OSCA 2023 Fall Conference Delegate Registration
Monday, October 16, 2023
OSCA/ACOSO Member Rate
*Subscriptions must be renewed by October 1st for the 2023-2024 school year in order to receive the member rate. Click here log in and renew your subscription.
$299+HST
OSCA/ACOSO Non-Members
*We encourage non-members to sign up as members to receive the member rate. Click here to subscribe.
$399+HST
Our 2023 Fall Conference registration for Delegates is now open!
We are very excited to announce that we are now open for delegate registrations for our 2023 Fall Conference, “Come Back to Get Ahead” at the Hilton – Mississauga/Meadowvale on Monday, October 16th!
OSCA/ACOSO is thrilled to be returning to our first In-Person event since 2019. Join over 300 other Guidance Counsellors and Career Educators from across the province as we network, learn, and grow together. Our new and returning sponsors and exhibitors are eager to share updated resources and strategies to assist you in your everyday practice. In addition, we are proud to offer a wide range of workshops to assist new and seasoned professionals, including: updates from the Ministry of Education, OCAS, Francophone workshops, post-secondary pathways, mental health and well-being, financial literacy, labour market trends, skilled trades, emerging technologies, classroom management, LGBTQ2S+, supporting racialized students, grants and scholarships, dual credits, co-operative education, apprenticeships, college and university programs, artificial intelligence, careers in demand, e-learning supports and more!
- Keynote Speakers
- Venue and Logistics
- Conference Management System
- Tentative Schedule
- How do I get Conference Funding?
Dr. James Makokis
Mr. Anthony Johnson
Dr. James Makokis is a well-known Cree Two-Spirit physician, who is a strong advocate for marginalized populations, particularly Indigenous and LGBTQ2S peoples. He has been recognized both nationally and internationally for his work and approach to medicine. Dr. Makokis leads one of North America’s most progressive family medical clinics serving both LGBTQ2S and First Nation peoples from all over Canada. He combines traditional Cree medicine and Western medicine in his practice and has a down-to-earth approach with his patients. He has faced numerous challenges along the way, including discrimination and poverty, but has persevered to become a respected leader in his field.
Anthony Johnson is a Two-Spirit, LGBTQ2, and Indigenous advocate from the Navajo Nation in North Phoenix, Arizona. In addition to achieving his B.A. in Economics and Social Anthropology from Harvard University, and studying at East China Normal University in Shanghai, he has a wide range of experiences as a consultant, culture documentarian, artist, small film producer, poet, photographer, community leader, project manager, organizer, product developer, fundraiser, social justice advocate, philanthropist, messenger, and teacher. Anthony is committed to the oath of adventurous transformation and believes that anyone can make a difference by aligning their mind, body, and soul. He currently works as a Project Consultant and Coordinator at Kehewin Health Services in Edmonton, where his partner Dr. James Makokis operates his medical practice. He is well-known for his advocacy for LGBTQ2, Two-Spirit, and Indigenous peoples and is currently working to revitalize traditional Cree/Nehiyaw practices, medicines, and ceremonies.
Dr. Makokis and his partner, Anthony Johnson, were crowned winners of the Amazing Race Canada Season 7, where they received international recognition for their advocacy of marginalized individuals by making the world aware of the impact of discrimination and the mistreatment of anyone labelled as being “different”.
Venue: Hilton – Mississauga Meadowvale
6750 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5N 2L3 (905)821-1981
Workshop Locations
Specific workshop locations will be provided closer to the date. We will be using the following room within the hotel:
- North Studios 1, 2 and 3
- South Studios 1, 2 and 3
- Garden Studio 1
Accommodation
The booking link for the conference rate on Sunday, October 15th is:
https://book.passkey.com/go/OSCAOct2023
This hotel has a large indoor waterslide, pool, fitness centre and hot tub. You may want to make this a weekend vacation and bring your family for Saturday night as well! The rate for Saturday may be higher than the conference rate for Sunday and there may be extra fees for additional people in your room. Confirm these details with the hotel directly.
Parking
Parking is included in your conference rate for Sunday overnight guests and Monday conference guests. Make sure that you check with the hotel at check-in to ensure that you receive the complimentary rate.
Meals, Swag, and Prizes
The following meals and snacks on Monday are included in your registration fee: breakfast, morning snack and Awards Luncheon.
The first 300 delegates will receive one of our PREMIUM conference bags! In addition, several of our Sponsors and Exhibitors have generously donated items for your swag bags and raffle prizes. All delegates will receive a Sponsor/Exhibitor Passport. Fill in the necessary stamps and/or signatures to enter yourself into the draw for major prizes including a weekend away and a free conference registration (including hotel) for 2024! We strongly encourage you to visit all of our Sponsors and Exhibitors as a way to appreciate them for their very generous donations and fees which provide substantial cost savings to keep delegate fees at a minimum.
