IAF is proud that our members support their communities. Two great projects were undertaken for 2008:
Region IV Head Start Association, Inc.
On Tuesday, February 5, 2008, ten members of SEAF contributed their time and talents at one of the two Community Outreach Projects that are conducted in conjunction with the 2008 IAFNA Atlanta conference.
Jayne Wallace, CPF, and Linda Duncan organized the event. Jayne serves on the 2008 IAFNA Conference Local Support VAT and Linda serves on the Local Support VAT and the Overall Conference Planning Team.
Susan Peryam, the IAFNA Conference Chairperson, volunteered to be the lead facilitator and Martha McGinnis offered herself as the graphic facilitator.
SEAF President and Conference Local Marketing Lead, Gloria Pursell participated, as well.
Linda Duncan & Susan Peryam
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Founded in 1986, the Region IV Head Start Association, Inc. (RIVHSA) is a membership organization that provides a regional forum for the continued enhancement of the status of Head Start and Early Head Start children, families, staff and programs throughout our eight member states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The vision is that all Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Region IV will provide quality, comprehensive services to children and families.
The 2008 Annual Training Conference was held February 4-7, 2008 at the Atlanta Hilton and Towers. The conference is the premier education and networking gathering of the regional Head Start community (8 southeastern states) attracting more than 800 attendees each year and offering more than 65 educational sessions addressing legislative issues, early care and education, intervention and prevention strategies, as well as quality initiatives and practices. Participants gain insight from distinguished keynote and other featured speakers and enjoy engaging special events and networking opportunities. There is also a lively exhibit marketplace showcasing resources and products by some of the leading companies in the early care and education industry.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
- Initiate discussions among members around membership, training, outreach and succession planning.
- Utilize facilitators to lead these large group discussions to maximize idea generation in a short time span.
- Design a scalable process – one that works for an undefined quantity of participants, up to 100.
- Give participants in the sessions a highly interactive experience.
Group interacting
RESPONSE FROM RIVHSA
On behalf of the Board of Directors for the Region IV Head Start Association (RIVHSA), I extend our appreciation to the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) and the Southeast Association of Facilitators (SEAF) who volunteered their professional services at our 2008 Annual Training Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, the week of February 4th.
The IAF and SEAF facilitators assisted groups in the discussion of succession planning in their local Head Start programs. The session generated interest in the subject and hopefully motivated many to begin the process when they returned to the agencies.
RIVHSA will use the data collected in the session to identify training opportunities to offer to our regional Head Start community within the next 12-18 months to meet their planning and implementation needs with regards to the topic. Our next conference is a Leadership Institute for Executive Management in June 2008.
We will be diligently working to develop a training session around the topic area that addresses the specific challenges and best practices identified in the roundtable discussion. The Head Start group leader for that discussion group was Kim Rainey, a Georgia Technical Assistance Specialist with the Region IV TA Network (STG International). It is likely that, at a minimum, the Region IV TA Network will use the data to develop technical assistance guides for Head Start programs throughout the region.
Again, we thank you for your support and look forward to collaborating with you in the future.
Ms. Myra Ingram
Executive Officer
Region IV Head Start Association, Inc.
Enjoying the process.
IAF & SEAF PARTICPANTS
- David Davis
- Linda Duncan, blueskyinsights LLC
- Martha McGinnis, Visual Logic, Inc (as Graphic Facilitator)
- Tanya Moore, Macy's Systems and Technolgy
- Susan Peryam, Peryam Associates (as Lead Facilitator)
- Bonnie Petrus, AT&T
- Gloria Pursell, Pursell & Associates
- Peter Rzeszotarski, CDC
- George Smith, Summit Consultants
- Jayne Wallace, AARP
Martha McGinnis illustrates the discussion.
The Sullivan Center
In February, Brian Baskette and Lander Stoddard, both IAF Certified(TM) Professional Facilitators (CPFs) and members of IAF and SEAF, contributed their time and talents to conduct a day-long strategic planning session for The Sullivan Center, Atlanta.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
A number of state, regional, and metro organizations are involved in a mission to eliminate homelessness. Working in a complimentary area to these organizations is The Sullivan Center, Inc.; a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide help with dignity to families and individuals in crisis.
With a mission-focus on Homelessness Prevention, the Sullivan Center empowers people to help themselves from slipping into poverty and homelessness through financial assistance and planning, nutrition classes and employment counseling.
TSC's primary goal is to prevent individuals from becoming homeless by providing help with rent, mortgage or a utility bill. They are advocates of hunger prevention. Dedicated volunteers operate a Food Pantry daily. Business clothes and MARTA assistance are provided for job seekers with confirmed interviews or recently employed persons participating in their financial assistance program.
TSC is funded in large part through the United Way foundation and a mix of public and private contributions and sponsorships. Their slogan is "a hand up, not a hand out." Like many organizations in this space, they are seeing a double/tripling of applications for assistance, but an equal diminishment in funding.
Sister Marie Sullivan is the energy behind The Sullivan Center and will be retiring in the near future. It is crucial that her legacy be carried on by others.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Discussion at the retreat focused on TSC’s long-term strategic direction which will set the stage for the organization’s strategic planning, major fundraising initiatives, marketing and public relations efforts, and community outreach programs.
PROJECT TEAM
Lander Stoddard, CPF
Brian Baskette, CPF
RESPONSE FROM SULLIVAN CENTER
From Phil Thoennes, Sullivan Center Board Member:
Through Brian and Lander’s help, The Sullivan Center board updated the organization’s mission statement:
“We help urban individuals and families become empowered and self-sufficient.”
With regard to the assistance Brian and Lander provided at our board retreat, and this comes from the entire board:
“Amazing!”
The board was exceptionally pleased with their professionalism, dedication, and energy in preparing for this important event as well as throughout the entire day of the retreat. Every board member wished that we had had an extra day with both of them to keep moving forward with our strategy development work, which is a testament of their value to our efforts.
All the board members gained a lot from the ‘team development’ exercises that Brian and Lander conducted for us, something that brought our board closer together than ever before and established a very positive tone for the difficult discussions ahead.
Everyone was very impressed with their facilitation, coaching, and listening skills; our board is usually very reluctant to discuss ‘difficult’ issues, but in a very short time they moved the board to a point where it was easier to discuss these issues (one of the reasons why everyone wanted more time with them!).
Board members who had been through a similar retreat the year before thought both Brian and Lander exhibited a lot of talent and dedication, and the fact that they were doing it for free impressed these board members even more. All in all, great feedback from the board. How do we get them again next year!
