November reminded us what this community can do.

If you read even one Code Like A Girl story in November, you helped push women and non-binary voices further into the spotlight.

On Medium, we shared 43 stories, and readers contributed more than 17,000 reads, proof that this community keeps showing up for women and non-binary technologists.

On Substack, we published 12 stories from incredible writers in tech and AI. We also gained 100 new subscribers, nearly 200 new followers, and had over 5,000 views, an over 800-view improvement over October.

That did not happen by accident.

It happened because you read, shared, recommended, and rooted for their work.

This is what our mission looks like in action: helping talented people get seen in a space that doesn’t always make room for them.

From the beginning, we made a simple decision. We would recommend every one of our writers’ publications on Substack, and only our writers.

It’s our way of giving back for the stories, expertise, and lived experiences they share with this community. And it’s working: since we began this approach in August, those recommendations have already helped more than 118 people discover our writers’ work.

Below are November’s top reads from Substack and Medium, along with one hidden gem from each platform that absolutely deserves your time.

Whether you’re here to learn, grow, or feel a little less alone in tech, you’ll find something that lands.

Jenny shares how small, curious AI experiments turned her from a “reliable but invisible” engineer into the person leadership calls for every strategic AI conversation.

By building practical tools, like autonomous research agents, UI testing, and a natural-language SQL MCP, she quietly shifted her company’s priorities and showed what was actually possible.

Her core message: you don’t need to be an AI expert to gain an unfair career advantage, you just need to start solving real friction points while everyone else waits for a strategy.

This guide is a practical roadmap for turning AI-powered ideas into production-ready apps, even if you don’t write code.

Karo and Karen walk you through every step from validating your idea and mapping user flows to choosing your stack, writing strong prompts, using Git from day one, securing data, and debugging without losing your mind.

It’s vibe coding with guardrails: AI does the heavy lifting, you stay in charge of vision, quality, and shipping real products.

Read full story

Christine argues that “vibe coding” isn’t dead at all, it’s just grown up. She traces how the hypey “build an app in minutes” fantasy faded, while a quieter reality emerged: women using AI as a force multiplier to prototype, learn, and access tech spaces that weren’t built for them.

Vibe coding, she says, has split into a gateway for beginners and a powerful assistant for experts, and that’s precisely when it got good.

Claudia shares what really happens after an AI product launch, when real users expose issues your laptop never warned you about.

Her Cantonese conversation partner survived a big Reddit moment, but user traffic revealed memory bottlenecks, slow response times, speech-recognition gaps, and unexpected feature needs, each was solved through quick, practical product fixes rather than massive technical overhauls.

Her message to builders is clear: early traction isn’t about big numbers, it’s about the small signals real users give you when they care enough to keep trying, keep testing, and even promote your tool on their own.

Sneha explores how Lovable’s agentic mode reshapes the UX workflow. Instead of just following instructions, AI begins acting like a true collaborator. It reads intent. It applies design principles automatically. It keeps designers in flow.

Her voice-first campaign builder is a glimpse of what UX will look like when AI becomes a creative partner instead of a task executor.

Vinita lays out ten habits that matter far more than raw talent. Accountability over blame. Questions over assumptions. Feedback over flattery. Deep work over busyness.

These habits make you someone people trust, listen to, and promote. A powerful guide for anyone trying to grow their career with intention.

Aleena challenges the hype cycles of modern software. She argues that “new” tech is often just old ideas with new packaging, that frameworks like Spring are patchworks built around missing language features, that few people truly understand MVC, and that configuration works best as executable code.

It’s a fun, sharp reminder of how much of our industry is built on decades-old foundations.

Amy revisits her early days in data, when coding was messy and joyful and debugging weekends felt like an adventure, not pressure.

As her career grew, the joy shifted into performance. Yet she reconnects with something true: data has always been a conversation. Human. Imperfect. Full of meaning.

Her reflection is tender, grounded, and shaped by the father who first taught her to love numbers.

This month’s stories would not exist without the brilliant women and non-binary technologists who shared their work.

In reverse order of appearance: Anjolaoluwa Ajayi, Alexia Pouyaud, Sneha, Megna Guduru | Code And Curry, Vinita, RMONTECH, Veenarao, Gabrielle Y, Anuja, Aleena, Better Allies®, Nidhi Gahlawat, Nidhi Jain 👩‍💻, Jenny Ouyang, Victoria Olorunfemi, Amy Blankenship, Elizabeth Eagle-Simbeye, Amy (Data according to me), Kalyani Dagde, Hareem Fatima 👻, Mena Esezobor, Hazal özzerif 🦌, Neela 🌶️, Diana Cristina Culincu, and Prineet Kaur 👩‍💻.

Your voices shape this community. We are grateful for every story you share.

I was interviewed by Alex Ponomarev of Thriving in Engineering about building inclusive teams and the work we are doing with Code Like a Girl. It was a meaningful conversation, and I am grateful for the chance to share our journey.

We hope our American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

As we head into the holiday season, a small update: Code Like a Girl will be taking a break on both platforms from December 20 to January 4.

Thank you for being part of this community. We can’t wait to come back rested and ready for an incredible 2026.

Dinah Davis,
Founder of Code Like A Girl.

Bytes of Brilliance: November’s Top Tech Reads on Code Like a Girl was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

After an extended wait, Teer and Kard have finally returned!