Sunday Night Informal Networking
We invite you to join your OSCA/ACOSO Board of Directors in the hotel restaurant on Sunday, October 15th for an informal meet and greet. Details will follow. We will be arranging ourselves in groups: New to Guidance, Elementary, Secondary and Francophone. Feel free to drop by, make new friends, and/or reconnect with old ones!!!!
WiFi
WiFi is provided complimentary by the hotel in your room (for those staying overnight) and in the hotel lobby. OSCA/ACOSO is paying for WiFi access in all of our conference rooms. Delegates will receive a code on the morning of the conference for complimentary WiFi throughout the day. Please do not share this code with anyone who is not a delegate as we have purchased codes for delegates only.
Some of you will remember that we used SCHED to manage the conference in 2019. We will be using it again this year to organize our event for the day. You can use SCHED on your laptop or mobile device. Use SCHED to:
- view the conference schedule
- view your custom schedule
- evaluate workshops and other daily events
- chat with fellow attendees (in order to chat, you must make your profile and schedule public when you set up your account)
- access venue maps for workshop locations
- view and communicate with Sponsors and Exhibitors
Desktop:
- Once you have paid for your registration, you will receive an invitation to visit our website:
https://oscaacoso2023conference.sched.com - Choose your workshops. Complete this step immediately upon registration to avoid disappointment. Workshops will be closed once they reach room capacity.
- Set up your account and profile if you do not already have one.
- Make your profile and schedule public if you want to receive messages and chat with fellow attendees, including workshop presenters, sponsors and exhibitors.
Mobile:
- Once you have paid for your registration, visit your App Store store to download SCHED.
- Set up your account and profile if you do not already have one.
- Search for our event: OSCA/ACOSO 2023 Conference
- Choose your workshops. Complete this step immediately upon registration to avoid disappointment. Workshops will be closed once they reach room capacity.
- Make your profile and schedule public if you want to receive messages and chat with fellow attendees, including workshop presenters, sponsors and exhibitors.
| Time | Event | Location |
| 7:30am-8:30am | Registration, Continental Breakfast, Sponsor/Exhibitor Showcase Opens | Graydon Ballroom and Hallways, McCallion Ballroom |
| 8:30am-9:00am | Conference Opens | Graydon Ballroom |
| 9:00am-10:00am | Keynote Address | Graydon Ballroom |
| 10:00am-10:30am | Sponsor/Exhibitor Showcase and Nutrition Break | Graydon HallwaysMcCallion Ballroom |
| 10:30am-11:20am | Session 1 Workshops and Sponsor/Exhibitor Showcase | McCallion Ballroom, Graydon Hallways, Graydon Ballroom, North Studio 1/2/3, South Studio 1/2/3, Garden Studio 1 |
| 11:20am-11:30am | Travel Time to Session 2 Workshops and Sponsor/Exhibitor Showcase | |
| 11:30am-12:20pm | Session 2 Workshops and Sponsor/Exhibitor Showcase | McCallion Ballroom, Graydon Hallways, Graydon Ballroom, North Studio 1/2/3, South Studio 1/2/3, Garden Studio 1 |
| 12:20pm-1:30pm | Awards Luncheon | Graydon Ballroom |
| 1:30pm-2:00pm | Sponsor/Exhibitor Showcase | Graydon HallwaysMcCallion Ballroom |
| 2:00pm-2:50pm | Session 3 Workshops and Sponsor/Exhibitor Showcase | McCallion Ballroom, Graydon Hallways, Graydon Ballroom, North Studio 1/2/3, South Studio 1/2/3, Garden Studio 1 |
| 2:50pm-3:00pm | Travel Time | |
| 3:00pm-3:15pm | Conference Closing and Prizes | Graydon Ballroom |
| 3:15pm-4:15pm | Annual General Meeting | Graydon Ballroom |
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Everyone who attends our conference will tell you that it is a professional highlight of their year. Inspirational, fun, networking and learning are all aspects we carry back to our schools for the rest of the year. Our members return home feeling refreshed and rejuvenated with new ideas and friendships.
We do our best to keep your conference expenses as low as possible by offsetting actual costs with Sponsor and Exhibitor opportunities (please try to visit their booths in return to support them).
How do I get funding?
Ask:
- your Department Head if there is any money in the department budget to assist,
- your Principal to see if any school fund could cover it,
- your SHSM Board Lead as there are Ministry Dual Credit/SHSM workshops plus
- many other workshops related to skilled trades,
- your Student Success Lead as many workshops focus on strategies to improve student success,
- your Co-op Consultant since there will be workshops related to the world of work,
- your Subject Council Chair as they may have access to funds or know where to look (some boards have PD/Conference funding), and/or
- your union representative since unions often offer PD funds.
