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The Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD)
recognizes that the healthy development of participants of all ages requires that we consider the contexts of their families and communities. DYCD defines family in broad terms to include those individuals who care for and support participants but are not related to them. Caring adults are key networks for “Circles of Support,” expanding the definition of family. Programs must consider the diversity of participants’ circles of support and create welcoming environments that embrace those who influence participants’ development.
Family engagement is a crucial factor in participants’ success. It is not a one-time activity, but an ongoing effort that requires a paradigm shift from seeing families as part of the problem to partners in crafting solutions. Families must be engaged as authentic partners who, together with the staff from DYCD’s youth and community development programs, share responsibility for supporting the healthy development of program participants. To cultivate and sustain these partnerships, providers must create the conditions for these relationships to flourish.
Successful family engagement efforts depend on a high level of trust between families and program staff. When families feel informed about a program, welcomed, valued, and connected to other families and staff, and are able to lead, they will be more willing to participate. They become advocates and active supporters.
Decades of research show that engaging families regularly in educational and community development programs leads to better outcomes for the participants and their families, enhances the connection among family members, and contributes to overall family well-being. Regardless of socioeconomic, racial/ethnic and educational background, children and youth make greater academic gains and have higher graduation rates as well as increased motivation, confidence, and higher aspirations when their families are engaged in their learning and development.
The evolution of DYCD’s family engagement work has helped us develop a common language to talk about our efforts, identify strengths, and share best practices to sustain and improve program quality. The Circles of Support: Family Engagement Framework is based on the idea that the best way to partner with families is by creating a circle of support that is mutually beneficial, built on trust, and embraces the notion that programs and families have a shared responsibility for participant success. DYCD programs embody this framework through three key strategies—Communication, Participation, and Partnerships.
To help guide your work with families
Video: What Is Family?
Staff should review both videos on “Family” and determine which is most appropriate for their audience. Both videos focus on What is Family and can help staff gain a broader understanding of who is In their families’ Circle of Support as well as their own.
What is a Family may work best with families who have young children while Definition of Family may work best with older and vulnerable youth and their families. Staff can ask program participants and their families to develop a list of family members they would like to invite to an upcoming event. Participants can create invitations and contact information for those in their Circle of Support. Staff can begin to develop a relationship with the participants’ identified family.
Engage participants in defining their families. At the beginning of the program year, enlist participants in helping you create a plan for how to communicate with their families. If your program serves young people, be sure to involve them in your family engagement efforts. Creating opportunities for participants and their families to have a voice can demonstrate the program’s commitment to their overall well-being.
Inform participants that you would like them to take 15 photos of the people, places, or things that are important to them and create a photo journal. Inform them that their photos should respond to the following questions:
This activity can help staff get to know participants and their families. Encourage staff to create their own photo journal and share with participants. This activity is a great way for staff and participants to begin to build relationships. Remind staff not to share personal information. They can keep it professional and share their likes/dislikes. Ask them to also include how their families can be reached, how they prefer to receive information (phone, email, text, in person), their preferred language, and the days and times they are available to talk.
Key Guide: TIPS, TOOLS, STRATEGIES & EXERCISES
Benefits of Family Engagement
DYCD knows the importance of family engagement in helping improve outcomes for all family members and building safer and healthier communities. DYCD has made partnering with families a priority. DYCD staff reflects on the many benefits of engaging families as partners.
Practice Spotlight
To help guide your work with families, we have collected a few tips from the field:
Try This!
Use the Emotional Bank Game to introduce the principle of building trusting relationships with families. This activity simulates the process of negotiating and strategizing; when and where to invest time and effort in relationships. It also emphasizes –positives as deposits that yield high social capital and negatives as withdrawals that deplete social capital or goodwill. After the game, feel free to incorporate scenarios of challenging situations encountered in your work with families and bring the concept of the Emotional Bank Account to life by facilitating a role play of building positive relationships. Highlight strategies identified.
Try This!
Engage participants in defining their families. At the beginning of the program year, enlist participants in helping you create a plan for how to communicate with their families. If your program serves young people, be sure to involve them in your family engagement efforts. Creating opportunities for participants and their families to have a voice can demonstrate the program’s commitment to their overall well-being.
Inform participants that you would like them to take 15 photos of the people, places, or things that are important to them and create a photo journal. Inform them that their photos should respond to the following questions:
This activity can help staff get to know participants and their families. Encourage staff to create their own photo journal and share with participants. This activity is a great way for staff and participants to begin to build relationships. Remind staff not to share personal information. They can keep it professional and share their likes/dislikes. Ask them to also include how their families can be reached, how they prefer to receive information (phone, email, text, in person), their preferred language, and the days and times they are available to talk.
Creating Circles of Support
Ask staff to reflect upon the individual(s) who were the most meaningful in their lives as they were growing up. Distribute the circle cards. Ask staff to select the circle card symbol card that best represents their circles of support, and then pair up. In pairs, staff will share who were the individuals that made up their circle of support -What were their characteristics and qualities? How/why has their circles of support changed as they developed and evolved into adulthood? Close with a large group share out.