One life’s rage was bad enough.
Two may be unendurable

Check out the e-book and paperback on Amazon or read on for the cover and book description.

♦

The young bounty hunter Teer remembers two lives: his own, travelling with the half-demigod Kard and struggling to learn his own strange magical powers; and that of the last Adept of the Orders, a trained master of the powers he fumbles with.

A journey deep into the Unity has bought him reconciliation with the dead man’s memories, but the injustices of both lives fuel an anger Teer struggles to control. Even as he and Kard return to the borderlands where they are safe, they collide with more of the injustice that defines the Unity.

Injustice they cannot stop. They are two men, but Teer now remembers an entire life of running and exile. Pragmatism says to move on—but Teer’s anger is done running.

Hundreds of innocent lives hang in the balance, but against the might of the Unity Army and the commands of a Spehari demigod, what can one man do?

The post Adept’s Path is out now! appeared first on Glynn Stewart.

The modding toolkit for Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

C# 8 Updated Jul 14

The post Flash Sale appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.

The post Flash Sale appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.

A writer living in Listowel  stated that her husband hauled toxic sludge from Uniroyal Chemical's waste ponds in Elmira to the United States for disposal at the start of the cleanup. I am aware of most if not all of the alleged cleanups done but have no knowledge of toxic wastes being taken to the U.S.  I can not categorically claim that she is incorrect but am very curious about the location where they went.

A couple of letter writers jumped on the Susan Bryant bandwagon and praised her efforts.  It makes a good story but is not accurate. Susan Bryant and Sylvia Berg  made a private deal outside the purvue of the other APTE coordinators with Uniroyal Chemical. In exchange for APTE dropping their opposition to Conestoga Rovers pathetic DNAPL investigation around 1992-93 followed by the Ministry of Environment's letter of December 10, 1993 letter accepting this report, the two ladies received promises of future efforts to clean the Canagagigue Creek as well as promised lifetime invitations to all public meetings regarding cleanup plans etc.  In other words permanent seats at the table.  For this and the expected public accolades they sold out both their souls and their citizen colleagues. To date there is no cleanup whatsoever in the downstream Canagagigue Creek.

Dr. Richard Jackson wrote an excellent Letter To The Editor describing the need for and purpose of the warning signs along the Creek. He stated "However these contaminated sediments were subsequently flushed downstream and dispersed into the Grand River watershed." This statement very well may be accurate however without further statements it could be misconstrued as suggesting that the contaminated sediments are all gone. Sediments are constantly being deposited as well as being eroded in creeks especially during spring floods and other high flow times. The history of data from the Canagagigue Creek shows concentrations and locations to a certain extent changing over time. This is normal and most observers understand that the toxic chemicals such as DDT and dioxins (and others) continue to erode from both the former Uniroyal site as well as from downgradient and downstream areas impacted by Uniroyal's decades of operation and pollution migration. 

Firstly despite the title above these are two different but serious issues. Today's K-W Record has an excellent Opinion piece by Luisa describing the abhorrent behaviour of the Waterloo Region District School Board in improperly punishing an elected trustee for vigorously doing his job.  They banned trustee Mike Ramsay from attending either public or private trustee meetings for three months because he publicly criticized the Board's stupidity in the Caroline Burjowski matter

The second matter is in regards to a four page long, overall very good article by Record reporter, Terry Pender.  Mr. Pender interviewed Lanxess Canada staff and many of their friends and fellow travellors.  I do not blame him for not knowing that everybody he interviewed were all on the same team as he did not have a program so indicating. Partly because of that but as well do to the simple fact that most of the participants are newbies such as Hadley Stamm and Nathan Cadeau and a few older ones may well have simply forgotten basic facts from twenty and thirty years ago plus. 

The Letters To The Editor included a woman from Listowel whose husband died as a result of taking toxic sludge from the former Uniroyal Chemical to off-site disposal. Another woman wrote that there was an "...utter lack of responsibility from industry and all levels of government.". She also appropriately puts Lanxess Canada mouthpiece Hadley Stamm in her place. A former Record reporter also sent in a Letter in which he mentioned Varnicolor Chemical, another serious polluter in Elmira. Only this year have we been advised what I have known for many years that Varnicolor added at least a half dozen chlorinated solvents to the Elmira drinking water aquifers. Finally Dr. Richard Jackson, the first Chair of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) explained clearly why the warning signs along the Canagagigue Creek were placed there by Woolwich Township against the wishes of our corrupt Ontario Ministry of Environment. Yes Woolwich's mayor was playing politics but also she was correct in doing so. The Creek is badly contaminated and so are the fish despite five minute wonder, councillor Nathan Cadeau's claim otherwise. Another gentleman from Cambridge also contributed a Letter and as well congratulated both Terry Pender and the Record for their efforts.

The Youth Impact Project (YIP) is a collaboration between the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region (CYPT) and Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab (SWRIL). The Youth Impact Project looks to fund youth who are addressing local challenges which are identified through the 2023 Youth Impact Survey results. The funded projects include a focus on supporting youth mental and physical health, increasing feelings of belonging, and responding to climate change and food insecurity.

