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Families4Change Inc. P.O. Box 248 Athens, GA 30603-0248 Phone (706) 542-4922 Families4Change@hotmail.com |
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Fall 2000
Scroll down or choose an article from our Fall 2000 newsletter: In Their Own Wordsa mother and daughter share their experienceWritten by Falon Phillips and Linda MurphyThis group was the start of a new relationship between my mom and me. Before the program we had been fussing and fighting nonstop! Most of the time we kept to ourselves, but when we crossed paths it was war. The group brought out a whole new person in me. I used to be rude, and I only thought of myself. But my mom showed me how I was acting, and then I showed her a thing or to about herself. Now we make one of the best mother-daughter pairs there is! The best part about the group meetings is the graduation party at the last meeting! If this group can help us, then I know that it can help you too! The Breakthrough Story of a Juvenile OffenderWritten by F4C Coordinator Jennifer DunnShay and her mother, Patti, tried their best to avoid Shay's court obligation. I received the referral one-week before the F4C sessions were to begin. I phoned the family and scheduled an appointment at which time I would enroll them in the F4C, complete the risk assessment, provide details of the location, and give them a schedule. I also used this time to build motivation in the family by sharing brief stories about successful experiences of other families who have attended F4C. To my disappointment, the family did not show up for their scheduled appointment, nor did they appear for two more scheduled appointments. I knew I would have to be creative when recruiting this family. Each time I spoke with the mother she had an explanation for their absences. I did not give up... I had one more chance to meet with them, and so I scheduled a meeting one-hour before the first session was to begin. Again, they did not appear. I began the first session of F4C without them. While the group was working on the "Name Game" activity (45 minutes after the session began) Shay and her mother showed up. The family came in, joined the circle and introduced themselves. I asked the other families to explain our rules to Shay and Patti since they had missed that part of the session. A male youth said, "You guys already broke one rule by being late, and because you were more than 15 minutes late you already have one absence." After the session ended, I spent time with Shay and Patti completing a risk assessment and going over the rules one more time. One hour before session 2 was to begin I received a call from Patti who was distressed and explained how she and Shay were not going to be able to make it to the meeting because of a lack of transportation. I explained to her how I appreciated her dilemma, but at the same time I felt that she needed to call a friend, catch a bus, or even take a taxi because her family, already having one absence. Upon a second absence, Shay would have to go before the judge to defend the violation of probation. They did make it to session two by contacting another family in the program who gave them a ride, but before sessions 3,4,5, and 7 I received calls from Patti. Each time she and Shay would attend the session, but it took a great deal of effort on my part convincing them each night that it would be worth their time. Some of my favorite excuses were: "I have to make our clothes by hand, and I have to do it tonight," "We have company in town" and "I had a bad day." Every time I would go over the rules and ask her to please make the effort to attend. While Shay and Patti made my work frustrating, it was still a pleasure having this family in the group because they always had something to add. Each valuable comment confirmed my commitment to 'hang in there' with them. Sometimes it was hard to wrap up and F4C session even after 2 hours, and once we extended a session an extra hour. The families never realized the time had passed, and neither did I. The good news - Shay and Patti graduated from F4C. They expressed their gratitude and said they had benefited from the experience. I watched them grow closer each week. Shay informed me at graduation that as a result of participating in the group, she feels that she learned that, no matter what excuses she could come up with, she still has to face the consequences. Patti said she realized "how important it is to be a good role model because Shay is watching her every move." *Participants' names have been changed to respect confidentiality. From the DirectorDuring one graduation of F4C this year, a college intern and group leader, Simone, stood before the families and shared through tears her own experience in the Families4Change program. Someone admitted that she too was affected by the experience and that, as a result, she had changed her career plans. As a typical young adult, she had been exploring different career options. Now she knew she wanted to work in human services. Simone thanked the group for helping her decide. She is now a juvenile justice advocate for families. Families too have routinely expressed their appreciation for F4C. They are grateful to the leaders, but just as importantly, they are grateful to the other families who cared about them, offered them suggestions and possible solutions, and instilled hope in their lives. While many families (especially the youth) do not anticipate sharing their experience in the F4C group at the graduation ceremony, the moment seizes them when they hear other families express their newly found optimism or fulfillment in the episodes of interaction with each other. Spontaneously, they share the laughter, the breakthrough in long-standing conflict, or hidden talent of humor, leadership, or