We can help you launch a Community Parenting Forum at your school, church or community organisation.
Most Forums meet once a month and provide a forum for teachers, principals, parents and community leaders to meet socially and to launch projects to create a child-safe, child friendly community.
Projects launched by Community Parenting Forums include
- Requesting chain stores to donate food which is about to go out of date, which they will otherwise return to suppliers to establish a feeding scheme which provides children from child-headed and indigent homes with breakfast 365 days a year.
- Establishing “Walking Taxis” with the cooperation of your local police station. Parents pick up students as they walk to and from school. The police guarantee that if a parent phones to report a potential threat they will arrive within three minutes.
- Persuading pastors to allow their churches to be used as a venue where children from homes without electricity or tables can do their homework after school every day.
- Working with the local police commander to tackle noise from shebeens which prevent children from doing homework or gaining sound sleep.
- Establishing a team to identify young substance abusers in the community and to persuade them to attend rehabilitation centres.
- Implementing and maintaining school, family and community partnerships designed to mobilise, guide, energise and inspire students to become future winners.
- Raising donations for specific school projects such as fixing broken windows, providing heating, painting buildings, extra teachers, extra-mural activities, trips to museums, concerts, computers/tablets, etc.
- Monitoring places where children gather after school hours such as parks, shops, street corners, outside fast food outlets to ensure their safety, to ensure that they are not approached by gangs, drug dealers, etc.
- Setting up sporting, social, dancing and cultural clubs to enable each child to develop as a well-rounded individual by.
- Approaching local storekeepers and nurseries to donate bricks, cement, paint, containers, plants, etc. to enable parents to renovate schools or build additional facilities such as libraries, classrooms, special purpose classrooms such as those required for woodwork, science, biology or domestic science, school halls or hostels. In addition, parents work with students to plant indigenous and/or food gardens.
Celebrations
Most project team members will feel their efforts are worthwhile when they celebrate accomplishments. These could include:
- Conducting public opening ceremonies at which donors and project team members pledge their commitment to the project.
- Celebrating reaching milestones, anniversaries, etc as a community.
- Celebrating the end of finite projects.
Celebration provides the community with a sense of belonging to a school and/or community.
Donors and parents gain stature within their community for having participated in each project.
These projects contribute to the energy and passion each community has for its school.
Celebrations don’t have to cost money if each family attending brings its own food and drinks.
Contact our CEO Alan J Whitaker to learn how to set up a Community Parenting Forum at alan@futurewinners.com