Heather Boonstra

Reflective Practioner

Tansi, Oki, Hello! My name is Heather, and I am so happy to be connecting with you today from my home in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Fort Saskatchewan is on Treaty 6 Territory and has been cared for and called home since time immemorial by generations of Cree, Nakota, Dene, Blackfoot, Salteaux and Metis peoples. I am grateful for the love and stewardship that the First Peoples have given and continue to give to Mother Earth and for the wisdom and stories they so generously share with us today. Throughout my more than 30-year career in the not-for-profit world I have learned much from my community. I have gained vast knowledge from my work teams, from community volunteers, from funders and donors, and from community partners and stakeholders; but most of what I have learned has come from the individuals, children and families who trusted me enough to let me in and share their lives with them. I believe that every person, family and organization has an important story to tell; a story that needs to be heard and received with gratitude when the time is right to share it. It is in that spirit of reciprocity that I am working with Imagine as their Reflective Practitioner. The role of Reflective Practitioner at Imagine is one that was created quite organically by Line and her team. It came from the desire to create a work culture that cultivates and inspires evaluation as a naturally occurring part of their practice. A workplace that is a safe place to be vulnerable: to try new things, be curious about outcomes and iterate its processes based on learnings. A work team that asks the hard questions about their “heart” work; questions like, “What impact is our work having on our participants’ lives and on the lives of the people they support? How is what we do, impacting our lives as members of the Imagine team? How do we support our participants in their development from ‘know’, to ‘do’, to ‘become’? It is such an honor to serve in this capacity with the skilled Imagine team. I look forward to meeting you and learning from you. Your story is important and we would love to hear it! Hiy Hiy, thank you.