compassion they have discovered within themselves. While F4C cycles have been used by judges and schools in Georgia, Ohio, New Mexico, and Wyoming for a number of years, training and new F4C cycles have been initiated within the last year in Dallas, TX, Raleigh, N.C., Emporia, KS, Macon, Savannah, and other Georgia communities. Over 30 of these F4C cycles, representing close to 200 families, were offered last year. These sites have held F4C staff training and received consultation from F4C developers. Families4Change: A Non-Profit OrganizationThe Family Solutions Program (now Families4Change) started in 1992 and has grown to serve over 600 youth in over 100 communities across Georgia and beyond. Based on positive results the scope has broadened to include an early intervention program for truant students and youth with behavior problems as well as first time offenders. And, a growing number of communities request training to implement the F4C program in their area. As a result of this growth the non-profit organization Families4Change has been established. The name reflects the approach advocated in the FSP. The mission of Families4Change is twofold:
Parents, siblings, and extended family play a crucial role in this process of change and every effort is made to include them. In fact, without their involvement a youth is not eligible for F4C. An older sibling of a child who committed an offense stated in one group session, "You know, when I was his age I got into trouble, and I had to go to the probation officer once a week. But I always left feeling like this wasn't changing anything in my life like I needed to - I wish I could have been in a program like this." This illustrates the vital contribution family members make in helping youth. You will note that our mailing and contact information has changed since our last newsletter. Please contact us if you have an interest in developing programs that address youth concerns in your community. Does it work?One of the true signs of effectiveness for any intervention program is its ability to change certain behaviors or attitudes. F4C seeks to reduce risk behavior and increase more functional behaviors in the youth and families that participate in the program. With juvenile offenders, we evaluate effectiveness by examining the number of graduates who re-offend compared to the number of non-graduate re-offenders. Since 1993, Families 4 Change has consistently shown a substantially lower rate of re-offenses for youth who graduate from the program. Based on the above data from 1993-1999, the percent who re-offend overall after completing F4C decreased by 23%, when compared to non-graduates (48%) to graduates (25%) of the program. In addition, advanced statistical analysis was conducted to compare outcomes of youth placed on probation (N=106) where F4C does not exist with youth who attended the F4C program (N=233). Results show that youth who graduate from the program are '7 time less' likely to re-offend than first offender youth who were placed on probation. Notes from a Facilitator's JournalTonight we had the Family Values Auction. The auction included items such as family health, win the lottery, no divorce, no more drugs. It was interesting to see which values were important to each family. Andy thought the clothing allowance was the most important and got mad at his mom for bidding on other things. His mom wanted religious values. She said if you have that, the rest of your life will follow. Greg and his mom wanted family health and got it for a pretty high price. Family loyalty and love were popular as well as good communication. Tim and his mom wanted a safe neighborhood. Apparently he had been attacked a few times. The tipped off a discussion of violence in schools. I thought it was interesting to see that no matter where or how people live, they have the same basic concerns. Sometimes we have the tendency to be a little egocentric. It is good to be reminded that we are all basically the same but have drawn a different lot in life. I think it all turned out fair in the end with each family getting at least one thing they wanted. I think each family learned tonight some new things about themselves, each other, and their values. *Participants names have been changed to respect confidentiality Training Options AvailableTwo training opportunities are available to assist you in developing and implementing the Families4Change program in your community. Option I offers a periodic training session led by the F4C Director and F4C Coordinator at a designated location in Atlanta or Athens, GA. This one-and-a-half day session is for all professionals interested in juvenile delinquency prevention, truancy, and/or behavioral problems of at-risk youth. Option II is a one-and-a-half day training session at a site near the location that wants to establish F4C. This option provides for many professionals from one or more organizations at a local site. An example of someone electing Option I involved a private practitioner who was a longtime contractor with juvenile courts and served as an adjunct faculty member in Dallas, TX. She traveled with her associate to Athens, GA for training. Their goal was to offer the Families4Change program in their community with the collaboration of the courts. Examples of Option II include the communities of Emporia, KS and Savannah, GA, in which representatives from the mental health center, local school system, juvenile court and agency/private practitioners received training. They invited the F4C Director and F4C Coordinator to their location with the goal of establishing F4C as a collaboration of professionals from several disciplines and sites to emphasize prevention and early intervention to reach youth in the community. Both options include:
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