Admiral Canada embodies being Better Together on our Provincial Road Trip
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In 2024, Canada’s Operations team launched their very first Better Together Provincial Road Trip, embarking on a journey across Nova Scotia to strengthen connections with remote our colleagues. With approximately 25% of our team working away from the Halifax office, this initiative aimed to bridge the gap by visiting communities outside the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
During this road trip, the team made three key stops: Sydney in Cape Breton, the Valley regions of Kentville, New Minas, and Wolfville, and Truro in Colchester. Each visit provided a valuable opportunity to meet face-to-face, share important business updates, and enjoy a dinner together. However, the highlight of each day was demonstrating a commitment to community engagement through group Impact Hour activities, allowing the amazing team to give back while fostering a deeper connection with colleagues.
This road trip reinforces our commitment to teamwork and collaboration across all regions, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.
The Sydney Road Trip
On Thursday 31 July, the team, made up of Dave Edwards, Lead Operations Manager, Natasha Anderson, Operations Manager, Jenn Meisner, Workplace Services Team Manager, and Jimmy Connors, Operations Manager, embarked on the first leg in Sydney, Cape Breton, where they connected with 19 Cape Breton colleagues for a morning of relationship building, business updates, and team bonding.
The standout of the day was participating in Impact Hours with our community partner, the Atlantic Coastal Action Programme (ACAP) Cape Breton, a non-profit organisation that focuses on environmental action and education in the Cape Breton region. This marked the largest single volunteer group in Canada since the inception of the Impact Hour programme with 23 of our Admiral colleagues volunteering at the Washbrook Watershed in Sydney.
Volunteers immersed themselves in learning about freshwater protection, getting involved with work and watching demonstrations from ACAP. Additionally, they got hands-on with removing invasive plants and were treated to a demonstration of the local bee populations, capturing, and identifying different bee species.
Our partnership with ACAP Cape Breton holds significant importance to Admiral Canada as it aligns with our overarching purpose to help more people look after their future and our commitment to supporting the communities in which we operate.
Overall, the day was a resounding success, providing our Cape Breton colleagues with the opportunity to learn and engage with our community partner, ACAP Cape Breton.
The Truro and Valley Road Trips
On Monday 25 November and Monday 2 December, the team, this time including Dave Edwards, Lead Operations Manager, Thomas Vaughan, Accidental Damage Operations Manager, Richard O’Fegan, Operations Manager, and Jimmy Connors, Operations Manager, embarked on the second leg with visits to the Valley and Truro.
The highlight of the day was again completing Impact Hours with two vital community organisations dedicated to helping communities combat food insecurity.
For 25 years, Valley Outreach has offered a community minded network of food and housing. They support people in the Valley area through a dedicated network of volunteers and community-driven initiatives in Kentville, Middleton, and Berwick.
Hope Not Hunger, part of the Colchester Food Network, is a Truro-based nonprofit that provides emergency food supplies and offers educational programmes on safe food handling, meal planning on a budget, and community outreach for individuals facing food insecurity.
A Resounding Success
Both road trips provided our remote colleagues with the opportunity to engage with their communities and Make a Difference, showing their commitment to embody our culture. The days concluded with a group dinner. A heartfelt thanks to all who attended including the amazing teams at Valley Outreach and Hope Not Hunger.
Quote from Lead Operations Manager, Dave Edwards following the Valley and Truro road trips:
Our connect days offer a great opportunity to meet our remote team face-to-face. This year, we've introduced two new locations, allowing us to meet some colleagues for the very first time. We had fantastic days in both Kentville and Truro, deepening our relationships with the team while also giving back to the local communities through Impact Hours. Wonderful stuff!
It doesn’t stop there though; our Canadian colleagues are already looking forward to another Better Together Provincial Road Trip in 2025!
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