I was reading through some statistics on the NAAF conference from last year and although roughly 1000 alopecians attended, only 24 or so were from Canada! That's a very low number considering that the USA is right next door. I'm certain that the price of gas and transportation in general are a deterrent then you have to get tickets and there are tons of people selling wigs and hats and whatnot - it's a little too pricey for most, I assume.
So my idea is to make the conference available to more people by holding one in Canada as well. This is something we can obtain if we want it bad enough. There are quite a few people who are listed with the NAAF's international support groups in Canada in most provinces and it's possible there are more groups not listed with NAAF. If we could even get chatting online together, we could make this happen - we just have to unite! September is awareness month, which is fast approaching and it could offer the perfect opportunity to get the funding we would need for such an event. Even if we just held provincial conferences I'm sure the turnout would be amazing but all of Canada would be the ultimate goal! Can you imagine alopecians taking over the CN Tower??? That would be so awesome!
If you are a support group leader, look at the resources available in just your group alone. I know I have some pretty handy people in mine! Please respond to me and if we get enough people we can start talking. I like to see things happen but, as one person alone can't save the world, one person alone can't form a country wide conference! If you have anything to do with organizing the NAAF conference I invite you as well to share your experiences and welcome any advice. What's your opinion as a Canadian with alopecia, would you like to see a Canadian conference?