In 2024, over 100 youth from 15 local organisations pitched their ideas to a panel of nine youth. The Youth Decision-Making Panel (“The Dragons”) decided which projects would receive funding to make their idea a reality. In 2025, CYPT and SWRIL are accepting youth applications online, and a team of three youth are deciding which projects will receive funding.

GrassrootsKW is an interdisciplinary youth-led climate group aiming to make climate initiatives more accessible to youth in the Kitchener Waterloo region. Through both in-person community building events, as well as a website that connects youth to opportunities, GrassrootsKW is building a community for youth climate action. Visit their website here. 

Applications for the 2025 Youth Impact Project are now closed and 17 youth projects across Waterloo Region received funding. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we announce the other 12 projects!

The post 2025 Youth Impact Project Showcase: Grassroots KW appeared first on Children and Youth Planning Table.

For more than five decades, KW Habilitation has been deeply rooted in the belief that everyone deserves a place where they belong. Our work has always focused on supporting children, youth, adults, and families—especially those with developmental disabilities—through inclusive living options, employment supports, and early learning programs.

A Vision Taking Shape at 878 Frederick Street

Our newest affordable housing development is already becoming a reality. A modern, four-storey building consisting of 18 one- and two-bedroom apartments, this project is designed to be inclusive and accessible to anyone who needs affordable housing.

Walking by the site today, you’ll see walls rising and the structure coming to life. The foundation is strong, the vision is clear—and now we need your help to complete the final stage.

♦

This project builds on the success of our first affordable housing initiative that opened in 2018. Using our “Neighbour Helping Neighbour” model, we create communities where people supported by KW Habilitation live alongside people from the broader affordable housing waitlist.

The result? Diverse, connected, supportive neighbourhoods where everyone has something to contribute.

Housing is more than a place to sleep. It’s stability. It’s participation. It’s belonging. And when communities are intentionally inclusive, everyone thrives.

While construction is well underway, the final pieces, the ones that transform a building into a home, still need funding. Your Giving Tuesday donation will help us provide:

• An accessible elevator
• Appliances and window coverings for comfort and privacy in every unit
• Furnishings and equipment for a community room that will bring neighbours together

These touches may seem small, but they are essential in creating dignity, connection, and home.

When you support this project, you’re helping address critical housing challenges facing our region. You’re contributing to a concrete, meaningful solution: one that will strengthen the community for years to come.

You’re also building on KW Habilitation’s trusted legacy of inclusion, innovation, and accountability. Every gift, big or small, moves us closer to opening the doors for our future tenants.

To help our community understand the tangible impact of their generosity, we’ve created donation tiers that show exactly how each contribution supports the new building. A gift of $50 provides a window covering for one unit, ensuring comfort and privacy for a future tenant. A $100 donation helps supply essential appliances, turning an empty space into a functional home. With $500, you can help furnish the shared community room—the heart of the building where neighbours will gather, connect, and build relationships. And for those able to make a transformational gift, $2,500 supports the installation of the building’s elevator, ensuring accessibility for all who call 878 Frederick Street home. Each level of giving builds something real, meaningful, and lasting.

This Giving Tuesday, you can help create homes, hope, and belonging right here in Waterloo Region.

Together, we can build a community where everyone has a safe and welcoming place to call home.

Join us. Let’s build this together. Donate Today!

The post Building Homes, Hope, and Belonging: A Giving Tuesday Story appeared first on KW Habilitation.

Such a pack of total rectums.  O.K. I have just now read the 42 page report by the Integrity Commissioner (ADR Chambers-B. Bresner) . After 3 1/2 years the Waterloo Region District School Board have finally released it . It concerns trustee Mike Ramsay's behaviour and it is on-line at the WRDSB website albeit only thanks to a determined citizen who went through the Freedom of Information Act in order to get it released. It would be an exposure of my past contempt for the WRDSB's behaviour to suggest that they maliciously, intentionally and strategically refused to release it for so long purely for selfish, self-serving purposes. Therefore also looking at the WRDSB's penchant for spending taxpayers money taking citizens and parents to court when their misbehaviour is challenged I won't suggest such a thing. By the way today's Woolwich Observer newspaper has a large story on this three year plus belated report from the Integrity Commissioner.

Now without a doubt there are competing priorities between the WRDSB's Code of Conduct and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as with the Education Act and perhaps even with the Canadian Constitution. The Integrity Commissioner also advised the Board of Trustees that individual Integrity Commissioners from different districts and educational areas were quite likely to interpret those priorities between various pieces of legislation differently although it would seem to me that the law of the land should far precede stupid Codes of Conduct written by trustees of varying degrees of  intelligence much less ethics. This comment about "stupid" Codes of Conduct was simply to avoid me referring to "stupid" trustees which would have been rude and possibly invoked the legal wrath of some unnamed hypothetical School Board whose last name starts with B (as in ...Board). 

Further weirdness about this entire process is that the Integrity Commissioner merely restates the facts and does not render a Recommendation. Wow! Hence he's relayed the facts which for example I find to be some serious criticisms and or allegations by trustee Mike Ramsay that should have been investigated versus the investigation of Mr. Ramsay's right as a trustee to state them in the first place. Also it is my experience that Codes of Conduct are routinely weaponized for the mere purpose of intimidating and shutting down proper and appropriate disagreement and dissent. 

