STS-4C

Randy Weekes, Director, Duty of Care Programs, CANADEM

Workshop Theme:

Kidnap. Assault. Disease. Robbery. Conflict. Road hazards. Burnout - the risks that international development professionals are facing is increasing exponentially.  This unique session is divided into three components, each covering a critical component of risk management – security systems; managing medical risks; career resilience and stress management.  The three panelists are seasoned development security practitioners who will draw upon real life examples as they provide you with a wealth of tips, templates and techniques.   You’ll come away from this exciting, interactive session with realistic and practical approaches to mitigating risks and ensuring the safety and security of your team and yourself.   And attendees to the session will receive a resource kit of templates and articles.

Session Objective: 

International work is stressful, as well as rewarding.  We adjust to new cultures and places. We may encounter or see traumatic incidents. We may burnout – too many do. This session will give us an opportunity to explore our own ‘mental hygiene’ practices, to understand the physiology of stress and to explore challenges ranging from traumatic incidents to PTSD, burnout and moral injury.  We will leave the session with more insight and tools and resources to help support our resilience in this important work. 

Biography(ies):

Randy Weekes, Director, Duty of Care Programs, CANADEM

Randy has worked in development related tasks for more than 45 years in Asia, Africa and in conflict areas including Kosovo, Bosnia and Afghanistan. He provides intercultural effectiveness and psychosocial resilience training to organizations in Canada and internationally.  He is the Director of Duty of Care Programs at CANADEM, providing support to individuals sent into high risk and high stress environments. Randy has a Graduate Certificate in International Psychosocial Consultation (U.E.L.) as well as Certificates in Adult Education (St.F.X.U.) and Financial Planning (C.I.F.P.) and a BA in Political Science (Queen’s U.)

• Handout: Mental Health Continuum Model 
• Psychological First Aid (PFA) Manual
• PFA - Mobile
• Test: How Stressed Are You?