Be intentional when connecting with families:
Develop Capacity- the Dual Capacity Framework developed by Dr. Karen Mapp focuses on the importance of building the capacity of both staff and families so that they can work together.
Host a Trunk Party
Host a Trunk Party to support older youth in your program. A trunk party is a gathering of family, friends and community members who fill a trunk of items a student who is going away to college will need. It is a great strategy that engages the young person’s circles of support in getting them ready for college.
A Mile in My Shoes
Think of your families and “take a walk in their shoes.” Notice what you see, hear, and feel and consider how welcome you feel. Invite your staff and colleagues on a virtual tour of the program’s space(s). Write down on a graffiti wall what you saw, heard, and felt as you walked through the program spaces. Take a few minutes to conduct a gallery walk and discuss themes, surprises, and any differences that came up for the team. Identify areas you would like to improve and strengthen. Celebrate successes and strategies that are working well.
An environment that reflects the local community supports the development of a sense of belonging. When you can see yourself in a space, you feel connected.
With someone else’s eyes, you might see:
The sounds you hear have an impact on the overall program atmosphere and everyone’s experiences. As people enter your program and move around the space, what they hear will generate different feelings and reactions.
With someone else’s ears, you might hear:
The first feelings you have when you walk into a program will depend on how people begin to build relationships with you. These feelings may be affected by initial interactions or how relaxed the environment feels. As people move around the space, they may notice that different areas create different feelings: while some spaces are quiet and restful, other areas create a sense of fun, challenge, or adventure.
When you experience a program’s atmosphere, you might feel:
Try using all your senses to imagine (or remember) what it is like to be new in the program! What do you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste? What sensory experiences do you want families to walk out remembering the most? This will help you to create a welcoming environment for your families.[1]
[1] Adapted from Teaching Strategies Y Chart and Children’s Aid Society, Dynamics of Supervision Managers Institute.
Taking a Deeper Dive: Creating a Welcoming, Inclusive Environment Self-Assessment
Take a moment to reflect on how your site appears to families. Using the Creating a Welcoming, Inclusive Environment Self-Assessment Tool, consider your program’s strengths and areas that need improvement before building your approach to engaging families. Engage both staff and families in the self-assessment process. Share strengths, surprises and differences of opinion.
Refer to your findings from the self-assessment process. Use the guiding questions below to reflect on your family engagement efforts before building your approach to family engagement.
Welcoming environments provide families with reciprocal relationships in which not only they feel that they belong to the program, but that also the program belongs to them.[1] As a result, families become active participants in the life of the program, and feel welcomed, valued, and connected to one another, to program staff, and to the program’s activities.
Creating a space for families in your program sends a strong message of dedication and commitment to families. Having a safe space for families to learn, share, and create a community is vital to your family engagement efforts. We recognize that program spaces are always at a premium. For many programs, it is a struggle to balance the needs of young people and adults to dedicate a space for families.
[1] “Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide for Family School Partnerships,” by Anne Henderson, Karen Mapp, Vivian Johnson, and Don Davies, 2007.
Think outside the box!
Is there an old storage space not being utilized that can be converted into a family room? Can you share a space with another program? Is there a multi-purpose room that can be converted into a family room with portable materials and equipment?
Practice Spotlight
When communicating with families of your participants, it is important to remember that:
Reflection Corner
After each interaction, take a moment to reflect on how you communicated. Whether it’s a meet and greet, a meeting with a predetermined purpose or an organic interaction, be prepared to take the best advantage of each opportunity for engagement. Use the following questions to guide your reflections:
[1] Adapted from Family Friendly Schools, “Improving Family Engagement with Effective Communication” Checklist for Verbal Communication.
Practice Spotlight
As stated above, there are numerous ways to communicate with families, such as sending notes home, making phone calls, texting, using social media, meeting in person, and many more. But in all communication, certain strategies help ensure that your messages come through clearly. When communicating with families of your participants, it is important to remember that:
Reflection Corner
Using the Communication Mode Checklist assess the communication strategies in place and critique them from the lens of your families. Once you have completed the checklist, use the following questions to discuss your observations and identify areas of continuous growth with your team.
Try This
Learning about a family’s interests, hobbies, and talents will help you design engaging activities. Make a concerted effort to be in the community as often as possible to get to know families and help them learn about your program and staff. Here are a few ideas to help you learn more about your families and community.
Use the Family Interest Survey Tool to gather information about what families need and want.
Strategies for Developing Positive Relationships with Families
Establishing positive and trusting relationships with families takes time and effort. A family liaison can make intentional efforts to connect with families, learn about their strengths and needs, provide information about available resources, and inform the program’s family engagement efforts. A staff person, family member, or volunteer can serve as a family liaison.
Use the questions below to guide your efforts:
Practice Spotlight
During the Creating the Welcoming Family Environment Workshop, the National Center for Community Schools (NCCS) polled practitioners from DYCD’s portfolio of programs to capture evidence of what successful family engagement programs look like.
Here is what they shared:
Try This!
