Communications
Laurie Semler | Chair, Communications Committee
Take a Break at the
The ARTA Café, a pilot initiative of the Co
conceived as a way for ARTA branches to
conventions — to connect with active tea
their branches. For 2020, two different fo
The booth format, piloted at the North Central
Teachers’ Convention in Edmonton, had volunteers
from four different branches in an exhibitor booth right
next to the ARTA booth. Coffee and cookies attracted
practising teachers at all career stages. The informal
environment allowed branch volunteers to connect
with convention attendees and promote their local
branch. This format allowed high visibility for branches
and many interactions with practising teachers.
The session format, piloted at the South Western
Alberta Teachers’ Convention in Lethbridge,
provided a more focused opportunity to present
information about retirement and branch
membership. Held in a session room and targeting
teachers close to retirement, branch volunteers
participated in a forum presentation. Later, over
coffee and cookies, attendees were able to chat
informally with branch volunteers. The advantage
of this style of ARTA Café is that more in-depth
conversations took place.
As a member of Parkland Area Retired Teachers’
Association (PARTA), I was privileged to represent
our branch at the North Central Teachers’ Convention.
The ARTA Café booth format offered multiple
opportunities to interact informally with convention
attendees of all ages. Often, the coffee and cookies at
the ARTA Café brought in those who would otherwise
have walked right by both booths. For attendees early
in their careers, we chatted about what they could
look forward to in retirement and provided a very
general overview of the branches and ARTA. For those
close to retirement, we handed out branch brochures
and talked more in depth about retirement. When
ARTA-specific questions arose, we were able to direct