CONVERSATIONS THAT NURTURE THE SPIRIT OF THE FAMILY

The Be Strong Families Parent Café program is a nationally recognized peer-to-peer learning process to keep children safe and families strong. Parents and caregivers create safe spaces to explore their strengths and learn from themselves and each other how to use the Strengthening Families Protective Factors with their loved ones. At a café, parents and caregivers talk about the challenges and victories of raising a family. Through individual self-reflection and conversations with others, participants explore their strengths and create strategies from their own wisdom and experiences to help strengthen their families. The experience is empowering, a shift from listening to “experts” to drawing on the wealth of knowledge already in the room.

The Resilient Communities Parent Leadership Team  is also implementing Be Strong’s “A More Perfect Union” cafés, which invite conversations that connect social justice and parenting. These cafés are also organized around the Protective Factors and allow parents to explore the broader context for parenting in a complicated and often unjust world.

Something we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic is how to bring on-line Parent Cafes to the community. Following the Cafe model, connection and great conversations can happen virtually when needed. 

If you would like to get involved with Parent Cafés, email our Cafe Coordinator, Brooklyn Hayes at [email protected] or message us on Facebook. We are looking for people to help organize cafés; to be table hosts during the conversations, distribute invitations, and to help with childcare and other aspects of running a café.