Take time to socialize and infuse fun into your interactions with families:
Tips on Family Engagement
Creating a Family Engagement Roadmap
Family engagement is part of your program’s identity and culture. It is embedded in your program’s policies and decision-making processes and in the everyday behaviors and attitudes of your staff. Creating a family engagement roadmap can help you keep on track. As you begin to design and enhance your family engagement efforts, engage your staff and partners in assessing current strategies and developing a shared vision and goals for the work ahead.
Use the Family Participation Assessment Tool to guide your reflection and inform your family engagement roadmap.
Facilitator Tip: Remember to create a safe space for the staff and partners to share ideas provide feedback and think outside the box. Use chart paper, markers, photos, and videos to provide a visual of your vision, ideas and expectations to support the execution and sustainability of your program’s family engagement efforts.
Benefits of Involving Families in Decision-Making
Families who are involved in decision-making:
Staff that shares leadership with families:
“Decision-making means a process of partnering, of shared views and actions toward shared goals… not just a power struggle between conflicting ideas.”
– Dr. Joyce Epstein, John Hopkins University.
Families may seek to partner with your program for a variety of reasons. Sometimes families are motivated to help improve the programs in which their family members are currently enrolled. Or, they may wish to help other families meet challenges similar to their own. Some families feel a strong need to “give back” to the community.
Practice Spotlight
There are many pathways to engaging families as leaders. Families who demonstrate a readiness to take on a leadership role are:[1]
Family leadership develops over time as families share ideas, link with neighbors and community groups, participate in workshops and connect with policy makers. Below are some of the ways families develop leadership skills.
Working from a holistic perspective requires programs to design supports and services that build on the strengths and needs of families. It is important that programs hire a family focused staff that is sensitive to and reflects the population served. According to the Partners In Education: Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family–School Partnerships, programs must build the capacity of staff to make deliberate efforts to connect with families and forge authentic partnerships, at the same time as building the capacity of families to do the same with staff.
[1] Adapted from Georgia Department of Education School Improvement, GADOE.org/school-improvement.
[2] Parent Anonymous Inc., National Parent Leadership Month Tool Kit
[3] Families Lead
Build Staff Capacity to…
[1] Adapted from Harvard Family Research Project, October 2006
Restorative Circles as a Strategy for Engaging Family as Partners
After an Instagram incident, a group of 8th graders were given an opportunity to express their feelings and create a plan for restoring the break in trust, faith and respect. The program director proposed to the school’s principal restorative circle activities in place of detention. Participation in the circle activities was voluntary. The young people were introduced to the restorative circles expectations and were asked to provide feedback about what kind of restorative process they would like to have. The week-long restorative circles focused on conversations about harm, personal responsibility, and trust; and incorporated individualized reflections and research projects as part of the process. At the end of the week, families and administrators were invited to a reintegration circle in which, together, they created a plan for the students’ reintegration to the school community.
The restorative circles were successful. The young people committed to taking action whether it be in the form of written formal apologies or designing an anti-cyber bullying bulletin board. It also created a platform for families to share their perspectives and problem solve with their children and staff in a safe and supportive space. The afterschool staff committed to partnering with the social work team in providing mediation and restorative justice practices to the community. Leyna Madison, Education Director, Manhattan Youth
How Are We Forming Partnerships with Families?
Take time throughout the program year to assess what you are currently doing to develop family partnerships and identify how to move your program toward a deeper level of engagement. Use the Listening To and Forming Partnerships with Families Self-Assessment Tool with your staff, families and partners to develop strategies to address the areas in need of improvement. Remember that improving program quality, practice, and culture is not an easy task and takes time. When developing your action plan, select two or three changes you would like to pursue.
Suggestion Box
Create a family suggestion box where families can anonymously, or by name, share their ideas and suggestions for continuous improvement. You can either purchase a beautifully decorated box or involve your families in creating one, deciding on where it should go and how the suggestions will be reviewed.
Create suggestion cards that say something like: “Please share any ideas or suggestions you would like us to know about our program… You can either drop the card anonymously in our SUGGESTION BOX or hand it to any of our program staff. We depend on you to share great ideas that can improve our program and family services! Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts.”
[ card and box graphic]
Conduct a quick evaluation to gather feedback after any family engagement event. Use the data you collect to incorporate changes that will make the event stronger the next time around. Here is a sample evaluation you can adapt for your workshops or other events .
Use a simple survey to gather feedback from parents and caregivers who attended your events over the program year. Incorporate good suggestions into your future programming and share the notion that great ideas come from your families and you want to hear more!
Focus groups are another way to include families in the service delivery process. They may be conducted as a follow-up to a survey or as the primary means of soliciting parent input. Focus groups usually involve six to ten people. Within this small group environment, it is possible to obtain a great deal of information in a short period of time.
Can the designer create a visual of the suggestion box and card?
Insert form as a hyperlink
Facilitating Focus Groups
NOTE: Follow-up is key. Taking the information collected through the focus group process and making it actionable are integral in developing the relationships with families.
Insert sample questions as a hyperlink
Try This!
Here are some tips to help you get started with your family advisory committee.
