Early AI Adoption Lab - Halifax

Strategic AI training and expert support for women and non-binary founders in Halifax.

We’re so excited to have you join us on this journey as part of AI Skills Lab Canada’s Early AI Adoption Lab.

The AI Skills Lab Canada program is proudly presented by

Parts 1 & 2: Getting Started with AI

Monday June 2, 2025 // Instructors: Avery & Hema

Part 3: Marketing Made Simple

Monday June 9, 2025 // Instructors: Hema & Avery

Part 4: AI for Sales & Customer Communication

Monday June 16, 2025 // Instructors: Sara & Avery

Part 4 slide deck (PDF file)

Part 4 in-class exercises (PDF file)

Part 5: Streamlining Business Admin & Operations

Monday June 23, 2025 // Instructors: Hema & Sara

Part 5 slide deck (PDF file)

Part 5 in-class exercises (PDF file)

Part 6: Putting It All Together

Wednesday June 25, 2025 // Instructors: Sara & Hema

Part 6 slide deck (PDF file)

Your AI Adoption Playbook

A customized plan for your 30/60/90 day AI adoption journey.

Fill out these worksheets after each workshop. After you complete the 5 parts, you’ll be able to compile all the documents into an AI Adoption Playbook. It’s customized just for you, so you can confidently move forward with AI in your business.

Template Files - Google Docs Format
(click to open, then make a copy)

Parts 1 & 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Template Files - Microsoft Word Format
(click to download)

Parts 1 & 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Resources

A growing list of links, references, and resources to help.

We’ll keep adding to this section as we move through the program. If you have a suggested resource for this section, send it to us and we’ll include it!

Generative AI Tools List (Google Doc - will open in a new tab)

Prompt Snippet To Avoid Common ChatGPT “Tells”
(Google Doc - will open in a new tab)

Instructors & Coaches

Ruth Aliu

AI Adoption Mentor/Coach

Ruth Aliu is a cybersecurity expert and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in technology support, security operations, infrastructure security, engineering program management, and compliance across various industries. As the founder of Techity Consulting, she helps business owners leverage technology to streamline operations, scale efficiently, and reduce the overwhelm of managing multiple business functions.

She has been featured with Invest Ottawa, Digital Main Street, Black Professionals in Tech Network, CanadianSME magazine among others. She also contributes to the broader tech community as a Board Member of Cybersecurity Global Alliance.

Susan Diaz

AI Adoption Mentor/Coach

Susan is founder & CEO of Peaceful AI Marketing, inviting small business founders to consider a 100x scale factor in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) through AI literacy and implementation. She also teaches AI-forward Marketing at York University School of Continuing Studies.

Susan is the author of "UNboring, take your content marketing from blah to brilliant" and hosts a podcast called "AI Literacy for Entrepreneurs" which boosts AI literacy among founders. Susan is also mom to a hermit teen and a high-energy Beagle who keep her busy!

Sara Norton

Instructor

Sara Norton is the Owner of REPLY-ALL, providing marketing automation services and tech advisory to small and growing businesses.

She has 13+ years of marketing experience across many industries including entertainment, non-profit, education, and software, as well as launching two businesses of her own.

Sara Phelan

AI Adoption Mentor/Coach

Sara is a business strategist and AI mentor who helps entrepreneurs build smarter, more resilient businesses. With a background that spans corporate training, entrepreneurship, and business brokerage, she brings over 25 years of hands-on experience guiding small business owners through growth, transition, and innovation.

Sara’s also the author of AI-Driven Success: Ask the Right Questions, a guide for business owners navigating strategy in the age of automation.

Hema Ramsingh

Instructor

Hema is a Toronto-based freelance digital marketing strategist with over 15 years of experience as part of corporate marketing teams. Presently, Hema collaborates with small businesses, entrepreneurs and content creators developing comprehensive digital and content marketing strategies to bring their brand to life.

Avery Swartz

Instructor

Avery is the founder and CEO of Camp Tech. She's the author of See You on the Internet: Building Your Small Business with Digital Marketing. Avery's also a tech correspondent for the media: you may have seen her on CTV's Your Morning, heard her voice on CBC Radio, or read her small business articles in The Globe and Mail.

FAQs

  • Our workshop schedule is below. Each workshop will include a lesson, plus time to work on exercises. There will be breaks too! Expect to have fun in a beginner-friendly, welcoming environment.

    • Parts 1-2: Getting Started with AI

      • Monday June 2, 2025 from 9am - 2pm (including lunch break)

    • Part 3: Marketing Made Simple

      • Monday June 9, 2025 from 9am-12pm

    • Part 4: AI for Sales and Customer Service

      • Monday June 16, 2025 from 9am-12pm

    • Part 5: Business Admin & Operations

      • Monday June 22, 2025 from 9am-12pm

    • Part 6: Putting It All Together

      • Wednesday June 25, 2025 from 9am-12pm

  • Bring your laptop and power cord, as these are hands-on workshops and we’ll be working through activities together. Also, bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. We’ll have coffee onsite to keep us going, and you’re welcome to bring a snack to enjoy during the break.

  • We ask you to attend all five live in-person sessions to gain the full value of this program. While we understand that life happens, the integrity of being present and honouring this space together are priorities for building community and applying the learning.

    If you’re going to miss a workshop, please let us know by emailing info@camptech.ca

    As per the Program Terms & Conditions, all participants who miss more than 25% of sessions without advanced notice will be charged an administrative fee of $150.

  • We’ll be using WhatsApp to stay connected through our learning journey together, and beyond! Joining the WhatsApp group is voluntary, and requires you to have a WhatsApp account (download the app and create an account using your phone number).

    All official program announcements will be sent to you by email, but experience sharing and questions will happen in the WhatsApp group.

    In order to join the WhatsApp group, send an email to info@camptech.ca with your cell phone number - that’s how we add you.

  • The program terms and conditions can be found online here.

  • General questions about the entire AI Skills Lab Canada program can be sent to The Forum (programs@theforum.ca), and workshop specific questions can be sent to the Camp Tech team (info@camptech.ca)