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Parents/Caregivers
B-Unbound Circles
B-Unbound Circles are self-organized groups created with parents from neighborhoods, school, extracurriculars, or work. The Circle is built around parents' common interest in supporting one another as their children "take the wheel".
Steps to get Started:
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Identify other interested parents by inviting a few people and asking them to invite others. Ideally, the circles are composed of no more than 10-12 parents. Larger groups can meet together and then break into smaller circles.
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Find a meeting place that is accessible. If it is just a few parents, meeting in homes may work best. Larger groups can meet in libraries, museums, shopping centers, parks, community centers, coffee shops, or any other local community space.
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Designate a facilitator or co-facilitators to organize and lead the meetings.
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Create a meeting format that provides structure to the gathering and sets ground rules for respectful engagement.
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Meet regularly, weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly.
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Tailor the agenda to the interests of the group. You can discuss books such as Elliot Washor’s Learning to Leave or Dennis Littky’s The Big Picture, watch TED talks like Sir Ken’s, or invite speakers. Make sure to leave time for sharing and discussion at the end.
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Keep the focus on what is in your control–yourselves–not on how you will “help” your children. Role modeling is the most effective way to pass along values.
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Avoid railing against the system as much as possible. This is hard as many of us can feel our children and families have been victimized by it, but it is much more effective to put our energies towards how we each can responsibly contribute to change. Some people might volunteer to help with childcare, others could run for the school board and still others could focus on their own homes. All types of contributions are needed.
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Encourage each other to become Supportive Adults to youth in your community by sharing your interests or hobbies as a mentor, coach, informational interview, or whatever.
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Help build a database of supportive adults through your personal and professional connections.