Begin conversations with fellow staff and family members informally, mentioning your idea as something exciting that’s “up and coming.”
Discuss the advisory committee in more detail with 4-5 families who seem motivated and ready to volunteer. Invite this core group to an initial meeting to plan next steps such as a calendar and topics or concerns to be addressed. Work off the Family Self-Assessment Survey to help families determine their readiness to commit to the committee.
Set up a series of regular monthly meetings, choosing an initial time you believe is convenient for your core group and others. Choose dates that are easy to remember, e.g., the first Thursday of the .
Helping to develop the skill set for families taking on leadership roles will keep them engaged and provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to be successful. Below are a few ideas to consider. You may also request training themes from your advisory committee.
Orientation |
● Orientation to Organization& Program (Mission, Services, Staffing Structure, Funding, Community Agreement) ● Benefits of Family Engagement ● Other Programs, Resources and Partnerships that Benefit Participants and Families
|
Nuts and Bolts of Specific Leadership Roles |
● Goal Setting ● Decision Making ● Program Evaluation ● Public Speaking ● Group Development and Facilitation
|
Human Development
|
● Ages and Stages (Kindergarten through Adolescence) ● Health and Mental Health ● Social and Emotional Core Competencies ● Intergenerational Support
|
College and Workforce Readiness
|
● Academic Preparation ● Post-Secondary Application Process ● Financial Aid (FASFA) ● Resume Writing ● Communication ● Computer Literacy ● Social Media ● Interviewing Skills
|
Financial Literacy
|
● Budgeting ● Saving and Retirement Planning ● Fundraising (Foundations, Fund Development, Private vs. Public Funding)
|
Civic Engagement
|
● Civil Rights Overview ● Voters Registration ● Community Organizing ● NYC History Overview
|
Immigration
|
● Laws and Politics ● Services and Resources ● Working with Undocumented Families
|
Tips for Working with a Family Advisory Committee[1]
[1] Source: Abridged from Michigan Department of Education – Program Advisory Committee Toolkit
Tips for Keeping the Family Advisory Committee Engaged and Motivated
The following strategies and techniques can help you recognize the members of your family advisory committee. Even the smallest gesture of appreciation can keep members motivated and passionate. Below are some ways to celebrate your family partners.
In developing the family advisory committee, you may want to designate an individual who can serve as the spokesperson. This can be the chairperson, but they may not have the time or comfort level to constantly speak in public. Often, a spokesperson can be someone who has a story to tell that is relevant to the work and mission of the committee. You may want to have rotating spokespersons (as with your chairs) to keep the energy flowing and include a variety of personalities.
Tips for Preparing Your Family Advisory Spokesperson[1]
The spokesperson understands his/her role.
[1] Abridged from Parents Anonymous® Inc. National Parent Leadership Month Tool Kit 19
Suggestion Box
Create a family suggestion box where families can anonymously, or by name, share their ideas and suggestions for continuous improvement. You can either purchase a beautifully decorated box or involve your families in creating one, deciding on where it should go and how the suggestions will be reviewed.
Create suggestion cards that say something like: “Please share any ideas or suggestions you would like us to know about our program…You can either drop the card anonymously in our SUGGESTION BOX or hand it to any of our program staff. We depend on you to share great ideas that can improve our program and family services! Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts.”
Download Sheet with (4) suggestion cards
Conduct a quick evaluation to gather feedback after any family engagement event. Use the data you collect to incorporate changes that will make the event stronger the next time around. Here is a sample evaluation you can adapt for your workshops or other events .
Use a simple survey to gather feedback from parents and caregivers who attended your events over the program year. Incorporate good suggestions into your future programming and share the notion that great ideas come from your families and you want to hear more!
Focus groups are another way to include families in the service delivery process. They may be conducted as a follow-up to a survey or as the primary means of soliciting parent input. Focus groups usually involve six to ten people. Within this small group environment, it is possible to obtain a great deal of information in a short period of time.
Facilitating Focus Groups
NOTE: Follow-up is key. Taking the information collected through the focus group process and making it actionable are integral in developing the relationships with families.
Insert sample questions as a hyperlink
Try This!
Here are some tips to help you get started with your family advisory committee.
Begin conversations with fellow staff and family members informally, mentioning your idea as something exciting that’s “up and coming.
Discuss the advisory committee in more detail with 4-5 families who seem motivated and ready to volunteer. Invite this core group to an initial meeting to plan next steps such as a calendar and topics or concerns to be addressed. Work off the Family Self-Assessment Survey to help families determine their readiness to commit to the committee.
Set up a series of regular monthly meetings, choosing an initial time you believe is convenient for your core group and others. Choose dates that are easy to remember, e.g., the first Thursday of the month.
Helping to develop the skill set for families taking on leadership roles will keep them engaged and provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to be successful. Below are a few ideas to consider. You may also request training themes from your advisory committee.
