family, friends & neighbors (ffn)
FFN Workshops are Sponsored by the Opportunity Fund
Project Description
The
Refugee Women's Alliance has built a Family, Friends & Neighbors Refugee
and Immigrant Caregiver Network that served over 140 parents and
caregivers in King County in 2004. Through the Caregiver Network, ReWA
staff:
-
Continue and improve
our comprehensive direct services to parents, caregivers and children;
-
Establish a Peer
Education program for parents and caregivers to share their knowledge;
-
Increase knowledge
about effective and promising practices; and
-
Increase awareness
about the importance of family, friend and neighbor caregivers in
children’s development, school readiness and school success.
In
year 2004, ReWA together with the University of Washington Nursing students
and Seattle University students designed and modified and delivered a series
of workshop topics covering: 1. Raising children to become bicultural, 2.
CPR and safety issues, 3. Nutrition, 4. Child Development, 5. Discipline and
guidance. ReWA presented all these topics in a more culturally appropriated
way to the Refugee and Immigrant community participants.
ReWA
staff are able to explore the most promising and effective practices for
parents and caregivers, and to adapt these resources to the languages and
cultures of our clients as needed. We have integrated what we learn into
the workshops. We also invite leaders from the communities we serve and from
the broader community to speak to program participants about the issues of
early learning and child development.
The
Caregiver Network allows ReWA staff to increase exposure to the issues of
child development among non-parental caregivers. Our goal to decrease the
isolation that so many caregivers experience, and to enhance their knowledge
of resources that are available to them has been reached.
Through the Caregiver Network, ReWA offers a Peer Education
program for parents and caregivers. Participants are recruited from the
workshops and received support and training on confidentiality and outreach
methods. A minimum of 10 Peer Educators were trained to share their
knowledge with groups of friends and family, thus expanding the awareness of
these issues in the community. As peer educators raise awareness about the
developmental needs of children, share the practices they have learned and
link their peers to resources, they also gain leadership skills and
experience.
for more information
Contact
Maggie Sung At ReWA (206)
721-5298
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