Upcoming Events
Climate Hackathon with Family Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity: We will be recruiting participants in Spring 2026
Project: "Using Hackathons as a Participatory Approach to Generating Climate Solutions with Equity-Deserving Communities"
What is a Hackathon?
“A hackathon is an event where people come together to collaborate in order to solve a problem or identify new opportunities. The word hackathon is a combination of “hack” and “marathon,” i.e., a marathon for hackers. The goal of a hackathon is often to build a working prototype, or proof-of-concept, of a product or feature in a short amount of time, and to have fun, improve skill sets, and network while doing it.” (Source)
We will hold two hackathons: one in-person for older adults living in Metro Vancouver and one virtually for family caregivers of children with medical complexity across BC. In addition to these people with lived experience, we will invite policy/decision-makers and non-governmental organization (NGO) staff who support these groups during climate-related weather emergencies.
We anticipate the hackathons will be about four hours in length. After the deliverables from the hackathons are drafted (infographics), we will hold focus groups with participants to obtain feedback on the infographics and about their experiences with the hackathons
Summary
Climate change is a global phenomenon that has consequences for people everywhere. In every local community and geographic region, there are equity-deserving groups who, due to a variety of factors which often mirror those contributing to climate vulnerability, experience negative impacts of climate change disproportionately to the general population. Climate resiliency efforts, that is, the capacity to prepare, respond and recover from climate emergencies must focus on these groups through the creation of customized climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. While governments have responsibility to develop population-level responses to climate change, equity-deserving groups often rely on grassroots strategies to address local climate impacts.
The aim of this hackathon is to identify grassroots climate solutions used by two equity-deserving groups located in British Columbia: older adults in urban centres and families of children with medical complexity
Children with medical complexity are functionally dependent, rely on medical equipment (e.g. wheelchairs, tube feeds, tracheostomies) in daily life, and are high users of healthcare services. Children, in general, are more vulnerable to negative effects of climate change as are people with disabilities, putting children with medical complexity in double jeopardy. During 2021, these children and their families endured multiple climate-related weather emergencies in British Columbia (BC), a situation that highlighted the lack of government supports for their unique needs.
There is an urgent need to develop local climate solutions for equity-deserving groups. These hackathons will create new knowledge about co-design of climate solutions with equity-deserving groups. We will use these events to develop new insights for enhanced research methods, specifically using hackathons as a participatory approach to knowledge mobilization. This project may enhance policy related to climate preparedness in BC and facilitate partnerships among people with lived experience, policy/decision-makers and NGO staff.
Webinars
We host regular webinars, if you would like to stay in the loop please join our mailing list: https://e1.envoke.com/ext/pages/519e851c41311097eb567eef1775ab89\
Past Events
Sept 23, 2025: Session on future BC children's hospital centre for health complexity
Sept 26, 2025: Neurodiversity-Affirming Care
Date: Sep 26, 2025
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm and 2:00pm-5:00pm (PST)
CEU: 6 hours
Location: Virtual – Zoom session
Cost: $180
Registration Link
Audience:
This course is ideal for social workers and other professionals in healthcare and human services.
Description:
Neurodiversity-affirming care is not only about individual interactions; it is also a form of cultural competence embedded within professional practice. To be neurodiversity- and neurodivergent-affirming is to acknowledge that all brain types, including those that are different to what society considers the norm, are equal in value and valid in their right to exist without conforming. This means valuing an individual’s strengths, understanding and accommodating their challenges, and accepting differences in social interaction, communication, behaviour, and learning.
This 1-day course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to a neuro-affirming practice framework and tools for integrating its principles when working with individuals, families, and groups. The course will balance theoretical learning with interactive discussions, case scenarios, and guided practice.
Participants will learn about neuro-affirming care, including the neurodiversity movement; neurodivergent diversity; neurodivergence and gender; neurodivergence across the lifespan; neuronormativity and systemic ableism; domains of experience; masking/camouflaging; neurodivergence and mental health; and neurodivergent-affirming communication. This learning will then be applied through guided practice activities and debriefing.
This course is the first of a three-part series on neurodiversity-affirming care, and a recommended pre-requisite for the following two courses. In the event that a future certificate program in neurodiversity-affirming care is developed, these courses will count toward the required hours for the completion of that program.
PAST WEBINARS
November 25, 2025: Building Connections: Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity Facilitating Communication Training with Pediatric Residents
October 21, 2025: Autism in the Rural Emergency Department: Elevating Child and Caregiver Perspectives of Care
September 23, 2025: Future BCCH Centre for Health Complexity: Information Sharing and Q&A