Laurier’s CARE Lab to host Community Connections Conference, family-friendly Halloween fair Oct. 30

Sept. 29, 2026
For Immediate Release

BRANTFORD — Wilfrid Laurier University’s Child and Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) Lab invites the community to attend the fourth annual CARE Community Connections Conference and a Halloween Family Market Fair on Oct. 30.

The free events will bring together youth, students, educators, researchers and community partners to Laurier's One Market for a day of programming focused on child and youth well-being, social-emotional learning and community collaboration.

"What makes this conference unique is that it gives educators and youth service providers the opportunity to hear directly from the young people they’re serving,” said Professor Danielle Law, director of Laurier’s CARE Lab. “Those conversations help turn good intentions into real, effective support for youth in our community.”

Participants will explore this year’s theme, Unplugged and United: Staying Connected in a Wireless World, through interactive workshops and panel discussions that bring together lived experience and practical ideas for classrooms, programs and communities. Maggie McKelvey, public educator with the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, will deliver a keynote address on healthy online relationships, sharing practical advice for establishing digital boundaries and fostering safer interactions on social media.

Immediately following the conference, the Halloween Family Market Fair will feature 30 local artists, authors and creatives, along with a face painter, small bouncy castle and other activities. The free event invites guests of all ages to arrive in costume for trick-or-treating while exploring booths hosted by organizations that support local youth, including the Laurier Brantford YMCA, Why Not City Missions and SOAR Community Services. 

The CARE Community Connections Conference will take place Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., in the atrium at One Market (1 Market St., Brantford). Lunch will be provided. Online registration is free and closes Oct. 20.

The Halloween Family Market Fair will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, no registration required.

Guests can access One Market for both events via the doors at the corner of Dalhousie and Market streets.

The CARE Lab gratefully acknowledges support from the Centre for Leading Research in Education (CLRiE), Laurier’s Sustainable Hawk Fund, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences and Faculty of Liberal Arts, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).