So if the Integrity Commissioner doesn't make Recommendations then who does? Simple that goes back to the alleged majority of potentially idiot trustees who may have screwed up big time in the first place and simply want a token "third party" to review their stupidity but leave them in control to pretend that the Integrity Commissioner backs their alleged stupidity. Especially leaves them in control by not making any Recommendations.

My final Recommendations: Throw out Codes of Conduct  Throw out Integrity Commissioners   Throw out most of the WRDSB trustees at the next election if not sooner   Tell our fat assed courts to GD do their jobs and render a decision regarding Caroline Burjowski and her mistreatment by the Board and their Chair      Oops I should have added the word alleged in there. It's way too easy for alleged professional liars and their fellow travellors to get the courts involved when honest citizens speak truth to power. These alleged professional liars behave that way because they have lots of taxpayers money at their disposal which allegedly they can spend as they see fit.

♦Leadership today is more complex than ever. Uncertainty is no longer hidden. It’s front and center, demanding courage and adaptability from those at the helm. In a recent conversation, Senator Paulette Senior and Scott Haldani reflected on what it truly means to lead in these times.

“Change is inevitable,” Senator Senior shared. “You can’t navigate it unless you understand yourself, including your strengths and vulnerabilities. Courage means standing firm even when the future isn’t visible while helping others believe in what’s possible.”

For Senator Senior, this lesson was amplified during her decade as CEO of YWCA Canada. “Leading a national federation is like no other role,” she explained. “You’re running an organization while leading a movement. Our model was an upside-down triangle, with the national CEO at the bottom, holding up the rest. That required humility, relationship-building, and trust.”

Senator Senior emphasized a leadership approach rooted in presence and intentionality: “Trying to lead with, lead for, lead beside—you need to be grounded. Understand that change is inevitable. Things will come that you can’t predict, but through it all, it’s about standing your ground and helping people see a future that isn’t yet created. Even if you aren’t sure of every detail, having the right people, the right structure, and clarity about what’s in your control makes all the difference.”

She illustrated this with lessons from her own journey: “There were things I didn’t know how to do—like fundraising—but I knew my passion for it. Early on, I learned to hire for what I didn’t know and lean into my strengths: advocacy, courage, and the ability to stand firm in the face of challenges.”

Senator Senior described a pivotal lesson from her leadership experience: “Leadership is often about making decisions without complete certainty. For example, when implementing new programs or advocating for systemic change, there were times I didn’t know how the outcomes would unfold. But having a grounded strategy, trusting my team, and staying aligned with our values allowed us to move forward with confidence.”

Scott Haldani agreed, emphasizing that courage is inseparable from collaboration: “I learned early that I didn’t need to know everything. I needed the right people. Hiring well and trusting them to do what they do best has always been key.”

Both leaders underscored that navigating change is not about having all the answers. It’s about building strong teams, focusing on what you can control, and embracing the unknown with confidence. Leadership, they concluded, is about helping others see a future that isn’t yet visible and walking that path together.

The post Leading Through Uncertainty: Courage, Trust, and the Power of Collaboration appeared first on Capacity Canada.

♦At this year’s Board Governance BootCamp, attendees had the rare opportunity to hear from Canadian business icon Arlene Dickinson during a keynote fireside chat focused on leading with courage. Drawing from nearly four decades of experience in business and entrepreneurship, Dickinson offered a candid and inspiring reflection on what it truly means to act with courage in leadership.

“Courage,” she shared, “is really about understanding that our fears aren’t going anywhere. By addressing them, we put ourselves in a position to overcome them. If we just let ourselves be afraid, we never really get anywhere.”

Dickinson spoke about her personal approach to tackling challenges head-on. “I’ve always believed that if you go right at the thing that’s giving you the most grief, you’ll be far better off than if you put it on a list and let it slip down. I don’t make lists for this reason. I do what’s right in front of me, one step at a time. That’s how I’ve found my courage: by confronting each challenge as it comes, not postponing it because it feels too hard.”

She reflected on the evolution of courage in her own life. “I didn’t lack courage, but I sometimes lacked belief in myself. That belief has grown with age. We get one life and one chance to say the things that matter to us. Now, I realize it’s in the little moments of vulnerability that we find courage. Vulnerability, self-belief, and understanding that it doesn’t matter what others think – what matters is what you think of yourself.”

Dickinson also shared her experiences making unpopular decisions, particularly as a leader and board member. “An unpopular decision can simply be going against the grain. It doesn’t mean your decision is wrong. It just means you’re ready to stand for what you believe, even if everyone else disagrees. I trust my sense of what’s right and wrong, and that has guided me in business and on boards alike.”

♦

She recalled the lessons from her time on *Dragon’s Den*, where she was the only female investor: “I would make choices that everyone else thought

were crazy. But I never listened to them. That experience taught me how to make unpopular decisions and stand by them. In life and on boards, you have to voice your opinion, even if it’s against the majority. Voting with your convictions and not with what others expect is what good leadership means.”

Her advice resonated with the BootCamp audience, many of whom are non-profit leaders navigating complex organizational and societal challenges. Dickinson emphasized that courage is critical not only in business but also in the non-profit sector: “Standing up for what you believe, even when it’s unpopular, is essential. It’s about making decisions in the best interest of your team, organization, or community, even if it’s difficult.”

Her insights reinforced a core theme of the 2025 BootCamp that courageous leadership requires fortitude, self-belief, and the willingness to act, even in the face of fear and uncertainty.

