CALM Coordinator
As CALM’s coordinator, Virginia supports labour communicators to help elevate labours voice. Virginia is a changemaker. She started in the labour movement through work with her union local and as the editor of OPSEU InSolidarity quarterly publication. Virginia held elected office in the municipal realm and continues to consult on campaigns at both the provincial and municipal levels.  She also freelances as a web designer and social media manager. 

Hugo Wong
Hugo Wong is a writer, photographer, and videographer based in Victoria, B.C. From 2017-2018, he was a multimedia journalist with the Peninsula News Review, a Black Press publication based in Sidney, B.C. covering news and arts pertaining to the Saanich Peninsula. Today, he works with the Province of British Columbia in building codes and standards.