How PolicyWise is building impact through research and partnerships
At the 2025 Annual General Meeting, PolicyWise for Children & Families shared how leadership, governance, and community collaboration are shaping the organization’s future. The meeting highlighted key developments, including changes to the Board of Directors, financial updates, and a renewed focus on strategic direction. It also marked a shift from planning to implementation. PolicyWise is now turning strategy into action through research, advocacy, and strategic partnerships.
During the meeting, President & CEO Kristine Williamson reflected on her second year with PolicyWise. Over the past year, she and the PolicyWise team have begun mobilizing our new strategic direction, which is built around three interwoven strands: Action-Ready Research, Accelerated Advocacy, and Strategic Initiatives.
These strands work together to create a cycle of impact where research generates insights, those insights are applied to strengthen services and programs, and the resulting improvements are amplified through advocacy to influence broader changes to policy and practice. This is how PolicyWise intends to turn strategy into action.
Kristine acknowledged and thanked the people behind the work going into this new strategic direction. The PolicyWise team, Board of Directors, Members, and community partners have all played a vital role in getting this journey started. Together, their dedication and collaboration amplify our collective impact and advance meaningful change.
Action-Ready Research: Supporting gender-diverse youth
To illustrate the approach of the new Action-Ready Research strand, Kristine spoke about the “Empowering Providers Serving Gender-Diverse Youth” project. This initiative began with a question: What do service providers need to better support transgender and gender-diverse youth?
Led by Jonah Elke, Rachel Carr, and Amrit Matharoo, the team started by collecting and sharing existing resources on our Resources for Practice site. In doing so, they identified gaps in tools and knowledge that could help both providers and youth.
The team responded by creating three practical guides:
- Affirming Youth Through Social and Legal Transition
- Accessing Medical Gender-Affirming Care
- Supporting Mental Health While Transitioning
Since their release last December, these guides have been downloaded more than 160 times. The project’s web page also consistently attracts both new and returning visitors.
To build on this work, the team will be launching a new initiative called “Advocacy in Action.” It will help Two Spirit, transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse youth develop the skills and confidence to self-advocate in legal situations. By working directly with youth, the team will create tools that reduce legal vulnerability and support informed decision-making.
Strategic Initiatives: Data tools and long-term partnerships
Kristine also highlighted two projects that fall under the Strategic Initiatives strand that show how PolicyWise is collaborating with organizations to support capacity building.
Over the last couple of years, PolicyWise has collaborated on designing a case management system built using REDCap. REDCap is a free, secure, and flexible data tool available for universities to host on their servers. In partnership with Dr. Kharah Ross at Athabasca University and funded by the Calgary Foundation, PolicyWise worked with two non-profits: Elizabeth House and the Highbanks Society. The team worked closely with each organization to customize the system to meet their specific needs and provided training to support its use.
These organizations now have a user-friendly way to manage client data, track outcomes, and report to funders. PolicyWise team members Fatima Mustafa, Courtney Lundy, Troy Rhoades, and Jody Wolfe supported this work. Efforts are underway to expand the tool to more non-profits across Alberta.
In 2017, we first worked with the Government of Alberta and the Canadian Mental Health Association-Alberta and the Centre for Suicide Prevention to develop the project’s approach and support its implementation. Eight years later, the work continues with Kickstand as the project’s lead. We now conduct the project’s evaluations, focused on learning and improvement, and provide data management capacity-building services.
This long-term partnership shows how turning strategy into action can lead to lasting impact. Over the past fiscal year, team members Adriana Appau, Fatima Mustafa, Courtney Lundy, Kayla Blackadar, and Nicole Glenn have all contributed to this evolving initiative.
Charting the next steps in a shared journey
Kristine closed her remarks with a look toward the future. The next 12 months will focus on deepening relationships and building new partnerships across Alberta and Canada. With a clear strategy and a committed team, PolicyWise is not just planning for change. It is putting strategy into action.
As PolicyWise continues to grow and respond to the needs of children and families, we invite service providers, researchers, advocates, and organizations across sectors to connect with us. Whether you are looking for collaborative research support, tools to strengthen your programs, or ways to amplify your impact, we are ready to work together. Explore our website and resources, learn more about our initiatives and projects, or reach out to start a conversation.
