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Jon Gilchrist MCS, ACC

Jon grew up under the wide-open skies of the Canadian prairies, experiencing the joys and challenges of farm life in Saskatchewan. After earning his undergraduate degree, he moved to Vancouver to study ethics at Regent College.

For the last 20 years he has lived and worked in Edmonton, serving in Catholic health care in leadership roles that have allowed him to journey with those who are in the crux of difficult clinical and operational decisions and sense-making.

When he is not serving in the health care context as a Corporate Director for Ethics and Diversity, you can find him camping in the backcountry, chipping away at a Doctor of Ministry degree, or simply enjoying Edmonton’s river valley with his family.

Keynote:

Neighbours and Strangers: Re-imaging ‘Mission’ in Pursuit of Wholistic Communities of Health and Healing

Stories matter. Stories, and the images we invoke in their telling shape how we engage with our world and those around us. Central to the mission undergirding the Catholic health care ministry is the story and images of the Good Samaritan. But what kind of story is it? A feel-good story about compassion, or subversive challenge? How does this story shape our beliefs and behaviors toward ‘other’, toward those who do not look, sound or believe ‘like us’? In this session we will re-consider the Good Samaritan story in light of contemporary challenges facing Catholic Health Care organization’s to be more inclusive, to foster true hope, and to be places of healing for all.

Breakout:

Engaging ‘Difference’ with Cultural Humility and Sensitivity

We are in time of noticing and highlighting differences with and between one another. It can feel challenging at times to navigate evolving social norms and cultural differences in ways that honour others and ourselves. In this session we will explore the concepts of cultural humility, cultural competence, and worldview. Participants will have the opportunity for self-reflection and to consider their own cultural identity and personal worldview.