The post Leading With Courage: Insights from Alrene Dickinson at Capacity Canada’s BootCamp appeared first on Capacity Canada.

♦Capacity Canada proudly marked another milestone in strengthening Canada’s non-profit sector with the successful completion of its 17th Board Governance BootCamp, held November 18–20, 2025, in Kitchener at the Bingeman’s Centre. This year’s BootCamp brought together board members, executives, and emerging leaders from across Canada and beyond for three days of shared learning, reflection, and growth.

The event opened with a sense of excitement and purpose. As participants settled in for the immersive program ahead, which was filled with workshops, fireside chats, and peer-to-peer engagement, one message rang clear: strong governance is the backbone of resilient, high-impact organizations.

“Capacity Canada’s Board Governance BootCamp represents an exciting opportunity to equip non-profit leaders with the tools and insights they need to govern with confidence and impact,” said Cathy Brothers, CEO of Capacity Canada. “Strong governance is the foundation of thriving organizations, and tonight we celebrate the courage and commitment of our participants to excel in leadership roles.”

♦

The theme for the 2025 BootCamp – Navigating Change With Courage – reflected the challenges and opportunities facing non-profit organizations in an era of rapid transformation. Through practical exercises, expert-led sessions, and scenario-based discussions, participants explored what courageous governance looks like in action and how boards can position organizations for long-term success.

The opening night set the tone with a keynote fireside chat featuring Arlene Dickinson, one of Canada’s most recognized entrepreneurs and investors. In a candid conversation, Dickinson shared lessons on strategic leadership, innovation, and the evolving expectations of boards as they embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“Strong governance is about oversight, vision, adaptability, and courage,” Dickinson said. “I’m thrilled to join Capacity Canada in inspiring leaders to embrace innovation and lead with purpose.” Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, a respected Indigenous leader and Board Member of Capacity Canada, delivered an opening evening keynote that invited us into the healing journey of Truth and Reconciliation by sharing seven new teachings as guiding principles to live and lead with purpose.

Among this year’s attendees was Itohan Onaghinon, who travelled all the way from Nigeria to participate in the BootCamp. “I was drawn to the curriculum. The sessions were themed around AI, and it’s crucial for me to know AI is being introduced into a boardroom,” she said. “It was a great learning experience.”

Faune Lang from Food4Kids Waterloo Region, returning for her second BootCamp after first learning about Capacity Canada through one of her organization’s consultants.

“I love the BootCamp. Each year brings new perspectives, different themes, and so many opportunities to learn,” Faune shared. “It’s inspiring to be in a space where leaders can exchange ideas openly, and I’d love to see even more engagement and conversation as we continue to grow together.”

♦This year’s BootCamp also featured a series of pre-BootCamp sessions that quickly became highlights. Among them were:

Courage in Board Governance with Senator Paulette Senior, AI for Board Governance with governance expert and author Paul Smith, and sessions on risk management, fundraising, and more.

These sessions equipped participants with both the strategic perspective and practical tools needed to thrive in increasingly complex landscapes.

As the BootCamp concluded, participants left with renewed confidence, stronger networks, and a deeper understanding of how courageous leadership can transform communities. The 2025 cohort joins hundreds of past BootCamp alumni who continue to shape governance excellence across Canada.

The post Board Governance BootCamp 2025: Navigating Change with Courage appeared first on Capacity Canada.

♦

Behind every thriving nonprofit is a board of directors that brings clarity, accountability, and vision to the organization’s mission. When governance works well, boards act as strategic anchors, ensuring resources are used wisely, risks are managed effectively, and long-term goals stay firmly in focus.

But the reality is that many boards struggle. Directors often step into their roles with passion, but without the education, tools, or support necessary to fulfill their governance responsibilities confidently. This gap can lead to slow decision-making, unclear priorities, and missed opportunities that ultimately limit an organization’s ability to create meaningful impact.

Capacity Canada’s three-day Board Governance BootCamp was designed to close the knowledge gap and empower boards to lead with confidence. Led by a distinguished faculty, this immersive training gives board members the tools and insight they need to elevate their leadership.

Across dynamic small-group discussions, expert-led keynotes, and hands-on exercises, participants gain practical strategies they can apply immediately. Whether you’re part of a small grassroots nonprofit or a large national organization, the BootCamp equips you to make stronger, more informed decisions.

This year’s Pre-BootCamp workshops opened with two dynamic sessions:

Artificially Intelligent Boardrooms: Getting Smart About AI Paul Smith, Founder of Future Directors, delivered a jargon-free, hands-on masterclass—breaking down AI’s impact, sharing practical insights, and guiding confidence-building exercises.

True Stories: What Real Donors Taught Us Rob Donelson and Bryan Webber, Executives in Residence at Capacity Canada, shared powerful lessons from real donor experiences, highlighting what truly resonates and how boards can turn insights into action.

The Role of the Board Chair: Leading with Purpose Susan Radwan led a dynamic session on how board chairs can step into their role with clarity, confidence, and purpose—ensuring they lead with real impact.

