WEEK 3
We had a busy week in CCE Tompkins family and community development. On Monday and Tuesday we did the PSitWorks Facilitator training. I enjoyed meeting people from both Cooperative Extensions all over the state and government workers for DSS. We learned about the curriculum and specifically the five communication skills, Encouragement, Self-Control, Can Do, Shared Decision Making, and Respecting Feelings. We were able to come up with situations where we could use these communication skills in our own lives in order to practice. I was surprised at how applicable these skills are to non parenting related scenarios in addition to parenting. It was a real privilege to hear the experiences of all of the participants and I feel better prepared to contribute to the 2Gen PS it Works program this coming month.
The next day I was able to help facilitate the family playgroup for ages 1-4. This week started a new session of the program, at First Presbyterian Church in Dewitt Park. The program ran similarly to the previous one, with free play and then a baby doll circle time and nutrition class for each group, with a story time in the middle. The kids then were able to do free play at the end of the program again. The space was absolutely adorable and it was lovely to see the children and families have a good time!
Immediately after this meeting I was able to attend a Coalition for Families meeting at CCE Tompkins. This presentation was done by the Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service of Tompkins County. They gave us some background on the problem of suicide and how to best approach combatting this problem. Additionally they engaged in training for how to utilize active listening skills and be the most efficient lifeline with regards to mental health assistance. They presented additional lifelines and training that exist in the ithaca area, state, and nationwide.
We finished that day with a presentation from professor Jerel Ezell on cultural humility and how to best unlearn past cultural biases in order to best provide the services that parents actually wanted and not what facilitators believe that they need.
The following day we had our first session of the Strengthening Families Program for the summer program. This is a program that was developed at the Iowa State University Extension where parents and youth meet separately for the first hour and then families practice skills and eat together during the second hour. The parent sessions include modeling positive interactions with youth and skill building activities, and the youth sessions include game-like learning, discussions, and more. I helped to facilitate the youth session, a good experience that gave me a new perspective for the 2 Gen PS it works Curriculum. We then met with our faculty partner, professor Laura Tach, in order to discuss action items for the upcoming 2GenPS it Works program and edit the curriculum.
In summary, a successful week! I am enjoying my time at CCE Tompkins and looking forward to upcoming programming.