[Imc-newsroom] Family & Community Activity Center INFORMATION:

[Sascha Meinrath]

below is the information about wednesday's meeting.  so far, Mark E. and Brent
M. have volunteered to help out with coverage.  we have room for 1 or 2 more
reporters if you would like to come.  please don't just show up -- contact me
personally if you are interested (384-5346 -- call me).  this is an
invitation-only event.  and i think it is an important chance to network with
various organizations, get the word out about the IMC, and get some publicity
for a really great idea.

--sascha

PLANNING MEETING 

A Family and Community Activity Center

Wednesday, March 7, 11:45-1:00
Champaign County Extension Auditorium
801 N. Country Fair Drive

Please come and help plan for a Family and Community Activity Center
in north Champaign.

Lunch will be served- please call with any dietary restrictions (333-7672).

A coalition of community allies is forming, facilitated by the Partners for
Progress, to envision and create an Activity Center for parents, children and
community members in north Champaign. This Activity Center will feature a
series of concurrent educational programs aimed at parents (and adult
community
members) and their children that stem from the needs and interests of children
and parents in the community. A core principal of the coalition will be a
conviction that strong communities and informed, active families lead to
strong, confident and healthy youth. The purpose of the Center will be to
provide a place and series of opportunities for parents and children to
explore
and build on their strengths and interests in a way that enhances their future
opportunities for success in relationships, school and job. 

Specific activities for parents will evolve in part from a needs assessment of
parents in the north Champaign community. These may include GED, resume
writing
and basic computer training as well as various workshops on topics like
budgeting, entrepreneurship, parenting, relationships, legal concerns,
health-related issues, seasonal crafts, stress management. Some fun activities
like bingo night and family fun night might be possible.

Specific activities for children may include visual arts (Project MURAL),
performing arts (including dance and instrumental music), tutoring, reading
and
storytelling, open gym and others.

Special Features Might Include:  

Simultaneous programming would allow parents to bring their children to the
Center and engage in their own activities while being assured that their
children are also involved in fun and educational activities.  

The Center could provide a unique opportunity for coalition members to bring
various resources to the north Champaign community that might otherwise be
unavailable or dispersed and ineffectively offered.

The coalition will focus on creating opportunities for community people to
help
each other. Some ideas to consider are helping people help each other by
§       facilitating information and skill sharing among parents and community
members  
There are many strengths that exist in the north Champaign community.
Programming can be designed to highlight and capitalize on those rather than
following the traditional model of “experts” imparting knowledge to novices.

§       soliciting volunteers and other partners 
North Champaign, the broader community and the University of Illinois are
filled with resources. Coalition allies can work to make explicit the needs
identified by parents and children and help find partners to help address
those
needs, through sharing time, skills, information and resources.

§       encouraging and strengthening intergenerational relationships 
An explicit goal of the coalition could be to facilitate intergenerational
sharing as a means of strengthening community and families. This will include
facilitating the involvement of high school and college youth in programming
for elementary- and middle school-aged children. Parents as well as community
elders will be encouraged to be involved in children’s programming in multiple
roles including as mentors and facilitators (who share knowledge and
skills) as
well as occasional audience members for performances. Elders with specific
skills or knowledge areas will be encouraged to share in adult programming as
well.

You have been identified as a potential coalition ally.

Please come lend your expertise and experience to our planning luncheon. We
will dream, plan and leave with specific plans to make this Center a reality
for North Champaign families.
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