Orientation |
|
Nuts and Bolts of Specific Leadership Roles |
|
Human Development
|
|
College and Workforce Readiness
|
|
Financial Literacy
|
|
Civic Engagement
|
|
Immigration
|
|
Tips for Working with a Family Advisory Committee[1]
[1] Source: Abridged from Michigan Department of Education – Program Advisory Committee Toolkit
Tips for Keeping the Family Advisory Committee Engaged and Motivated
The following strategies and techniques can help you recognize the members of your family advisory committee. Even the smallest gesture of appreciation can keep members motivated and passionate. Below are some ways to celebrate your family partners.
In developing the family advisory committee, you may want to designate an individual who can serve as the spokesperson. This can be the chairperson, but they may not have the time or comfort level to constantly speak in public. Often, a spokesperson can be someone who has a story to tell that is relevant to the work and mission of the committee. You may want to have rotating spokespersons (as with your chairs) to keep the energy flowing and include a variety of personalities.
Tips for Preparing Your Family Advisory Spokesperson[1]
The spokesperson understands his/her role.
[1] Abridged from Parents Anonymous® Inc. National Parent Leadership Month Tool Kit 19
Practice Spotlight
To engage and support immigrant families, program staff must employ a variety of strategies that respond to their experiences, strengths, challenges, and cultural beliefs.
Try This!
Many undocumented immigrant families are afraid of deportation. Facilitate an informational session Know Your Rights (Spanish here), to help families be aware of their rights and what options are available if they are apprehended by ICE.
Video
Show the Fathers Matter for the Whole Family video as part of a staff team meeting or family engagement professional development. After the video, engage staff in discussion around the following questions:
Reflection Corner
As a team, use the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) Father Friendly Check Up Tool to examine how your program’s current structure/practices engage fathers. This process will help you learn a little more about your program’s foundation and capacity to build a successful father engagement initiative. Remember, that without a strong foundation and practices, your program runs the risk of not being able to effectively serve fathers.
Programs that Successfully Engage Fathers
[1] Engaging Fathers: Involving parents, raising achievement, department for education and skills
Connect to Community Resources
Seek out organizations that already have a high level of male involvement, such as sports, clubs, fraternities, religious institutions, and community centers. Distribute information about ways for fathers from the community to be involved in the program as role models or mentors to support the healthy development of male participants. These organizations can host events at their meeting places to involve men who may feel uncomfortable visiting the program.
Try This!
Visit www.familyacceptanceproject.org for additional resources for how to engage families of LGBTQ youth as partners.
Families with LGBTQ Children
Families with LGBTQ children are in a unique position to provide them with affirmation and support by:
• Talking with youth about their LGBTQ identity in an affirming manner;
• Communicating that their young person can have a happy future as an LGBTQ adult;
• Working to ensure that other family members respect the young person;
• Talking with clergy about helping their faith community support LGBTQ individuals;
• Advocating for youth if they are mistreated because of their identity;8
• Accompanying their child to LGBTQ organizations or events;
• Connecting their child with an LGBTQ adult role model to show them options for the future.
It is also important for youth-serving agencies to enhance their cultural competence in working with LGBTQ-headed families, which are increasing in number.9 Youth who are not LGBTQ but have an LGBTQ caregiver may also experience bias and other negative outcomes because of reactions to their caregiver’s LGBTQ identity. Print and post DYCD Principle Statements on LGBTQ Youth around your program to identify yourself as an ally for LGBTQ youth.
Video
The videos described below provide both staff and families with a better understanding of the feelings and struggles of LGBTQ youth and their families’ experiences. It’s important to process the videos with staff and families as they deal with sensitive topics.
The Meet the Gaines video is a story of a family struggling with—and embracing—a transgender child. “In the journey they take toward authenticity and justice, we see a model for the future of our country, a future in which all of us—mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters—somehow find the courage, and the love, to become our best selves.”[1]
Use the guiding questions below to debrief the videos and process any emotions and feelings that emerged while watching the video.
Do you have conversations with your own children (the participants, their families) about topics regarding sexuality? What would be helpful to foster these conversations?
[1]Jennifer Finney Boylan, co-chair of GLAAD and author of She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders.
What do you know
What Do You Know? is an award winning thirteen-minute film produced by Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for elementary school educators and parents/caregivers. The film features students from Alabama and Massachusetts discussing what they know about LGBTQ people, what they hear at school and how teachers can help. The students offer thoughtful, poignant commentary on their experiences in school with LGBTQ topics and show that students already know about and want teachers to discuss LGBTQ issues in the classroom.
Guiding questions for debrief with staff and families
Meet Q a nine year- old transgender boy from Brooklyn. In this video, parents of transgender children discuss their tips for navigating gender identity and supporting a child when s/he comes out.
Reflection Corner
Take a moment to read The Struggle to Be Strong: How to Foster Resiliency in Teens – Learning to Forgive story.
This short story is about Christopher’s struggles with the relationship he has with his mother. It also illustrates how an adult in a young person’s circle of support, can encourages forgiveness and help strengthen the mother/son relationship.
Now take a few minutes to reflect on the following questions:
What supports/resources do you need to be better at connecting young people with their circles of support?