Board Risk Management Fred Galloway guided participants through financial, technology, regulatory, and reputational risks, showing how boards can partner with senior staff to strengthen awareness, sharpen policy frameworks, and improve evaluation strategies to reduce risk and enhance governance

Cynthia Wesley Esquimaux invited us into the healing journey of Truth and Reconciliation by sharing seven new teachings these are guiding principles to live and lead with purpose:

• Courage – step into conversations, even the hard ones
• Respect – honour that all living things are equal; all my relations
• Humility – embrace service, both ordinary and extraordinary
• Truth – take action, create, and build with a long-term view
• Honesty – stay open emotionally and spiritually; avoid disconnect
• Love – give unconditionally, release, and share freely
• Wisdom – commit to lifelong learning

Her words reminded us that reconciliation is not just reflection; it’s action, service, and relationship.

♦

Senator Paulette Senior, in conversation with Scott Haldanes, spoke powerfully about navigating change with courage, trust, and resilience. She shared how she has led through uncertainty, encouraging us to find our own path by knowing who we are, recognizing our vulnerabilities and strengths, and learning to walk with fear rather than avoid it. Her message: true leadership means embracing courage as a companion on the journey of change.

♦

Capacity Canada was thrilled to welcome Arlene Dickinson entrepreneur, bestselling author, venture capitalist, and long-time “Dragon” on CBC’s Dragons’ Den. As our Opening Keynote Speaker. Known for her leadership and commitment to innovation, Dickinson brought genuine insight and inspiration to the room.

• Nonprofit Board Experience: Dickinson spoke about her work in the nonprofit sector, emphasizing the importance of strong governance and mission-driven leadership.
• Leadership Insights: Through personal stories, she highlighted what makes a great leader: clarity, empathy, resilience, and the ability to empower others.
• Being a Woman in Business: She offered candid reflections on her journey as a woman in business, sharing lessons on perseverance, confidence, and navigating challenges.
• Audience Q&A: Dickinson closed with an engaging Q&A, answering questions with honesty and practical advice drawn from her extensive experience.

♦

Capacity Canada was honoured to welcome Susan Aglukark, one of Canada’s most celebrated and unique artists, as our Closing Keynote Speaker. Blending Inuktitut and English with contemporary pop music, Aglukark has long used her voice to share the stories, history, and spirit of Inuit communities.

Aglukark delivered a powerful and deeply moving keynote. She:

• Sang for the audience, bringing her message to life through music
• Spoke candidly about trauma, courage, fear, and the journey of healing
• Reflected on overcoming adversity and the importance of cultural and personal discovery
• Answered audience questions, offering wisdom shaped by her 25-year artistic and personal journey

From inspiring keynote speakers to thought-provoking workshops and hands-on governance sessions, this year’s Board Governance BootCamp provided nonprofit leaders with the tools, confidence, and clarity they need to create lasting impact.

With contributions from remarkable leaders including Senator Paulette Senior, Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Fred Galloway, Susan Radwan, Paul Smith, Marion Thomson Howell, Andrew Jardine. Participants explored governance through every lens: ethics, culture, financial stewardship, leadership evaluation, and the courage required to navigate change.

Panels led by Dr. Kathy Hogarth, Bob Gallagher, Terry Cooke, Karen Spencer, Mike Morrice, Scott Williams, and additional experts challenged boards to think boldly, embrace empathy, and lead with intention.

Together, these sessions created an environment where learning met practice, where tough questions sparked meaningful conversations.

Thank you to our sponsors Bhayana Family Foundation, Cowan Insurance and Lyle S. Hallman Foundation. Your generous support helps make the Board Governance BootCamp possible and strengthens the impact of nonprofit leaders across Canada.

♦

Whether you’re new to board governance or ready to deepen your impact, Capacity Canada’s ModernBoard training has you covered.

• Essentials: Build a strong foundation in nonprofit board roles, responsibilities, and strategic value.
• Advanced: Strengthen your leadership with deeper insights into risk, regulation, and board dynamics.

Both programs are self-paced, online, and designed to equip board members with practical tools for real-world impact.

Start your learning journey today—registration is now open!

Learn more and register today at capacitycanada.ca/modernboard/

The post Boards That Lead: Capacity Canada’s BootCamp Transforms Governance Into Impact appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Extract any website’s design system into design tokens in a few seconds: logo, colors, typography, borders, and more. One command.

JavaScript 538 Updated Nov 28

Official inference repo for FLUX.2 models

Python 980 Updated Nov 28

Modeling, training, eval, and inference code for OLMo

Python 6.2k Updated Nov 24

PyTorch building blocks for the OLMo ecosystem

Python 475 Updated Nov 30

There are two kinds of bugs in software. The obvious ones you catch right away, and the sneaky ones that hide out until you finally relax and think, “Yep, this thing’s solid now.” Those are the worst. They don’t just show up — they ambush you.

I’ve spent the last four months living inside a refactor. Not some cozy little “cleanup.” I’m talking about a full-blown React-to-TypeScript migration, where every single file, prop, function, and utility had its own weird personality. I wrangled more chart logic, axes, scales, and D3 weirdness than any normal person should have to deal with.

After rewriting more than 6,000 lines of code, fixing issues one after another, and carefully migrating everything, guess what happened? The exact same bugs I fixed before came back. Not new ones. Not surprises. The same old bugs I already hunted down and killed.

It honestly felt like the codebase was taunting me:

“Oh, you learned TypeScript? Here’s your welcome basket of emotional damage.”

