THE PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE - Darren Danyluk


Oct 23, 2020 Message to Members

“Can you hear me now?”

 We all want to be heard. It is good to be seen, but please hear my voice. And when I say “hear me”, I am seeking understanding, validation and empathy. I consider it a central purpose for my role as President of our Association to listen to our members and – when I can – to see them, too. 

To that end, I began a journey this week. In the months since March, we have learned that there is much we can do virtually. We have found that technology really is a remarkable and brilliant substitute for our traditional methods of sharing and exchanging experiences – almost. 

In recent weeks of Town Halls, Coffee Connections and other conversations with members,  we’ve discovered an emerging appetite for the novelty of ‘creating moments of person-to-person contact’. Many are famished and ready for this, both inside and outside our membership. 

So, heeding the rumblings of my own appetite, I began to ponder the wisdom of travelling to Chapters around the province in COVID times. Is it ‘essential’ to meet that need for person-to-person connection? Much depends upon your point of view and your circumstances, and a lot depends on where you’re heading, and if  you are welcome. 

With much care and the highest level of respect for local circumstances, I confirmed an itinerary of connections that dot the Yellowhead Highway as I travel to join our Chairs in Prince George for Connecting Leaders 2020: The Changing Nature of Leadership. In my imagination, the encounters with members along this journey will be distinctive and will feel particularly celebratory, as if we are winning a point against COVID and adding a plank to our post-pandemic lives. 

In carefully planning my visits with members around the province, I feel that I can bring the microphone a little bit closer to you. But remember that we now have many avenues of connection, and that your voices can travel to me in different ways. And be sure that I can hear you. Wherever we may be, I’m listening.


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The BC Principals' & Vice-Principals' Association is a voluntary professional association representing school leaders employed as Principals and Vice-Principals in BC's public education system. We provide our members with the professional services and supports they need to provide exemplary leadership in public education.

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