More than 200 teachers from across Alberta came together this August for the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s (ATA) Summer Conference, an annual event dedicated to professional development, leadership training and community building for teacher leaders in the ATA.
Held in Banff, the conference offered a lineup of programs tailored to support and empower teachers in their roles. This year’s offerings included seminars focused on collective bargaining, local political engagement, convention planning, leadership initiatives and specialist councils. Notably, 2025 marked the first-ever inclusion of diversity, equity and human rights programming, reflecting the ATA’s commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable school environments.
Call for continued engagement
ATA president Jason Schilling opened the four-day conference with a call for solidarity and strength in this challenging time.
“Member organisation and engagement have always been at the heart of the Association’s work,” he said. “In fact, they are the lifeblood of any major public sector union.”
Schilling said that in the year ahead, that focus must sharpen. He encouraged teachers to continue in their efforts to engage and mobilize fellow teachers through the next year.
“The strength of the Association comes from the engagement of teachers,” he emphasized.
Hope as a strategic act
The program also included a powerful keynote address by Dana Fulwiler Volk, a well-being strategist and cofounder of Teacher Fan Club. Fulwiler Volk holds a master of education degree from the University of Saskatchewan and a master of applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. With two decades of experience, spanning K–12 education, postsecondary education, non-profit work and global well-being initiatives, Fulwiler Volk brought a unique blend of academic insight and heartfelt advocacy to the stage.
Her keynote, titled “The Regenerative Power of Collective Hope,” explored the transformative potential of shared vision and mutual support in navigating the complexities of today’s educational landscape.
“Hope isn’t naïve,” Fulwiler Volk said. “It’s a strategic act of regeneration and purpose.”
She invited teachers to embrace hope not as a passive emotion but as a collective force for positive action, unity and courage. This topic was timely for teachers as they look to the new school year with many questions about labour action on their minds.
Participants left the conference energized and inspired, equipped with new tools, deeper connections and a renewed sense of purpose. As the ATA continues to evolve and respond to the needs of Alberta’s teachers, the Summer Conference remains a cornerstone of professional growth and solidarity.
Summer Conference provides training to members who are actively involved or are interested in becoming involved in the work of the Association. Teachers are required to have authorization from their local, specialist council or convention association to attend.
Learn more at https://abteach.cc/summerconference.
Alberta teachers gathered in Banff for the ATA’s premier professional learning event.
Well-being strategist Dana Fulwiler Volk spoke on the value of hope during her keynote at Summer Conference.
