Hosting Conversations about Questions that Matter
Statewide volunteer network of parent-led World Cafe's
Hi all,
As part of a project through our University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, we invited parent leaders from across our state (Wisconsin) to participate in a five-part community organizing training. Each parent received a small mini-grant to then coordinate and host a World Cafe on some aspect of community/school inclusion for children/youth with disabilities.
About 12 conversations are scheduled to take place in the next 6 weeks, and a few more this summer: one already happened. We used World Cafe's a couple years ago with high schools to focus on summer employment for youth with disabilities, and the conversations were very well-received by communities.
We are learning how critical it is to frame the questions in a way that encourages action ("how can we..." questions rather than "What" or "Why" questions). Also, we find there is a lot more energy and authenticity when youth are involved. The format of only 4-5 at a table is very conducive to encouraging them to participate. Finally, another observation is how important it is to invite people "outside the usual suspects" as the Asset-Based Community Development people call it. A conversation next week is set to include the mayor, county executive, city council members, University professors, students, teachers, parents and more. I can't wait!
I have a question for those of you who are veterans of the process: there is a particular parent in our project who is truly gifted as a facilitator and coordinator of these conversations. She offered to do one as an in-service for her school district's teachers and 45 showed up. They LOVED it! She has since done it for another group of 35 teachers, and has been invited to do it at a couple other schools and for a couple University classes. She would love to begin doing this as a consultant, rather than just as a volunteer. And she has considerable costs to her family in volunteering to do so many: she has to find child care for her four children, three of whom have disabilities.
Do any of you have advice on how she could set up facilitation of World Cafes as a consultant? Thanks so much!
Replies to This Conversation
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Permalink Reply by juanita brown on
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Hi Beth,
I'd suggest that you contact Lina Cramer, who has organized Parent Cafes throughout Illinois and may have ideas to offer. You can contact her at: Lina Cramer She has some fantastic parents working with her as well. I'm wondering if this project might also be funded through the Kellog Foundation who is focused on child and youth development as well as families.
And I love the multi-generational aspect of all of this and would love to learn what you are finding from that aspect of the work.
This is very exciting ....thank you so much for sharing it.
Warmly,
Juanita
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