Community of Practice
Frequently Asked Questions

1. When and how often do Communities of Practice meet?

All Communities of Practice meet on a scheduled day each month or every other month. After you subscribe as a member, you will begin to receive notifications about upcoming calls. Generally, you will receive an email reminder 2 weeks prior to the next call which will include information about the agenda and dial in details. You'll also receive another reminder 1 week prior to the call, and a final reminder the morning of the call. You will be asked to RSVP in advance to notify the chair of your participation.

2. What happens if I can't make it to a scheduled call?

We encourage you to join as often as possible, to maximize the CoP experience both for you and for the other members. However, we know that life happens and sometimes plans have to change. If you can't make it to a call, just let the Tamarack coordinator know. Alternatively, you’re more than welcome to forward the call invitation to a colleague who can join in your place. If you miss a call, you’ll still receive a follow up e-mail with meeting minutes and any resources that were mentioned on the call.

3. Can I lead a presentation or discussion on a future Community of Practice call?

Absolutely, and we encourage this. Each community of practice is coordinated by a Community Animator from the Tamarack team and their job is to work with the members from the community of practice to design meeting agendas that align with their members' interests. Simply reach out to your designated Tamarack coordinator with your suggestion for a presentation or agenda and they will work to schedule it into an upcoming call.

4. How long are Community of Practice calls?

Generally, we try to keep community of practice meetings to one hour in length although at times the calls may be shorter or longer than this. In any case, you will be notified at least two weeks in advance about the expected duration of the call.

5. How can I join a Community of Practice?

It's easy. Just visit the Tamarack events page and select the community of practice that you want to sign up for. You'll be asked to submit an online sign up form to confirm your participation.

6. What if I can no longer be a member of a Community of Practice?

No problem, we know things change and sometimes you need to direct your priorities elsewhere. To unsubscribe from a community of practice, just reach out to your Tamarack Coordinator by email and let them know.

7. How can I share resources and tools with other Community of Practice members?

When you sign up for a community of practice, you'll be asked to verify if you're comfortable sharing your email with other members of the group. Those who opt in will have their contact details written into the meeting minutes after every call. The minutes will be circulated to all community of practice members so that you can email and contact one another as you see fit. Tamarack encourages this practice for the purposes of sharing information, resources and making connections that benefit your work.

8. Will my contact information be shared with fellow Community of Practice members?

Yes, but only if you opt in to share your contact details when you sign up for a community of practice. You also have a choice not to share your contact details and Tamarack will oblige accordingly.

9. What happens if I haven't received my dial in information before the CoP call

If you know there's a meeting happening and you can't find your dial in, first check your spam box for emails from @tamarackcommunity.ca. We know that some spam filters are set quite high and may filter out our email reminders about community of practice calls. This is why it is important to add your lead Tamarack CoP contact and/or @tamarackcommunity.ca to your email contacts and/or safe senders list. If our email isn't showing up in your spam folder, then email your lead CoP contact at Tamarack to ask for the dial in to be re-sent to you.