Presence To Contribution March 2009 Tri-Counties Regional Center By Claudia Bolton, HSA Helen Sanderson Associates.

Presence To ContributionMarch 2009

Tri-Counties Regional Center

By Claudia Bolton, HSAHelen Sanderson Associates

Community Building: A definition from the experience of Options in Madison, WI.

Community building is the way we learn about purposefully forming and organizing relationships, based on an emerging plan which captures a person’s desire to

explore and develop new memberships and relationships.

Community building is focused on extending a person’s opportunities to contribute to mutual relationships and is consciously oriented toward building the habits and skills

of welcome in community settings.

Members of Each Other, by John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien, 1996

Community

What does “Community” Mean

to You?

ServiceLife

CommunityLife

• Important for addressed

• No organized effort to address important to

• To and for present• Active circle of support• Included in community life

• To and for present

• Closest people are paid or family

• Few real connections

Moving from Service Life to Community LifeMoving from Service Life to Community Life

A Good Paid Life

Focus on connecting, building relationshipsand natural supports‘Important to’ present

‘Important to’ recognized

© The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices, Inc. 2008

A Good Paid Life

ServiceLife

CommunityLife

Moving from Service Life to Community LifeMoving from Service Life to Community Life

• Important for addressed

• No organized effort to address important to

• To and for present• Active circle of support• Included in community life

• To and for present

• Closest people are paid or family

• Few real connections

© The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices, Inc. 2008

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Relationship and Community Building

Work Must Be Intentional.

What Can We Do To Make Sure It Happens?

Even When the Laundry Is Not Done

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The Community Connection Approach

• Learning about the person• Community Mapping• Mapping our networks• Making a contribution• Sustaining and Building Opportunities

Learning about the Person

Several Tools:•Circle of Support•Relationship Map•Good Day, Bad Day•What is Important to Me (from PCT)•Who am I, My Gifts and Capacities•Who am I, My Style•Hopes and Dreams

Relationship Mapping

How these tools help:• Identifies who is important to the person

• Who can contribute to getting the person better connected

• Identifies relationships that can be strengthened and supported

• Shows the balance of family, friends and paid support in the person’s life

• Identifies community opportunities for participation

Intimacy: People you love, who love you,

partners, family, friends, anchors, (can include pets and animals)

Friendship: People you like, friends, family, people you like to be with, people who like to be with you (can include pets and animals)

Participation: People, work, organizations, networks, associations, volunteering, community places you participate in

Exchange: People who you pay or who are paid to provide services to you: hairdresser, doctor, landlord, bank teller, teacher, personal assistant, employees.

Relationship MapOriginal map developed by Judith Snow

Modified by Claudia Bolton

Intimacy

Friendship

Participation

Exchange

Ties and Connections

• Friendship• Acquaintance• Membership• Keeping in Touch

• Being Part of a Family

• Having a Partner• Being a Neighbor• Being Known in a

Neighborhood

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John O’Brien, Reflecting on Social RolesJune 2006

W h o Am I? My Gi f ts and C a p a c iti e s

Gifts of the Heart Š for example, passion, listening, caring

Gifts of the Head-Knowledge, Information

Gifts of the Hand (and feet and voice)- Practical Skills

C.Bolton for HSA March 2009

Pam the Artist

What A re My S ig nature S tre n g t hs? Fr o m P o sit iv e P s y c h ol o gy, A u the nt ic H a p p ine ss , M .S eli g ma n, 20 04

Wisdom and Knowledge

Courage

Temperance

Justice

Humanity and Love Transcendence

C.Bolton for HSA March 2009

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Pam has a gift with animals

Bad DayGood Day

Hopes and Dreams for the Future

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Posi ti ve and Possib l e by ….(date)

Now

Enrol l

Strengt h en

Fi rst Steps

Three Mont h s

Working Gifts and Waiting Gifts

“We all have Working Gifts…These are the gifts we develop and strengthen throughout our lives. But we also have waiting Gifts, Gifts waiting to be called and developed.

We don’t often know what are waiting gifts are until we’re pressed into service”.

Henry Moore, Asset Based Community Development, When People Care Enough to Act, Green, More and O’Brien, 2006

Having a Valued Role – Being Somebody!

Characteristics of People Who Support Pam Best:

People who ask donÕt order

People who will not get into power struggles

People who are happy to go at PamÕs pace

People who are willing to stay until the end if she is thoroughly enjoying herselfsomewhere

People who appreciate her enthusiasm for being on stage

Are willing to spend time talking and helping Pam express what she is thinking about orworried about

People who make Pam laugh when she is upset ŅLaughing makes me feel goodÓ

Matching Staff and Matching Community Support

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Support For Pam

People who:

Will stay until the event is over

Can go at my pace (slow)

Will not get into power struggles

Will not take it personal when I am in a bad mood

Will laugh and be silly with me

Information and expectations about what will happen when we get there

Support to get ready to go

Physical assistance when the ground is uneven or I am tired

Close attention paid to me so I don’t do things that are unwelcome by others

Ability to; distract me or make me laugh when I am in a bad mood

Scout out new opportunities where I will be a welcomed member

Must love animals, country and Christmas music, crafts, visiting the elderly and my family

Community Opportunities

COMMUNITY MAPPING

People – who do you know? What are the key relationships you have or want to develop?

