Building Communities of Support for Families in Poverty

WORKSHOP 1: Values Awareness

WORKSHOP 1: Values Awareness
Goal;
Objectives:
Materials Needed:
Prepared Handouts:

Exercise 1: Getting Acquainted

Objectives:
Activity:

Exercise 2: Program Overview

Objective:
Activity:

Exercise 3: Housekeeping

Objectives:
Activity:

Exercise 4: Understanding Ourselves and Others

Objective:
Activity:
Example 1:
Example II:
Note to Trainers:
Closing the Meeting
Program Evaluation

EVALUATION QUESTIONS
VALUES AWARENESS WORKSHOP - Exercise Worksheet

Goal:

o encourage a nonjudgmental attitude when working with each other and families at risk by offering an understanding of the reasons for differing values and lifestyles.

Objectives:

- To establish mutual respect and camaraderie among trainees through better awareness and understanding of one another's values and attitudes;
- To further establish a commitment to the program through reviewing the agenda for the 20-hour training, obtaining input from group members concerning other important issues that might be included, and discussing issues such as babysitting, transportation, and any other barriers that might affect participation;
- To facilitate a values awareness exercise to instill a feeling of respect for potential clients. This will teach trainees that though individuals may have similar basic values they will make choices according to their own life experiences;
- To establish the concept that we as helpers may perceive people's situations differently because of our own value systems created by our own experiences.

Materials Needed:

ewsprint, magic markers, 15 notebooks, pencils, food and drinks (soft drinks rather than coffee), paper plates, cups, prepared handouts.

Prepared Handouts:

- Agenda
- Listing of traits of natural helpers on newsprint
- Babysitting and transportation reimbursement forms
- Extra applications
- Values awareness handout
- Newsprint or handout to summarize this evening's training
- Training evaluation form

Exercise 1: Getting Acquainted

dler, and subsequently Dreikurs, often spoke of democracy, responsibility, and mutual respect. Throughout this program, a feeling of mutual respect between the helper and the client will increase the client's self-respect, which will ultimately empower him or her to make responsible choices and improve his or her quality of life. According to Adler, all human beings are equal in humanness and dignity. Trainees and their clients need to recognize that they are all equally entitled to respect and self- determination.

Objectives:

- To establish a feeling of mutual respect and camaraderie within the training group;
- To establish the fact that most participants share the same basic values related to family and desire for a good quality of life, and
- To help the trainees recognize that specific experiences in life affect the success with which individuals match their values with their behavior.

Activity:

A. Welcome the group members, reintroduce yourself, and then introduce the trainees, briefly describing the talents that make each of them especially important to the program.

B. Define values as a certain belief system that often affects the choices we make in our lives. Talk about the typical values of a natural helper including: 1. General values - religion, family, etc. 2. More specific values

. caring about other people

. being trustworthy, respecting confidentiality

. being nonjudgmental

. understanding that the growth of each individual benefits everyone

(List these on newsprint or the chalkboard.)

C. Talk about other personal values as they relate to you. Present one item that illustrates a value (a picture of a son or daughter, a work key) and explain what the item means relative to your value system.

D. Ask the members of the group to take from their bags or wallets two items that signify important thoughts or values for them. E. Ask each member of the circle to again give his or her name and talk about the item he or she has chosen. List the values on newsprint. Values might include religion, family, money management, friends, orderliness, safety, etc. F. After all trainees have taken their turn, talk about the values within the group, encouraging group members to comment on the diversity as well as the commonalities. You may want to list the values under such general headings as family, religion, and quality of life.

G. Reinforce the fact that everyone in the group seems to have similar basic values that affect the way they live; yet each member has special values that relate to their own personal experiences.

Exercise 2: Program Overview

he steering committee has already tailored the curriculum to meet the needs of the neighborhood. The larger group may have more important information from their experiences to enhance the relevance of the material to be presented in the Master Teacher model. At the same time, if all members have some input into the curriculum, all will engage more readily in the activities relative to each upcoming workshop. This activity will give the trainer a chance to encourage input from all future Master Teachers in order to make sure the curriculum covers the real needs of the neighborhood. This activity will also continue to establish mutual respect within the group as each participant's comments are considered.

Objective:

o establish a commitment from the participants by getting their input on the proposed training curriculum to meet the needs of their neighborhood.

Activity:

A. Pass out a loose-leaf notebook and a handout summarizing the proposed list of topics to be discussed at each workshop. (See Program Overview at end of Workshop 1.)

