2025 Atlantic Summit
Saturday, October 25th, 2025 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Registration: 8:30 – 9:00 am
Best Western Dartmouth, 15 Spectacle Lake Drive, Dartmouth, NS

Morning Sessions 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Welcome & introductions
Get the day started with introductions, an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement, and key information on our full day summit.

Keynote Speaker
Mapfumo Chidzonga - Connecting Through Story

Turning Experience into Insight
Everyone has a story - and every story holds a lesson. In this interactive session, you’ll reflect on a co-op experience, turn it into a teachable moment, and share it with others. Together, we’ll create a collective snapshot of our co-op’s lived experiences and the lessons they offer.

Networking Lunch 12:00 - 1:00 PM

Afternoon Sessions: 1:00 - 3:30 PM

Co-operative Housing Development Program Panel
Join us for a panel discussion with co-op housing members in the region who’ve successfully navigated the CHDP process. Learn why they chose the co-op model, and key takeaways from their experiences. This session offers valuable insights into the benefits and challenges of co-op development from those who’ve made it happen.

Workshops: Choose one workshop from a choice of three

1. Crafting Community: Orientation in One Page
   Facilitators: Jaclyn Johnston & Cathy Volans
   New members are the future of your co-op, and how you welcome them makes all the difference. In this interactive workshop, we'll work together to create a simple, effective one-page orientation resource that captures your co-op’s values, expectations, and community culture. Bring your ideas, and let's simplify the essentials to build a tool that ensures every new member feels informed and at home from day one
   
   
2. Governance & Good Times
   Facilitators: Maria Vaiaso & Robyn MacCallum
   Are you looking for creative ways to make co-op education exciting? Join us for a practical workshop where you'll dive into essential CHF Canada materials on governance, finances, member orientation, and more. You'll discover how to turn these concepts into fun, engaging learning experiences that you can bring back to your community. Whether you're a board director, staff member, or an enthusiastic co-op resident, you'll leave with interactive tools, fresh ideas, and practical strategies to make co-op learning enjoyable and memorable for everyone.
   
   
3. Mapping the Development Journey: Stakeholders, Stages, and Strategies for Co-op Housing Growth
   Facilitators: TBD
   This hands-on workshop will guide participants through the stages of co-op housing development, focusing on who’s responsible for what and when. Working in small groups, participants will map key activities to development phases, assign them to the appropriate stakeholders, and identify missing steps needed to advance projects. The session will conclude with concrete takeaways that participants can apply to explore or support a growth mandate at their own co-op.
   Ideal for co-op board members, managers, and sector partners, this workshop builds clarity and shared understanding of the co-op development process through interactive collaboration.

Registration Fees:

Registration Type	CHF Canada Members		Non-members
	Early bird ends October 11, 2025	Regular pricing starts October 12, 2025
First participant	$135	$155	$355
Additional participants	$85	$105	N/A
Young member (35 & under)	free - after first member registration	free - after first member registration	N/A

Discounts

Early bird registration discount: Register online by October 11, 2025 and save $20 on each registration fee.
Additional participant discount: Once you've registered one member, you'll save $50 on each additional registration.
Young member discount: Once you've registered one member, each additional young member (under 35 years) is free.
Travel rebate for member co-ops: If you live more than 100km away from the event venue, and you are attending in person, we will provide a $100 travel rebate per co-op. If you would like to apply for a travel rebate, click here.

Keynote Speaker - Mapfumo Chidzonga

Mapfumo Chidzonga, affectionately known as "Maps", is an Africentric community engagement specialist, Certified EDIA practitioner and trainer, researcher, and public speaker based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A Zimbabwean-born advocate and belonging champion, his work is rooted in Hunhu/Ubuntu— the philosophy that "I am because we are." Shaped by Zimbabwe’s communal values and resilience, he champions equity, anti-racism, and inclusive systems-change with a focus on actionable outcomes.

A seasoned leader in government engagement, Mapfumo designs and facilitates innovative equitycentered strategies that bridge communities and institutions. As Director of Engagement, Equity & Belonging with Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration (LSI), he architects systemic change—transforming workplaces into inclusive spaces where all 1,200+ employees can thrive. His approach centers measurable, culturally-grounded engagement that centers and amplifies underrepresented and underserved voices.

With expertise honed across multiple roles—including Senior Engagement Strategist for Nova Scotia’s Office of Equity and Anti-Racism Initiatives and as HRM’s first embedded Diversity & Inclusion Advisor in Planning and Development, Mapfumo combines strategic vision with practical solutions. His leadership turns equity theory into tangible progress, from anti-racist policy development to accessible community planning to improve social and economic well-being.

A storyteller and systems-shaker, Mapfumo holds a Master’s in International Development but credits his deepest insights to childhood lessons in his hometown Harare: that true belonging begins when we honor each other’s humanity. This wisdom fuels his ongoing work as Chair of the HRM African Descent Advisory Committee, and his joyful participation in the Nova Scotia Mass Choir.

True to his philosophy, Mapfumo builds connections that uplift and transform. Whether through policy change, community dialogue, or his signature blend of humor and insight, he creates spaces where learning and laughter intersect—because in his view, any exchange that doesn’t leave you with both means there’s more work to do.

Facilitators & Hosts

Summit Facilitator: Allison Ferris
Allison Ferris is the Regional Manager, Atlantic for CHF Canada. She brings over 18 years’ experience to the housing co-operative sector with extensive experience in governance, management, organizational growth and change management.

Workshop Facilitators:
Cathy Volans, Co-ordinator, Co-op & Planning Services, Atlantic, CHF Canada
Jaclyn Johnston, Program Manager, Co-op & Planning Services, Atlantic, CHF Canada
Maria Vaiaso, Regional Manager, Prairies, CHF Canada
Robyn MacCallum, Co-ordinator, Co-op & Planning Services, Atlantic, CHF Canada

Scent-free Event

This is a scent-free event. Please do not use scented products like fragrances and perfumes, colognes, aftershaves, hand creams or hand sanitizers.

Cancellation Policy

All cancellations must be made at least 3 days prior to the event, and a $20 cancellation fee will apply. No refund will be issued for cancellations received less than 3 days prior to the event.

Register

Questions:

Registration:
Motunrayo Bada
Coordinator, Education Program 
education@chfcanada.coop
Direct: 613-230-2085

Event:
Robyn MacCallum
Co-ordinator, Co-op and Planning Services, Atlantic
rmaccallum@chfcanada.coop
Direct: 902-423-7119 ext. 804