Groups and associations – where do people meet up regularly in an organized or formal way?

Third places- those places in every community where locals gather to visit, share news and be among others.

Such places are a great spot to meet the neighborhood “connectors” (those people who know everyone else) and to assist someone to become a “regular”.

COMMUNITY MAPPING

Church and Hallflower arranging classPriest, Fr Simmons

HealthCentreYogaSlimming club

Hospice shopBetty

George, pub landlord, darts, fishing, pool, open mike.

Library. Reading group.

Community centreWomen’s groupCoffee morningallotments

Citizens advice

Sheila’s cafe

home

Third Places

• Are on neutral ground

• Act as a leveler• Conversation is the

main activity• Anyone can become

a regular

• They have a low profile

• The mood is playful• They can feel like a

home away from home

Cindy and Friends at Dennys

Stables are Great Places to Hang out and be Part of a Community

Where are you C o nnected?

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Presence

Participation

Contribution

From Presence to Contribution

Activity Being Present

Having Presence

Actively Participating

Connecting Contributing

Football Game

Seated in the stand

Cheering along with the others

Dressed in team colors, commenting, shouting encourage-ment

Going to the pub after the game, joining supporters going to other team games

Selling raffle tickets, collecting funds, giving others a lift,

Example from Helen Sanderson Associates, UK

Presence to Contribution

Activity Being Present

Having Presence

Actively Participating

Connecting Contributing

Knitting Knits at home by herself

Does not knit with others

Knits every night

Does not knit with others

Gives her dishcloths to her family and friends

Example from Julie Malette, HSA

Community Groups

• What are the groups expectations of it’s members?

• What is the membership like?

• Who are the welcomers?

• What support will the person need?

Community Places-Supporting ParticipationRevision 11-08

Stages of Participation

Characteristics- Expectations

Support Needed

Preparing to Go___________

Arrival

Unwritten rules

Getting started

Participation

Finishing up

Exit

Other things to know/do

Patterns of Community Building

• Pay attention to natural cues

• Stand alongsideRemember…• Nothing about

relationships is fixed –• Community building

work is rarely ever over

Characteristics of a Community Connector

• Confidence in understanding the person

• Trusts community members

• Has high expectations

• Trusts people to work out problems and

• Gently assists when needed

• Calls on others willingness to help

Community Connector

• Is well connected• Focuses on gifts and capacities• Believes in community hospitality• Confidence in the capacity of people to

do what is right• Has replenished capacity to forgive• Is flexible, and willing to laugh when

things go wrong

Staff Development and Community Building Skills

• Have staff do their own relationship maps• Identify staff who are natural connectors• Encourage staff to get involved in the

community themselves• Encourage staff to be more curious, out-

going, and to take more risks • Use the Skills and Tools to shape Habits

Learning AboutWhat Works and Doesn’t

Work

NorthStar Services Learning Log for Recording Things We Are Trying and Learning About supporting Pam to get together with friends and to become more a part of the community (become known, have more friends, be a part of things)

Date Activity: (what, where, when, how long,etc)

Who was there?(names, others)

What did you try that workedwell? What should we try nexttime?What did you Learn about whatworked? “The UP Side ofThings”

What did you try that didnot work? What shouldwe do differently? Whatdid you learn about whatdid not work?“The DOWN side ofthings”

Cindy With a Circle Graphic of the

People in Her Life and their Roles

The Four Questions

• Things We’ve Tried

• Things We’ve Learned

• Things We are Pleased About

• Things We are Concerned About

• Plus One: Given what we know. What’s Next?

Pam’s Family Participates

Service Life

What is important forimportant for the person is addressed

No organized effort about what is important toimportant to the person, yet

Community Life

What is important toimportant to and important forimportant for the person is present

Active Circle of support, Circle of support, IncludedIncluded in community life

A Good But Paid Life

What is important toimportant to and important important forfor the person is present

Closest people are paid staff or family. Few other real connections with others

Important toImportant to recognized Important toImportant to recognized

Important toImportant to presentImportant toImportant to present

Focus on connectingconnecting, building relationshipsrelationshipsFocus on connectingconnecting, building relationshipsrelationships

Where do you reckon people you support are at along this arrow?(Please fill in a square per person you support below, as in the example)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Action Steps for Getting Started

Think about yourself or someone you support

Think about several ideas that seem most appealing for getting started

In a Round: share with your table members the ideas you have.

The freshest thinking from the table will be shared with the entire group of participants.

• What Did You Learn?

• What Will You Try?

From Presence to Contribution…

Claudia Bolton

4171 Starkes Grade Road

Placerville, CA 95667

530-644-6653

[email protected]