The Work Nobody Sees

This wasn’t some fun group project. It was just me, solo, running a marathon through a dark forest where the trees keep moving around. Refactoring is its own special brand of misery. You rewrite logic, rename types, patch up ancient utilities, and fix weird assumptions that should’ve died ages ago. And in the end? The app looks exactly the same. No UI changes. No shiny new features. Nothing you can point to and say, “Hey, look what I did.” Just your sanity leaking out while the code pretends everything’s fine.

QA doesn’t see the thousands of lines you refactored. They only see what’s broken. When a chart axis shifts by three pixels, when the minor ticks vanish, when the data mapping resets itself like there’s a ghost in the machine — it doesn’t just feel like a bug. It feels personal. Because you rewrote it. You tested it. You thought it was done.

There’s a little message no developer ever wants to get: “Hey… this bug is happening again.” Six words. That’s all. But it lands like a gut punch. It reminds you how tired you are. How alone you feel. How sometimes it’s hard to tell if you’re actually fixing things or just shuffling the chaos around.

When I saw the same old issues popping up in my shiny new TypeScript code, my confidence cracked. Didn’t I fix this already? Why is it back? Am I actually making progress, or am I just running in circles?

TypeScript teaches you a hard lesson: the code doesn’t care how hard you tried. It only cares if it works.

People see the PR get merged. They see the end result. They never see the hundreds of TypeScript errors, the D3 functions you rewrote three times, the “why is this undefined now?” moments, the same Google search for the same error over and over, the debugging rabbit holes, the quiet 1 AM frustration, or the tiny wins nobody else notices.

Refactoring is a marathon, but one you run alone, in the dark, with a dying flashlight.

Everything broke again, but something changed in me, too.

I got more patient. TypeScript forces you to slow down and think things through.
I got braver. After rewriting chart logic eight times, honestly, nothing really scares you anymore.
I became a better debugger. It hurt, but it worked.
I got more confident — but not because I succeeded. Because I failed, and kept going anyway. Nothing teaches you faster than a bug that just won’t die.
This Isn’t a failure story. It’s about sticking with it.

Yeah, my refactor broke things. But it also made things clearer. It taught me that real engineering isn’t about being perfect. It’s about showing up, even when the code looks at you like a disappointed parent. It’s about believing that all your invisible effort matters, even if today just feels like chaos on repeat.

Maybe you’re where I am: tired, overwhelmed, debugging the same thing again, doubting yourself, wondering if anyone else struggles this much. You’re not alone. Refactoring is unglamorous. It’s lonely. It’s slow. It’s thankless.

But this quiet, painful work is where real engineers get made. Not the tutorial kind. Not the “hello world” kind. The resilient kind.

And one day, when everything finally compiles, when QA says “looks good,” when your chart ticks finally render perfectly in TypeScript, you’ll realize: you didn’t just refactor code. You refactored yourself into someone stronger.

I Spent Four Months Refactoring 6,000 Lines of React. Then It All Broke. was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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TypeScript 160k Updated Dec 1

Well at first blush it sure seems so. Todays Waterloo Region Record advises us that the provincial Conservative government under Doug Ford is about to lower the boom locally. The front page story is written by Luisa D'Amato and is titled "There's much chatter about Ford changing local government model". Luisa suggests that some of this has already started with local school boards on notice that trustees positions may be drastically changed or eliminated.  Thank God for that as the public board (WRDSB) have been making asses of themselves for years now including attacking their own trustees (Mike Ramsay & others) as well as attacking their own teachers (Caroline Burjowski) for following the Board's own rules by speaking to them as a formal Delegate.  The province have also announced that local and regional Conservation Authorities are in the cross hairs as they may all be removed in favour of one overarching Conservation Authority. While I have less ammunition as to the current state being pathetic I at least do know that their membership is primarily made up of municipal councillors who don't know sh*t from shinola. Also their (Grand River Conservation Authority) local nickname has long been the Grand River Construction Authority. The GRCA among other stupidities actually approved Severin Argenton's (of Varnicolor Chemical infamy) application  to build a solvent tank farm on Lot 91 in Elmira on the Canagagigue Creek floodplain. 

Now Ford and the Conservatives are strongly suggesting that the combination of three cities (Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge) and their separate municipal governments are wasteful, overlapping and redundant. At least they are wasteful when you have a Regional government above all three doing its' thing. Well again Regional government certainly have not endeared themselves over the last three years with their gross failures in both accountability and transparency regarding the 700 acres land collection going on in Wilmot Township. Personally I've been appalled at regional government for their abandonment of honesty and transparency regarding the Elmira Water Crisis over the last three and a half decades. Basically they've let Dogpatch (Woolwich Twn.) run the show which they have done by delegating all authority and responsibility to the polluter (Uniroyal & successors) and the the province (Min. of Environment).

Hmm interesting how both this provincial government (Conservative) and all the rest (i.e. Liberal ) have done little or nothing environmentally or human health appropriate for local Elmira citizens.  Maybe the current provincial government criticizing lower tier governments and agencies is simply a classic case of the kettle calling the pot black.