Creating Circles of Support for Youth
Distribute the circle cards found in the communication section of this toolkit. Ask young people to reflect upon the individual(s) who are most meaningful in their lives. Ask young people to select the circle card symbol card that best represents their circles of support or what it should be. In pairs or small groups, ask young people to share who makes up/can make up their circles of support. What are their characteristics and qualities? How can they begin to identify these individuals? Or What changes would they make to their circles of support? Why or why not?
Video
Take a moment to watch a video of a homeless adolescent girl Ka’ek’e who is pregnant and doesn’t know who is the father because she engages in what she calls “survival sex”. As you listen to her story, take notes about what are the challenges she faces, who is within her circle of support, who has failed her and what does she want the most to help her be successful and have purpose. As you watched the video:
Practice Spotlight
Involving youth with seniors can be a rewarding experience for both as they share interests from such different perspectives. Adolescents who may have trouble connecting with parents sometimes relate better to older adults.
[1] http://www.bayshorehomecare.com/10-benefits-connecting-youth-seniors/
Try This!
[1] http://www.castlepinesconnection.com/news-2017/2017-senior-expo-serving-seniors-and-their-families
Taking Care of an Elderly Parent or Relative
Family conferences need to take place regularly. It is helpful to schedule them at a given time, perhaps at the same time each month. However, if this is not possible, they at least need to take place when the caregiving situation or other situations in family members’ lives change. Holding regular meetings allows more time for processing of information and decision-making. When a family member is unable to attend a meeting, he/she can keep in touch by phone, mail or email.
Don’t worry if you are not able to cover all these issues in one meeting. Regular check-in meetings can be used to address issues not discussed. Be sure to stick to the meeting time table; if meetings are too long, fatigue sets in, minds will wander, and people may resist coming to future meetings.
Try This!
Develop a kinship care support group that provides grandparents with the opportunity to minimize feelings of isolation by helping them develop a network of support among peers. The support group also provides a space for grandparents to reflect on their generation, their changing role in the family and their influence on the lives of their grandchildren within a safe and supportive environment.
Keep in mind that you must recognize the special needs of grandparents and be sensitive to their cultures, values and traditions. Understanding the ways in which grandparents perceive their roles, their expectations of themselves and their grandchildren, and their perceptions of services is fundamental to effective involvement. Grandparents are important assets to your programs because they often have time, a broad range of skills, and unique perspectives to contribute.
Practice Spotlight
A group of teens that participate in the afterschool program at community center X have expressed an interest in fashion and clothes. Many of the teens come from low-income families and can’t afford new clothing. The program director sought out older women in the community who knew how to sew and would be able to teach the teens. Through flyers, word of mouth and social connections, some of the parents or grandparents came forward to volunteer. Teens who participated in these workshops learned new skills, connected the elders in their community and showcased their items in a fashion show, where the elders were celebrated.
Look in My Eyes.
Look in my eyes.
Tell me what they say.
Do they tell you my future?
Or just about today?
Can you see the tears I cry?
Well what about the pain I hide?
Or is it you just don’t care what’s inside.
All anyone ever sees
is the fake me I have to be.
But if that’s all you want to see
then you’ll never know
The real me.
—Monique, age 19
Creating Circles of Support
Ask staff to reflect upon the individual(s) who were the most meaningful in their lives as they were growing up. Distribute the circle cards. Ask staff to select the circle card symbol card that best represents their circles of support, and then pair up. In pairs, staff will share who were the individuals that made up their circle of support -What were their characteristics and qualities? How/why has their circles of support changed as they developed and evolved into adulthood? Close with a large group share out.
Video: Definition of Family (Young Adult Perspective)
Try This: Family
Staff should review both videos on “Family” and determine which is most appropriate for their audience. Both videos focus on What is Family and can help staff gain a broader understanding of who is In their families’ Circle of Support as well as their own.
What is a Family may work best with families who have young children while Definition of Family may work best with older and vulnerable youth and their families. Staff can ask program participants and their families to develop a list of family members they would like to invite to an upcoming event. Participants can create invitations and contact information for those in their Circle of Support. Staff can begin to develop a relationship with the participants’ identified family.
Engage Families
Engage families in a community building activities that captures the importance and significance of a family crest. Show several examples of a family crest and ask families to develop their own crest. Once completed, have a few families display and explain their crest and its significance. (appendix 1 – photos of family crest- need to ask Monique)
Here is an example of a Tanzanian family crest.
Variety Of Family Structures
Families develop differently in a variety of communities. It is important to understand and appreciate the variety of family structures. Review the following article (get article link from Monique) and the Strange Fruit podcast (up to 15:40 mins). Begin by offering staff an opportunity to reflect on people in their lives that played an important role in their development and why. Then ask staff to reflect on the variety of family members that the program should be engaging with to understand the variety of individuals in their Circle of Support. Have staff teams work together to identify those important family members including those we may not always think of, such as, school partners. Religious advisors, mentors, etc… that play an important role for young people.
