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PLANNING YOUR FAMILIES IN ACTION WORKSHOP
This section includes planning tips to help you get your workshop organized so that your Families In Action program will be a success.
To Have or Not to Have a Sponsoring Organization:
If you decide to work with a sponsoring organization, you need to carefully present the reasons why everyone benefits from parent education. Personally meet with the people within the organization whose influence and support can make your workshop happen. You will need to receive the approval of the head of the organization, and you must take the time to keep the organization involved and informed from beginning to end.
As time-consuming as this may be, there are some real benefits to having a sponsoring organization. They usually will provide you with a free meeting room, publicity, and equipment. Frequently, they can also cover leader fees, and may be able to offer the course and materials to low-income parents free of charge. Sometimes they will have multiple locations, allowing you to draw from a large area without high advertising costs.
Form a Committee:
One person working alone cannot possibly plan and promote a successful parenting program. By forming a committee of at least three people, you will have the support and "person power" to do an effective job of organizing and selling the workshop. At the first meeting, present your plan of action, and discuss the degree of involvement of each committee member. Then, allow each individual to have ownership of their part of the project.
Plan of Action:
At the very beginning, determine what your objectives are, identify your target audience, and review the program's benefits. If working with a sponsoring organization, make sure their representative on the committee understands how the Families In Action program can fulfill their mission. Parenting education helps them attract new members and enhances their image within the community. It provides parents and their teens with valuable information on how to improve their relationship and face today's challenges together.
By identifying your target audience, you can focus advertising directly on those you are hoping to help. The Families In Action program can be offered to parents with their teens, or to teens alone. Once you know whom you want to reach, it will be easier to focus on the benefits this course offers your prospective "customers."
Your advertisements should focus on the fact that this research-based program is a proven, effective approach to substance-abuse prevention. Use the slogan "parent education is substance-abuse prevention," or "who says parents and teens can't get along?" Emphasize the fact that improved communication enhances all of our relationships. Because people are more open to participation when they are experiencing a transition, target your efforts at parents of 5th and 6th graders or 8th and 9th graders.
Covering the Initial Details:
1. Select the dates and times you will present the Families In Action program. Remember that the workshop is formatted for six sessions, each of which will last approximately 2.5 hours.
2. Select the location based on costs, comfort, and convenience. You are going to need two separate meeting rooms--one for the teens and one for their parents. Arrange for the necessary equipment for both rooms: chairs, tables, TV/VCR, chalkboard or dry-erase board, flip chart, and/or overhead projector. Assign responsibility to a committee member to arrange for refreshments and to handle all the details involved in securing the location and equipment.
3. Select two or three group leaders. You will need a parent group leader and a teen group leader at the very least. It may be easier to have an assistant for the teen group leader so that the leader can focus on the presentation and can keep things moving along. Try to find a teen facilitator with prior experience as a teen group leader.
4. Determine registration fees and procedures. The fee should include the cost of the Parent's Guide, the Teen's Guide, and compensation, if any, for the group leaders. Keep in mind all of your promotional costs without running the fee up so high that your workshop becomes too costly for your targeted audience.
5. Decide how registration will be taken: by phone, fax, mail, and/or e-mail. Remember to make registration easy by assuring that the forms are widely available and simple to complete. A good response improves your chances for success. Assign someone the task of contacting registrants to verify details, explore the need for childcare, and give directions. This person will also be in charge of collecting registration forms and fees.
...And the Last-Minute Details:
1. Two weeks prior to the first class make sure to order your Parent's Guides and Teen's Guides.
2. Decide if you can provide childcare by getting teens not participating in your program to babysit in a room convenient to the parents' meeting room.
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Active Parenting
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