Here are some ideas about how to lead your Powerful Families group. You can also find icebreakers. If you'd like to share a tip that has worked for you, or if you don't find what you need, please contact us.
Life Drawing
Here's an effective way to identify systems and issues that participants are facing and to help tailor the curriculum to their needs. During the first session of the advocacy curriculum, have parents draw a picture showing their current situation. Ask them to draw people, places, issues, systems, and institutions that they're dealing with now. Give them about 15 minutes. Then tape the drawings to the wall, and have each person take about three minutes to explain their drawing.
One-on-One Introductions
If the members of your group don't know one another, try this variation on the usual routine of having all the participants introduce themselves to the group:
- Pair up the participants. If the number is odd, you should pair one participant up with yourself.
- Give each pair about five minutes to talk and learn about each other.
- Have each person introduce the other from their pair to the group.
- The group facilitator can introduce the parent leader, and vice versa.
Little Lifts
Keep an eye-and ear-open for possible micro-lift topics that the group can schedule after graduation. During sessions, if parents are particularly engaged or excited about one of the topics and could continue their discussion for more time than allotted for the meeting, make plans for an extra session, after the cycle is complete, to cover the material in more detail. Think about inviting an outside expert who can bring additional content and context to the discussion.