On January 20th, 2015 HWC hosted an event at the Waterloo Region Museum in Kitchener, Ontario, called Sharing Our Successes. Service providers from London, Kitchener-Waterloo and Midland shared their experiences with youth programming and approaches for planning and implementing successful programs.

Keynote speaker, Kelly Geris, spoke about her involvement with community programs as a youth. Kelly shared the approaches community programs used to keep her engaged, and made suggestions about what could be improved to increase program attendance. Hearing from someone who had attended programs as a youth and is now a successful role model for other youth provided attendees with the motivation and inspiration to keep improving their current programs.

Other presentations included an overview of the importance of regular program evaluation. Lin Yuan, Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC), presented on successful healthy living programs for community members of all ages, and Mitch Baird, Southern Ontario Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (SOADI), gave an engaging presentation on social media considerations with insights in how to capture youth interest. A final program sharing activity completed an already engaging day.