B. Introduce the steering committee and describe the process used in matching the curriculum to the needs of the community. Go over each topic, summarizing the training goals and requesting comments from the group relative to agencies or issues that are relevant according to their experiences. Each topic should be covered in less than five minutes. Information will be taken under advisement and integrated into the subsequent workshops where appropriate. This is not the time to evaluate the accuracy of the information shared; it is a time to make sure each program participant is heard and his or her input noted. End this exercise by letting the group know that their ideas are valued and will be considered as important in the program development. (You will find that the information shared is likely to be very consistent with steering committee input.)

Exercise 3: Housekeeping

imeliness, comfort in the group situation, quality group process, and ability to attend every workshop are important for promoting a professional atmosphere. Trainees should clearly understand what is expected of them. Confusion or chronic correction of mistakes is discouraging. You should clearly establish the guidelines related to certification as a Master Teacher, including attendance expectations and paperwork necessary to implement the program in an orderly fashion.

Objectives:

- To establish the concept that consistent attendance is imperative in order to be effective Master Teachers.
- To review and clarify necessary paperwork, including applications and reimbursement forms related to babysitting and transportation.
- To establish an atmosphere of professionalism by explaining the expectations concerning timeliness, maintenance of materials in a notebook, and measurement of program effectiveness.

Activity:

A. Point out the note at the bottom of the Program Overview which specifies that participants must attend of least seven of the ten trainings in order to graduate. Let members know that you realize this is indeed a difficult commitment. In order for them to be effective, however, it is an important requirement. Encourage them to contact you if they are unable to attend a session. Each member is very important, and each circumstance should be considered if a crisis occurs.

B. Review each piece of paperwork, remembering that a lot of reading is frustrating and time consuming. Go over the reimbursement forms step by step. Encourage participants to ask questions so all are clear on how to fill out the paperwork. Remind the group when each piece is due. Insist on having all applications by the end of the second session.

C. Talk about transportation and babysitting problems, encouraging group members to find solutions among themselves. Suggest car pooling.

D. Explain that in order to be effective as Master Teachers the materials handed out every week need to be kept in an orderly manner. (My experience is that the trainees are more organized than I.) Explain that at times some documentation, such as how many families are being reached, will be needed in order to measure program effectiveness, but at no time will the confidentiality between the Master Teacher and the trainee be at risk. The nature of natural support networking ensures that formal collection of client's personal data is inappropriate. Talk about the evaluation process as a way to measure your effectiveness, not the capabilities of the trainees (Master Teachers). (Consider the issues trainees might have relative to academics, tests....) A brief evaluation piece will be part of each workshop, and a more extensive summary will be completed at the end of the 20-hour training.

Exercise 4: Understanding Ourselves and Others

he final exercise of the evening will focus on why people behave as they do. Temperament, environmental opportunities, life experiences, lack of knowledgeable mentors, heredity, family values, sex roles, oppression, and educational experiences all affect the way people behave.

Objective:

his exercise will help trainees understand why they behave the way they do, how their values can affect the way they interact with others, and why others can or cannot deal with their family lives effectively. The exercise, because there are no right or wrong answers, is usually fun and enlightening.

Activity:

A. Hand out the Values Awareness worksheet and ask the group members to respond to each question. Emphasize the fact that there are no right or wrong answers. The purpose of the exercise is to show how people's life experiences make them different. Knowing what affects our behavior will help when we need to help others.

B. When the trainees have completed the worksheet, facilitate a group discussion encouraging participants to share their answers. It is not necessary that group members respond to questions they are not comfortable with.

C. Summarize the group discussion by asking group members why they responded as they did. List their ideas on newsprint.

D. Give the following scenarios and encourage group members to discuss them. What caused the behaviors in each situation?

Example 1:

ary has been living in her apartment for the past three years. Each year she has been threatened with eviction because her apartment is filthy. Her only alternative is to live with her mother, who lives in an equally filthy apartment.

hat is the problem? (Mary will be evicted because her apartment is always filthy.)

hy does she have this problem? (Mary has no role model or anyone to help her find ways to clean the apartment to the specifications of the inspectors.)

oncept to be emphasized: Mary does not want to be evicted. She is not lazy. She is helpless to improve her situation because she has no knowledge of appropriate cleaning methods.

Example II:

dward and Tony are pre-teens who often play ball together. They appear to be good friends. On a particular Saturday afternoon, Edward calls Tony a sissy. The name calling evolves into a fist fight.

hat is the problem? (The boys are resorting to fighting to solve problems.) Why do they have this problem? (They have learned this strategy from social experience.)

oncept to be emphasized: Fighting is not a valued method of coping with problem situations, but it is the only way these kids know how to solve problems. The boys should be given alternative ways to address the original problem.

Note to Trainers: