H&V GBYS Coordinator Meeting
(Registration Required)

Sunday, Sept 18th 8:30 am - 11:30 am

Audience: You must be a GBYS Coordinator to register for this session. You must register for this meeting.

An annual meeting and training for Hands & Voices GBYS Program Coordinators. This session will be sure to provide ongoing training and the opportunity for peer-to-peer learning. This is our one-time each year to be together in-person. Come prepared to share your wisdom and be ready to gain new learning from this incredible group of Hands & Voices Leaders!

Facilitators: Lisa Kovacs, H&V Director of Programs

H&V Chapter Leader Meeting
( Registration Required)

Sunday, Sept 18th 8:30 am - 11:30 am

Audience: This session is ONLY for H&V Chapter Directors and/or Board Presidents, whoever is the parent lead for the Chapter. If the Chapter Director and/or President is not available, one representative from the Chapter Board/staff may register. You must register for this required pre-conference meeting. No more than two participants may register per H&V Chapter/effort.  Provisional Chapter leaders are encouraged to register.

Pilot Your Way to Success: Leadership Lessons from Flight Training

Leadership in every context is a lot like flying an airplane: people are depending on us, they are expecting to move from one place to the next, and at a bare minimum the quality of families’ lives is on the line. Do you want to be the leader who tries to do it all alone or do you want to embrace a style where everyone—from a brand-new board/staff member to the long-standing, ever-faithful member—owns the process of advancing the mission safely? Like flying an airplane, leading an organization can be exhilarating, terrifying, and rewarding all at the same time. Don’t want to fly a plane, no problem, but after three hours together you are going to be able to use lessons from flight training to pilot your way to success! This will be a working session with provided tools to take back to your local airport...I mean, your Chapter.

Presenter: Terri Patterson, Director of Chapter Support

Sunday, September 18th: Offerings are either 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm & 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm

Special Session I - FREE (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm)

Affirm: Culturally Diverse Leaders Training Initiative

“Remember that no one succeeds alone. Never walk alone in your future paths.” - Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor

H&V is excited to invite you to a new leadership initiative. This interactive session will provide a space for leaders of color who share similar cultural experiences. Participants will learn hands on technical assistance, relevant cultural resources, and strategies for interpersonal leadership skills. Most importantly, attendees will be able share in an affirming environment with peers who are both new and seasoned leaders. We welcome your authentic selves and valuable contributions!

Presenters:   Djenne-amal Morris, Christine Yoshinaga Itano, Rosabel Agbayani, and Latino Council

Special Session II – FREE (4:15 pm - 5:15 pm)

First Time H&V Leadership Conference Attendee Gathering

If this is your first time attending the Hands & Voices Leadership Conference, this is a session you don’t want to miss. This will be a fun and interactive session to welcome you to the Leadership Conference and share with you some tips to make the most out of your conference experience.

Presenters:  Brooke Montgomery and Ana Brooks

Special Session III - FREE (4:15 pm - 5:15 pm)

DHH Guides, Mentors and Role Models: A Round Table Discussion

Join us for a round table discussion as we learn from established H&V Guide, Role Model and Mentor programs. If you are with a chapter or a state/territory that is in the process of looking at another way of supporting families, come and ask questions. The FL3 DHH Guidelines, other resources, and information from recent surveys will be shared. Let's meet and share the wisdom among us.

Presenters: Stephanie Olson, Karen Putz

Tuesday, September 20th:  Offerings are either 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm or 2:00 - 6:00 pm

Tuesday Instructional Session I (2:00 pm -5:00 pm)

If You Don’t Ask, The Answer is Always No: Chapter Fundraising

Using a flipped classroom model, attendees will learn about the types of fundraising available for Chapters, including sponsorships for fundraising events, individual giving and memberships, contracts, and grant writing. Come prepared to develop a general grant application and get feedback from the class. Attendees will learn about ethical storytelling in fundraising efforts, and the importance of diversifying fundraising plans for their Chapter. The newly released H&V Fundraising Guide will be shared. Participants should bring or have available:   • Chapter Fundraising Goal • A success story or a lesson learned to share  

Presenters:   Helen Leiser and Sara Kennedy

Tuesday Instructional Session – II (2:00 pm - 6:00 pm)

Mentorship: Be One, Get One, Grow One!

Audience: This 4-hour instructional session is open to all H&V leaders, FBO leaders and professionals. NOTE: This is a pre-requisite for any H&V L2L Leaders interested in becoming an H&V L2L Program Mentor.

Description: Have you ever been mentored by someone and grown as a result and would like to explore becoming a mentor? Or are you currently serving in a mentorship role (either informally or formally) and would like to develop your skills? This session is for you. Mentoring is defined as a process in which an experienced individual helps another person develop his or her goals and skills through a series of time-limited, confidential, one-on-one conversations and other learning activities. There are many kinds of mentoring relationships and models, ranging from informal (think of a time you’ve been helped by someone more experienced without explicitly asking) to formal (an intentional relationship with established goals). Mentoring can occur at all levels or as in mutual mentoring that is viewed as a relationship where both participants provide and receive support in their personal and professional growth. This session will provide the opportunity to find out what mentoring is, and whether it is really for you in context to developing your leadership skills, as well as enhance your skills if you are already mentoring.

For example, have you ever had a great board member enter your organization, only to leave because they weren't sure what they were doing there?  IL Hands & Voices did, so they developed a mentor/mentee program that ALL board members go through. We will walk you through how to develop your own mentor training program, resulting in more engaged individuals within our team, it's easy to follow, and you can easily implement your own.

Presenters: Janet DesGeorges, Andrea Marwah, and Terri Patterson

Tuesday Instructional Session III (2:00 pm - 5:00 pm)

Creating a Multicultural Village

Get the unique diverse perspective of individuals with lived experiences as a Parent of a DHH Child and understand the perspective of a DHH Adult/Professional. Engage and interact to learn strategies to provide services and support that is mindful of family culture and its influence on family dynamics and the decision-making process. This Parent/Professional duo will share real life examples of ways to collaborate, and in equal partnership, work together to support the developmental, educational, and social/emotional needs of DHH children. 

Michelle Hu, Au.D. is Chinese-American who was identified as a child, fit with hearing aids shortly after and now utilizes bilateral cochlear implants. She has been a practicing pediatric audiologist since 2009. She is an Advisory Board Member of California Hands & Voices and the creator of Mama Hu Hears, an online resource aimed to help families and professionals understand the experience of someone growing up as a child who was Hard-of-Hearing.
Rosabel is a Filipino/Chinese-American and a parent of a DHH child. Her son failed his newborn screening but was not diagnosed until the age of 2 ½ years old.  Rosabel volunteers her time for the California Chapter as Board President and works in the medical community as a Clinical Research Analyst and Public Health Professional.

Through this workshop you will:

• Better understand the importance of parent empowerment, parent to parent support, and parent/professional collaboration when it comes to serving DHH children from Diverse Cultures.
• Explore the HV/FL3 resource “Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Guidelines”
• Learn strategies to help understand and relate to the unique needs of parents/caregivers highlighting cultural empathy, family dynamics, and community support.
• Discuss ways that Parents & Professionals can work together to form an inclusive community.
• Work with your peers to develop specific and actionable strategies that can be used in your program to better understand, serve, and address the needs of Underserved Populations in your community.

Presenters:  Rosabel Agbayani and Michelle Hu, Au.D.