Success – Stride Celebrates One Year!
by Lori Morphy, SARC Trainer/Resource Developer
It’s hard to believe that it’s been just over a year since Stride was launched. During that time, we’ve had a number of trainers complete the program and start facilitating Stride at their organizations. The team at Weyburn Wor-kin Shop was the first group to complete the training, reaching this milestone in early September 2020 – what a great achievement!
Cassidy Orsted, one of the Stride Learners from Weyburn, shared her experience:
After taking Stride through SARC and really enjoying it, I felt like pursuing and expanding my knowledge in the disability services sector was something I wanted to do. I applied for the Disability Support Worker certificate program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and got accepted. Stride already accounted for three of the classes in the course. I recently finished two more classes this term and am taking the DSW certificate part time online, while still working full time. I am learning lots and applying it directly into my job! Thank you SARC, for developing Stride. It was very easy to follow, and it encouraged me to continue on with my education!
Stride is considered the first step in a career in the disability service sector and can help staff obtain foundational information that will help them on their path to expertise while supporting people experiencing disability. Graduates of Stride also earn ten credit units in the Disability Support Worker certificate program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, so they are already well on their way to earning that certificate.
The Saskatchewan Polytechnic Bursary Program is administered by SARC and provides employees at SARC Member Agencies, like Cassidy, the financial assistance to access additional training in the disability service sector. For more information on the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Bursary Program, click here.
Megan Wilderman, another Stride Learner from Weyburn had this to say about the program:
I feel more confident in my role and also feel more confident to explain what the DSP role entails. It has a wide variety of job duties and each is very important. I feel more confident because I have learned new information and have new resources and information to continue doing good work and supporting the individuals in a way that they want.
Stride refreshed my mind and opened my eyes to the many different ways I can support the individuals I work with in a supportive and respectful way. The job duties of a DSP are broad and vary greatly, and this course covered all of them. I definitely recommend it for both new DSPs and senior DSPs.
Congratulations to the Stride Learners at Weyburn Wor-Kin Shop, and all the best in the DSW course, Cassidy!
SARC Members have proven just how adaptable they truly are when it comes to training their staff during COVID-19. Stride includes online content along with interactive workbooks and learning exercises. Many SARC Members are using virtual meetings to support their staff in achieving the in-person requirements of the training. There are numerous Stride Trainers at organizations across the province – does your organization have a Stride Trainer? To learn more, click here.