Inclusion & Representation
Review video and reflect on inclusion and representation. Ask staff to reflect on how diverse communities may feel about the program environment being welcoming and inclusive: Brothas on the Wall
Try This…
Discuss the importance to thinking about the translation of information that may need to occur to engage families. As the English speaker, it is important to think about the phrases and idioms we tend to use. These phrases are often difficult to translate. Split staff into teams. There will be words and phrases that will be on a timer to simulate speaking. Each team will need to unpack all the words or phrases to language that is easier to translate. The first team to unpack all slides wins. The winning team should read their unpacked terms to the group. Unpack Language 2019
Celebrate Africa
Review the following article representing Celebrate Africa. https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2018/05/22/this-bronx-school-threw-a-party-for-its-african-families-now-its-grown-into-something-much-more/ The article highlights the important first step of building trust and creating a welcoming environment. Family engagement is a process and one must begin with creating a community which requires a welcoming environment.
Theory of Change
As part of DYCD’s Practitioner Network curriculum, providers developed a Theory of Change (TOC) for their family engagement work. This framework guided providers in developing clear outcomes for their work with families. Providers were reflected on their program’s mission and vision as it relates to creating more inclusive and family friendly environments and identified outcomes for their work with families. The outcomes were focused on the change or difference that happens because of the work that practitioners are doing in their agencies. Some examples of the outcomes identified by the participants of the Practitioner Network were:
Once providers identified outcomes, they looked at the necessary preconditions to help them get to these outcomes and focused on alignment between vision, mission, to outcomes and then to program and activities. As the conclusion of the Practitioner Network, providers developed a blueprint for their family engagement efforts. Below is a visual illustration of the TOC:
Avoiding the single story…
Avoiding the single story is critical to ensuring families feel included.
Watch the Single Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg and have staff reflect on what impacted them and develop ways to ensure programming is not designed and implementing practices that can become oppressive policies. Ask staff to review the following Power and Privilege definitions (appendix 4 Power and Priv). and then review the following news clip https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/houston-school-s-dress-code-parents-teaches-kids-sexism-elitism-ncna998296. Have the team reflect on the clip and what terms did they recognize in the video.
Allow staff to rate where the program is…
Allow staff to rate where the program is in its goal of equity in family engagement (appendix 5 Diversity to Equity Form). Have staff share their vote and tally them up by Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion and Equity. Ask staff to brainstorm strategies that may push the program towards excellence in equity.
Developing family leadership
Developing family leadership requires offering family members opportunities to lead, shape and impact programming. Partnering with families throughout the year with activities such as Lights on Afterschool and volunteering promotes family engagement and leadership. Review the mother as she talks about her program advocacy. Reflect on the current opportunities and new strategies to engage families in an intentional way that promotes partnership. https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/call-episodes/2015/05/29/ny1-online–the-call-5-28-15
Understanding and practicing equity…
Understanding and practicing equity requires gaining a better understanding of our differences. Explore several exercises with your staff to promote the understanding and value of our differences. A good resources is: Stockton University: A Booklet of Interactive Exercises to Explore Our Differences https://intraweb.stockton.edu/eyos/affirmative_action/content/docs/Interactive%20Diversity%20Booklet%2010-14-2011%20Rev%203_1_16.pdf
Understanding privilege
Understanding privilege allows staff to better understand themselves and their privilege and potential bias. Have staff watch video about privilege and reflect on their personal privileges.
It might take staff some time but allow them to explore their privileges and share with the team. They should then explore the questions; How may my privilege impact my worldview? What are ways we work to keep my worldview from influencing my views and support of families?
Consider your identity
Consider your identity and how you approach Equity vs Equality picture. https://interactioninstitute.org/illustrating-equality-vs-equity/ Assess whether your CBO or program encourages equality and/or equity. What could you change to make equity the priority? Ask staff to chart current practices and new ideas and strategies.
Equity vs Equality
Ask staff what is the difference between Equity and Equality
“Equity refers to achieved results where advantage and disadvantage are not distributed on the basis of race and ethnicity.” Ask staff to explore opportunities implement strategies to impact family engagement equity in the program and/or agency. You may hear *We do well reaching out to the Korean community but we don’t have materials in Chinese for our new growing community *Liberation is the same image without a fence and we should be working towards liberation * Sometimes we have to have our Spanish speaking session separate and not translate in real time to make sure we can go into detail and they feel comfortable asking questions
Definition of Family
Try This: Review the video Definition of Family video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOkP8VasAbs&t=123s with your staff. After ask them about their reactions to the video, reflection on how the program defines family and potential methods to ensure ALL family members feel engaged and celebrated as a key to success by using youth voice and inclusive strategies. How are staff allowing older youth to define their circle of support?
Brothas on the Wall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwFgEb9NsP4
Review video with staff and reflect on inclusion and representation within the program. Reflect on how diverse communities may feel about the program environment being welcoming and inclusive. You will hear things like *We do well with representation with some groups but often overlook some of our smaller communities *We can’t always control our partners’ wall but are we able to reflect the community in our office spaces? *They may not know where to start so pictures, reading materials with the community reflected. Having resources available to make collective choices may helpful to execute the change
Avoiding the single story…
Review Single Story with your staff
–https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg
Ask staff to reflect on the following questions. (above video)
Unpack Language
Try This: As the English speaker, it is important to think about the phrases and idioms we tend to use. These phrases are often difficult to translate. Split staff into teams. There will be words and phrases that will be on a timer to simulate speaking. Each team will need to unpack all the words or phrases to language that is easier to translate. The first team to unpack all slides wins. The winning team should read their unpacked terms to the group.
