When a firefighter answers an alarm in British Columbia, a paramedic takes a call in Kentucky, or a rescue crew launches into the Black Sea from a Ukrainian port, something deeper than training carries them through. Behind every uniform is a set of values that sustains people through the hardest moments of their work and their lives: responsibility, compassion, duty, and solidarity.
On Friday, June 12, 2026, those values take centre stage at Educating for Tomorrow: Public Safety and Military Personnel Values in a Global World, a free, open-access virtual international conference connecting Canada, Ukraine, the United States, and participants from around the globe, all in a single day, live on Zoom.
One day, three countries, one question
How do we educate for, care for, and sustain the people who serve? That question threads through every part of the program.
The day opens with welcoming words from partners on both sides of the Atlantic, then moves through four keynote presentations:
- Bring in the Dogs explores how canine-assisted crisis response teams can strengthen critical incident stress management for public safety personnel (Canada)
- The F*O*R*C*E*S*+ Framework introduces a new, inclusive way of naming the full spectrum of public safety and military personnel, because populations that go unnamed go unstudied, unsupported, and unprotected (Canada)
- Silence, Stigma, and Survival shares hard-won lessons from a soldier’s suicide attempt, and what families and military systems need to support recovery (USA)
- Inclusion through Culture shows how Ukrainian traditional practices such as pysanka, folk art, and seasonal celebrations are helping young people with disabilities find belonging and resilience amid wartime (Ukraine)
The afternoon belongs to the Global Voices block: sixteen six-minute presentations spanning maritime rescue history, psychological resilience training, intergenerational wellbeing of seafarers, veteran support programs, cybersecurity in the public sector, environmental safety, and the family traditions that pass the calling to serve from one generation to the next. Many of these voices come from Ukrainian colleagues presenting live from a country at war, a powerful reminder that education and care do not pause for crisis; they become more essential because of it.
A conference built on partnership
Educating for Tomorrow is organized by Project Resilience 911, DROKACADEMY, the CCC Research Center at Thompson Rivers University, Thompson Rivers University, Odesa National Maritime University, the Danube Institute of the National University “Odesa Maritime Academy,” and Cherkasy State Technological University. It is a genuine cross-border collaboration: practitioners and academics, Canadian classrooms and Ukrainian lecture halls, gathering in one shared space.
The conference themes reflect that breadth: international first response and global emergency development; identity, culture, family, and intergenerational wellbeing; civil society development and community partnerships; public safety and military education and values; and the future challenges facing those who serve.
Everyone is welcome, and it’s free
There is no registration fee and no barrier to entry. Whether you are a first responder, a military member or veteran, a student, an educator, a researcher, a family member of someone who serves, or simply someone who cares about the people who keep our communities safe, you belong in this conversation.
Everyone who attends live receives a Certificate of Attendance, presenters receive a Certificate of Presentation, and all accepted abstracts are published in the open-access conference proceedings.
📅 Friday, June 12, 2026 🕗 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time | 18:00 to 23:30 Kyiv time 💻 Live on Zoom
Register free: https://forms.gle/MB9uvUzhbeNQ485K7
Questions? Reach the Organizing Committee at educatingfortomorrowconference@gmail.com.
From Kamloops to Kyiv and everywhere in between, we hope to see you there. Because naming who we serve, understanding what sustains them, and learning from one another across borders is how we truly educate for tomorrow.
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