Twenty-five parents speaking 4 languages were active participants in the second session of Vision and Voice: A Family Leadership Institute, held February 8 at the KD Moore Family Development Center in Clarkston. While the parents enjoyed a scavenger hunt as well as listening, visioning and goal setting exercises, their children enjoyed arts and crafts and other activities led by the staff of the Clarkston First Baptist Academy.
The session opened with a poem to celebrate Black History Month, offered by Pierre Story. Throughout the session, families from Bhutan, Burma, Somalia, and the United States shared their stories, practiced leadership skills, and developed a vision for the future. All enjoyed a South Asian lunch from Kathmandu Kitchen and Grill.
“When I closed my eyes and participated in the visioning exercise and thought about the next 10 years, then 3 years, and then 3 months, I felt the stress leave me and I could focus on the future,” reported one mother. Others appreciated the opportunity to set realistic goals to learn English, start a business, pass a driver’s exam, and have enough English to speak to her child’s teacher.
Families practiced using the SMART Goal framework and asked themselves if the goal was measurable, aligned with their vision, realistic, and timely.
Topics for the third session on March 8 will include learning about language and literacy and analyzing community issues to develop a community project.
The Institute is funded by United Way of Greater Atlanta in partnership with CDF: A Collective Action Initiative and KD Moore Community Development Center. Additional partners include Refugee Family Services, Mommy and Me/Friends of Refugees, and Avalon Ambassadors.
Vision and Voice: A Family Leadership Institute, is a program of the Parent Services Project (PSP), located in San Mateo, California. The Clarkston training is one of four Institutes that are being offered by United Way this year.