This week was very successful, marked by the first official 2GenPSitWorks class. During the first two days, I primarily assisted with finalizing edits to the curriculum for the upcoming weeks. This involved making formatting changes and adjusting the language.
Wednesday was particularly busy. In the morning, I assisted with the playgroup. It has been incredible to see the growth of the kids and families over the past six weeks. I enjoy speaking with the participants, many of whom express how much they value the program as a vital community gathering opportunity. Throughout the day, I helped prepare for various activities for the 2GenPSitWorks class, including gathering resources. In the evening, we had an exceptional class. It began with a successful family dinner and nutrition lesson. We then separated into sessions for kids and grownups. I assisted with the facilitation of the kids’ session, which started with ice breakers to foster community connection. After discussing group rules, we began our communication discussion using the concepts of the thought bubble and speech bubble. We also explored what it means to be a kid and what it means to be a grownup. I realized how classes like this can fundamentally change family communication and allow parents to adopt new roles. The family session began with a reading of “Caps for Sale” and continued with family collage-making. It was a very successful first class, and I look forward to the continuation of the program!
On Thursday, we conducted the third session of the Strengthening Families program. This week was slightly more challenging as we had to condense the material for weeks three and four into one class. In the kids’ group, we covered additional topics related to communication, such as how to show others that you are actively listening. We also discussed how to decide when to let things go or confront people about disagreements. The families made family crests of things they enjoy doing together and had a successful family dinner. These are valuable communication skills, and I can see the kids learning from week to week. I learned from this class specifically how in our role as facilitators is to let the parents take the lead and take our cue from them as to what they need. It is a privilege to build relationships through these facilitations.