2025 Section Forum — Workshop Digest
May 29 – June 1, 2025 · Canmore, AB
The Alpine Club of Canada is grateful for the opportunity we have to work and play on the land known today as Canada. We recognize that these lands are home to the enduring presence of all First Nations and Métis people, and the Inuit.
Each year, the Section Forum brings together section chairs, executives, and trip leaders from across the country for three days of workshops, peer learning, and planning. This digest captures the key ideas, challenges, and actions from the 2025 forum workshops so that all section volunteers — not just those who attended — can benefit from the conversations.
:::info This page is updated annually Each year's digest will be added here after the forum. Past digests are preserved so sections can track how priorities and programs have evolved over time. :::
Workshop 1 — Pathways to Impact
Shaping the Member and Volunteer Journey at Every Stage
This workshop invited section volunteers to reflect on how we welcome, engage, and support members and volunteers across three themes.
Common challenges identified
Member & Volunteer Journey
- No welcome emails or follow-ups after sign-up
- Irregular communication with members
- Low retention after first contact
- No membership coordinator role in section executives
Support & Tools
- National tools are hard to find
- Difficulty accessing best practices from ACC Office
- Peer learning is ad hoc
- Need for more customizable content
Volunteer Growth & Burnout
- Big jump from member to leader with no clear pathway
- No clear definition of a trip leader's journey or lifecycle
- Lack of clear next steps when stepping into executive roles
Section-inspired ideas
- "Bring a guest" intro nights, gear swaps, climbing socials
- Welcome email and resource library for new members
- Clear roadmap from new member to trip leadership
- "Try it out" events: half-day or evening skills practices
- New member weekend or orientation activity
- Partner with local clubs and orgs to complement section offering
- Tell new member stories via social media and The Gazette
- Articulate section benefits clearly — "The Why?"
From ideas to actions
What sections can try:
- Pilot a "bring a friend" intro climbing night or event
- Actively engage with new members after sign-up
- Develop a new member info-pack
- Start a seasonal overview event or new-member social
- Encourage leaders to mentor or shadow new members
- Identify opportunities for local club partnerships
What ACC Office is working on:
- National library of shared resources
- Regional working groups facilitation
- Updated onboarding templates for volunteers
- Section leadership recognition and support toolkit
- IT transition — new membership automations and workflows
- Shared event calendars
Workshop 2 — Leading the Way
Fostering Current and Future Leaders' Development
After extensive consolidation, the Leadership Development Committee (LDC) has re-imagined the Leadership Development Course to better meet the needs of members and the trip leader journey. This workshop focused on identifying training priorities for the LDC over the next three years and how to support mentorship programs at the section level.
What sections shared
Onboarding practices:
- Most use informal "tap on the shoulder" mentoring
- Some host a 3-hour trip leader orientation
- Varying first aid expectations across sections
- Perks used: hut stays, gift cards, course subsidies, skill development funds
Supporting the leader lifecycle:
- Use the "Watch one, do one, teach one" model
- Provide mileage in big mountain and glacier terrain
- Hybrid training (in-person + online) preferred
- Ongoing mentorship and social connection are key
Training preferences:
- Strong desire for local, highly subsidized courses
- Leadership and soft skills alongside technical skills
- Wilderness First Aid widely valued
- Mix of beginner and advanced leader priorities
Tools & structures wanted:
- Role-based executive handbooks
- Trip planning templates and checklists
- Plug-and-play mini curriculums (e.g., beacon practice)
- Formal trip leader commitment forms
Most desired courses for volunteer leader development
Sections were asked to identify the technical courses most needed for volunteer development, ranked by section demand:
| Rank | Course | Duration | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountaineering Skills | 2–4 days | Rope skills for 3rd and 4th class terrain, rescue skills, snow practices |
| 2 | Rock Climbing | 2–4 days | Hosting cragging events, rock rescue |
| 3 | Ice and Mixed Climbing | 5–6 days | Leading ice and mixed events |
| 3 | Ski Touring | 5–6 days | Leading ski touring; AST-2 curriculum; challenging non-glaciated terrain |
| 5 | Hiking-Based Leadership | 2–4 days | Leadership skills, group management, trip planning, navigation |
| 5 | Ski Mountaineering | 5–6 days | Glaciated and big mountain terrain; ropes, ice axes, crampons |
| 7 | Summer Mountaineering | 5–6 days | Leading summer alpine adventures in rock, snow, glaciated terrain |
Sections interested in hosting courses
Many sections expressed interest in serving as a gathering place or co-host for leadership development courses:
| Course | Interested sections |
|---|---|
| Hiking-based | Calgary, Revelstoke, Edmonton, Jasper/Hinton, Great Plains, Montreal, Newfoundland, Okanagan, Ottawa, St. Boniface, Squamish, Toronto, Vancouver, Yukon |
| Rock Climbing | Calgary, Revelstoke, Edmonton, Manitoba, Jasper/Hinton, Montreal, Newfoundland, Okanagan, Ottawa, St. Boniface, Squamish, Toronto, Vancouver Island, Vancouver, Yukon |
| Mountaineering Skills | Calgary, Revelstoke, Edmonton, Jasper/Hinton, Newfoundland, Squamish, Toronto, Vancouver Island, Vancouver, Yukon |
| Ice and Mixed Climbing | Calgary, Revelstoke, Edmonton, Jasper/Hinton, Newfoundland, Okanagan, Ottawa, St. Boniface, Yukon |
| Summer Mountaineering | Calgary, Revelstoke, Edmonton, Jasper/Hinton, Squamish, Toronto, Vancouver Island, Vancouver |
| Ski Touring | Calgary, Revelstoke, Edmonton, Jasper/Hinton, Montreal, Okanagan, Squamish, Toronto, Vancouver Island, Vancouver |
| Ski Mountaineering | Calgary, Revelstoke, Edmonton, Jasper/Hinton, Squamish, Toronto, Vancouver |
| Wilderness First Aid | Jasper/Hinton, Squamish, Toronto |
From ideas to actions
What sections can try:
- Create a shadowing program pairing new and experienced leaders
- Formulate a beginner trip leadership pathway
- Develop job description templates for execs and leaders
- Create an operating manual for each role
- Launch leader and exec appreciation initiatives
What ACC Office is working on:
- LDC re-imagined Leadership Development Course rollout
- Cross-section regional leader and exec events
- Curriculum for exec roles and how-to guides
- Incentivized trip and exec leadership (course subsidies)
- Section executives mentorship strategy
Post-Forum Action Plan
The following commitments came out of the 2025 forum, targeted for delivery in Q3–Q4 2025 (July–October):
IT Transition — Testing Phase and Section Readiness
- Early access to test environment for sections
- Monthly webinars and Q&A sessions
- Opportunities to submit feedback on usability, bugs, and improvements
Insurance Clarification — Youth and Sanctioned Activities
- Youth programs and unaccompanied minor protocol recommendations
- ACC sanctioned activities clarified and understood across sections
- Sections to share any remaining insurance-related concerns
Section Handbook and Documentation
- Governance templates and policy overviews
- Adopt a documentation platform for sections
- Volunteer onboarding tools, section roles, transition resources and FAQs
:::note This handbook is part of that action plan The ACC Section Handbook was identified at the 2025 Section Forum as a priority deliverable — a central documentation platform that sections can reference year-round. If you have feedback or content to contribute, reach out to ACC National. :::