♦

♦Crescendo Choir at Christkindl Market
Friday, December 5
5:00 PM – 5:45 PM
FREE Admission
Kitchener City Hall – 200 King St. W, Kitchener

Experience the Magic at Kitchener’s Christkindl Market! Lots of Habbers will be performing in the Crescendo Choir, a yearly tradition of theirs. They have been working on their their festive songs at their Wednesday practices each week. After enjoying this spectacular performance, be sure you take a stroll through the market! Satisfy your cravings with delicious holiday treats, enjoy outdoor skating, take in other live entertainment, and bask in the warm Christmas ambiance. The Christkindl Market will be happening Thursday to Saturday December 4 to 6 from 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM and Sunday December 7 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. If you like the Crescendo Choir’s performance and want to join, just come their next practice. They practice every Wednesday from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM at Glencairn Church – 725 Erinbrook Dr. Kitchener. Everyone is welcome to join the Crescendo Choir no matter what their singing abilities are.

Click here for more info on Christkind Market

Click here for more info on Crescendo Choir’s Performance

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♦Sensory Friendly Santa
Thursday, December 4
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
FREE
THEMUSEUM – 10 King St. W, Kitchener

Join us for a Sensory Sensitive meet and greet with the Jolly Old Elf himself, Santa Claus! We will have sensory-friendly crafts as well as cater our exhibitions to people with sensory sensitivities. All ages are welcome to come visit Santa and explore THEMUSEUM for this holiday season!

Click here for more info

♦Winter Art Market
Sunday, December 7
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
FREE Admission
Victoria Park Pavilion – 80 Schneider Dr. Kitchener

Join Healing of The Seven Generations in supporting local Indigenous Artists. There will be many different artists selling their hand crafted works of art. Entry to the market is free.

Click here for more info

♦Winterfest
Saturday, December 6
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
FREE
Victoria Hills Community Centre – 10 Chopin Drive, Kitchener

Victoria Hills Neighbourhood Association invites you to join us at Winter Fest. There will be lots of family fun, including face painting, arts and crafts, youth basketball and a local vendor market. Come visit with the big guy himself, Santa Claus!

Click here for more info

♦

♦Enjoy free skating all winter long! Lace up your skates or borrow some from Kitchener Public Library for free with your library card. Check the schedule to see when and where you can go skating for absolutely free. Go skating in the morning, go skating in the evening, go skating Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday! A dressing room will be provided to put skates on, the lobby space is also available for additional space to put skates on. There’s no need to register either, just come on it!

Make sure you click on the skating time you want to go to so you know which arena it is at. Some skates are at Activa Sportplex in the Tom Graham Arena and others are at Activa Sportplex in the Patrick J. Doherty Arena. One more important thing to check is the dates! Sometimes there are exception dates like on this skating time because of hockey tournaments or other events. If you scroll down to the Activity Meeting Dates section it will tell you if there are any exceptions to the date range provided. Now that you know how to plan your free winter fun, get out on the ice with your friends and skate all winter long!

Click here to see the skating schedule

Click here to find skates at Kitchener Public Library

The post November 26, 2025: What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood? appeared first on KW Habilitation.

• What: Poetry, Pain, and the Promise of Palestine ♦
• When: 7:00pm-9:00pm on Wednesday 26 November 2025
• Where: Federation Hall, University of Waterloo
• Location: 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario Map
• Register Online: uwaterloo.ca/arts/events/poetry-pain-and-promise-palestine

The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts is honoured to present guest speaker Dr. Sa’ed Atshan – scholar, Palestinian Quaker, and LGBTQ human rights advocate – on the role of poetry in capturing the realities of contemporary Palestinian life in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and beyond.

Please join us for this unique opportunity to explore how interdisciplinary scholarship can be applied to both understand and address a global crisis which has had such tragic human consequences.

♦Sa’ed Atshan Dr. Sa’ed Atshan is Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College. He has previously served as an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Emory University, as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Senior Research Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies. He earned a PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies and MA in Social Anthropology from Harvard University, an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School, and BA from Swarthmore College. Atshan is the author of Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique (Stanford University Press, 2020), coauthor (with Katharina Galor) of The Moral Triangle: Germans, Israelis, Palestinians (Duke University Press, 2020), and co-editor (with Galor) of Reel Gender: Palestinian and Israeli Cinema (Bloomsbury, 2022).

Registration is required for in-person and online attendance. For those attending in-person, proof of registration is required at the reception area.

• Doors open: 6:30 p.m.
• Lecture and moderated Q & A: 7:00 to 8:20 p.m.
• Reception for the in-person audience: 8:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Paid visitor parking is available in Lot M across from Federation Hall. More parking information.

This lecture is made possible through the generosity of alumni and friends. UofW Faculty of Arts extends sincere appreciation to the donors who contributed to the Foundation for Palestinian Studies Fund.

Watch past recordings from the UofW Palestinian Lectures series on YouTube.

♦

The Christmas Season is quickly approaching and KW Habilitation is once again making plans to support many people through the holidays.  Each year friends and staff of KW Habilitation donate money to purchase gifts for adults connected to our organization. 

Should you or anyone you know be interested in making a donation for this cause, we would greatly appreciate it.  The money we receive means our team can purchase personalized gifts for people who would not be receiving gifts in the traditional sense.

If you would like to make a donation, please fill out this form before December 12th, 2025.  A charitable donation receipt will be issued and we sincerely appreciate your assistance.

The post Give a Gift this Season appeared first on KW Habilitation.