Strange Fruit
Reflection Corner: Begin by offering staff an opportunity to reflect on people in their lives that played an important role in their development and why. Review Strange Fruit podcast (up to 15:40 mins). Ask staff to reflect on the variety of family members that the program should be engaging to understand the variety of individuals in their Circle of Support. Have staff teams work together to identify those important family members including those we may not always think of, such as school partners. Religious advisors, mentors, etc… that play an important role for young people.
Power & Privilege
Try This: Ask staff to review the following Power and Privilege definitions ( Download) and then review the following news clip https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/houston-school-s-dress-code-parents-teaches-kids-sexism-elitism-ncna998296. Ask staff about their immediate reactions to the video? You may hear *I’m on the fence on it, I may need to know why the policy was implemented *I was raised to believe I should not go outside with a bonnet *We should not be deciding for our families and this is targeting black women * The principal is a black woman and that seems to be internalized racism *It’s a slippery slope, now bonnets but what if she decides BMI next?
Does it promote family and community engagement?
Have the team reflect on the clip and what terms did they recognize in the video. As a follow-up please share this article for further discussion https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/parent-dress-code-fail-when-respectability-disrespects-families
Family Interest Survey
Try This: In order to understand the interests of families have family members to complete a short interest survey. Interest surveys should be short and used as a quick way to assess community interest. Ask questions about availability, a variety of topics they may want to learn more about (be sure to leave some opportunities to fill in the blank), and if they would be interested in volunteering.
Self Assessment checklist
Try This-This self assessment checklist will assist in reviewing your program or agency’s promotion of cultural diversity and competence. The assessment will cover areas such as physical environment, materials, resources, communication styles, values and attitudes.
CASEL SEL for Parents
Important to Me
Each Participant gets an index card
They are to write on a line
Name:_______________________________
Gender Identification:______________
Race/Ethnicity:_____________________
Religion:___________________________
Role (personal or professional):
____________________________________
After they have filled in each line, ask them if they had to give one up which would they choose and cross it out. Each time they have taken one off the list, ask them to take another off until they are left with one. Ask them to reflect on the one that was left. Share out as they would like. How did it make them feel to give up each item of their identity. What made them keep the one they did and why was that special to them.
Objective is to learn more about the families you are working with and what is important to them, so that you, the provider, can enhance engagement and help participants connect to their culture and each other.
These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids
Many families are seeking resources to help with discussions on Racism, Civic Engagement and Protest with their children. These books can help start and be a foundation for these conversations.
https://nytimes.com/2020/06/02/parenting/kids-books-racism-protest.html
Planning Our Communal Meal (often used as an ice-breaker)
Participants at different tables are asked to plan a communal meal together…what meal would it be; what would each person bring as their specialty and why; what significance does it have for them; what ingredients does it require; what is the process to make it; who is it typically made for; is it connected to a holiday/holiday.
Have each group report out on their meal.
Objective is to build knowledge about culture; gather information on participants, enhance engagement and build connections between participants.
Inclusive Programming: SOGI
DYCD is committed to delivering and supporting programming that is inclusive. A set of questions have been added to DYCD’s universal application that aim to correct unintentional erasure and recognize LGBTQ participants whose identities were not being seen or validated in our programming. The documents in this section are a resource for CBO staff who assist youth and families complete the universal application. Workshops focused on SOGI provide further information and support. If you need additional support or answers to questions, please contact your DYCD Program Manager.
A Reading List on Issues of Race
The injustice of recent and past killings of people of color at the hands of law enforcement; a pandemic that has disproportionately affected black and brown people; a multi-racial mostly youth led social justice movement driven by the call that Black Lives Matter and the loss of a hero, John Lewis, has compelled many to deepen their understanding. There are many worthy book lists where anti-racism is front and center and here is one. Community-based organizations can start book clubs, libraries and poetry slams to share historical context and knowledge and promote change.
COVID-19 vaccines are now available to any person in NYC, 12 years of age and older. To find out more about the vaccinations, including vaccine types, vaccination sites, and benefits of vaccination, go to www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines.page
Self Assessment on Cultural Competency
Continuing on the theme of language acquisition, this activity is aimed to empower parents and caregivers on the ways to use the newly acquired language in ways that are helpful.
Celebrate Africa
Celebrate Africa video illustrates an event designed by families to engage the community. It was what the staff at Children’s Aid Whitney Young Community School learned through focus groups with families that helped them connect to vendors, food and activities that would honor and celebrate the cultural heritgage of their families during the community event. This is a display of family partnership and leadership in action for full engagement and participation.
Practice Spotlight
Share quotes on authentic engagement.
Use the guiding questions below to generate discussion among fathers, families and program staff:
