May 14 + 15, 2027 | CLFA2027 Days 2 & 3 of 3
The Canadian Lymphedema Framework Assembly 2027: Canada Connects was intentionally designed to be different. Rather than bringing people together simply to listen, it brings them together to learn from one another, build relationships and explore opportunities for future collaboration.
Across Canada, people are already advancing lymphedema care through lived experience, clinical practice, research, education, advocacy, community leadership, innovation and policy. The Open Space Forum creates a structured, professionally facilitated environment where those diverse perspectives can come together—sharing ideas, discovering common priorities and exploring new possibilities.
Instead of following a predetermined program, participants help shape the conversations that take place. The result is a dynamic, welcoming experience where everyone has the opportunity to contribute, learn from others and help identify opportunities that may inspire future collaboration and action.
What to Expect
How Will it Work?
You Bring What Matters to You.
Everyone comes with different experiences, questions and ideas. Maybe you have:
- A question you’ve been wondering about
- A challenge you’ve experienced in your work, community or daily life
- An idea you’d like to explore
- A success, innovation or promising practice you’d like to share
- A topic you believe deserves more attention
- A gap in knowledge or a research question worth investigating
- An opportunity for collaboration you’ve been hoping to pursue
- A project, initiative or advocacy effort you’d like others to learn about
- A desire to connect with others who share your interests or passion
If it matters to you, it can become part of the conversation.
Together, We Create the Agenda.
At the beginning of the Open Space Forum, participants are invited to suggest the conversations they believe are most important. These can be big-picture challenges, practical questions, emerging opportunities or ideas for future collaboration. Topics might include questions such as:
- How can we improve access to lymphedema care in rural, remote and underserved communities?
- Why does access to medical-grade compression garments vary so widely across Canada, and what can we learn from different provincial approaches?
- What research questions deserve greater attention?
- What innovative ideas or successful initiatives should be shared more broadly?
Together, these ideas become the agenda for the Forum.
You Choose How You Participate.
Once the agenda has been created, you decide which conversations you’d like to join. You might:
- Bring forward a topic you’d like others to explore with you.
- Join a conversation that sparks your interest.
- Move between discussions as your curiosity leads you.
- Listen, learn and contribute when you feel you have something to add.
There is no single “right” way to participate. Some people lead conversations. Others ask thoughtful questions, share their experiences, make connections between ideas or simply listen and learn. Every form of participation has value.
Guided by a Professional Facilitator
While participants shape the conversations, the Open Space Forum is guided by an experienced professional facilitator who helps create the conditions for meaningful dialogue, collaboration and participation throughout the Assembly. The facilitator’s role is to:
- Introduce the Open Space process and help participants feel comfortable engaging.
- Guide the collaborative creation of the agenda.
- Support productive, respectful and inclusive conversations.
- Provide the structure, tools and guidance participants need throughout the Forum.
- Help create an environment where every voice has the opportunity to be heard.
The facilitator does not determine the discussion topics, direct the conversations or decide the outcomes. Those belong to the participants. Their role is to support the process—helping the collective knowledge, experience and ideas of the group emerge naturally.
What If I Don’t Have a Topic?
You don’t need to arrive with an idea, a solution or even a question of your own. Some of the most valuable contributions come from people who:
- Ask thoughtful questions
- Share their lived experience or professional perspective
- Build on someone else’s idea
- Listen deeply and help others feel heard
- Connect ideas across conversations
- Encourage new ways of thinking
Every participant helps enrich the conversation. Together, these diverse perspectives create a deeper shared understanding and often lead to ideas that no one person would have arrived at alone.
What Happens After? Capturing Ideas and Creating a Path Forward
The conversations will not end when the gathering concludes. We are planning a documentation process to capture major themes, ideas and priorities emerging from the Forum. Participants will receive a post-Assembly summary, and the outcomes will help inform opportunities for continued collaboration and action.
Most importantly, this event belongs to you and the Canadian lymphedema community.
Participant input will help identify priorities, inform future initiatives, and create opportunities for working groups and collaborative action after Halifax.
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