Download pptx - Healthy Minds – Healthy Communities

Healthy Minds – Healthy CommunitiesCommunity Coordinator Project

North Shore Micmac District Council Inc.FASD Project

Presentation- January 2012

1

Content of Presentation

1. Project Participants and design

2. Our communities

3. Background

4. Goals

5. Objectives

6. Unique Features of our Project

7. NSMDC level duties & activities

8. Community level activities

9. Lessons Learned

10.Project Evaluation

11.Next Steps

2

Project Participants & Design

Metepenagiag

Pabineau

Indian Island

Fort Folly

Eel River

Eel Ground

Bouctouche

NSMDCFASD

Project

3

Our Communities Seven Mi’kmaw communities that vary in size and are

spread throughout Northern New Brunswick. Traditional values and culture are very important and

many events are centered around traditional activities. Many students attend schools off-reserve. The

activities in our project gives us a chance to out-reach and share traditional values and culture to these children and youth.

Total population within seven communities: 2, 553 people.

This project has served 137 participants to date.4

Map of our communities

5

Background Project has currently evolved from a 3 year FASD Mentoring

project within the seven participating communities. Purpose of the project is to increase the understanding of

developmental conditions, including FASD through training, education and advocacy.

Resource guides for communities have been developed and support was given to mothers-to-be, their partners and families.

To conclude the mentoring project, the decision was made to follow the guidelines for a Community Coordinator project, and continue some of the mentoring activities.

6

Goals of Community Coordinator Project

Main Goals: 1. PreventionReduce the number of babies affected by the harmful prenatal exposure to alcohol

2. InterventionProvide support and culturally appropriate, timely and adequate interventions for people affected by harmful prenatal exposure to alcohol.

7

Prevention Objectives

Community Coordinators will:

Select and develop resources on issues related to FASD that reference the traditional teachings of the Medicine Wheel.

Share information with community members on FASD at community events in a sensitive manner.

Embed information on FASD in Youth Leadership events and information sessions.

8

Intervention Objectives

The community coordinators will work with other community-based workers:

To help develop a comprehensive system of supports, programs and interventions for people with developmental conditions, including FASD, and their families and caregivers.

Will help to provide support for people with developmental conditions, including FASD, and their families and caregivers as they go through the referral process to access appropriate assessments, programs and interventions. 9

Unique Features of the ProjectPartnerships have been developed at the NSMDC and community levels.

10

1. Blended Positions

The position of community coordinators is blended with other positions in the community, such as Head Start and Health positions.

By working in and with other programs, community coordinators had recognition and trust in communities and are familiar with mothers-to-be and people with disabilities and disorders, including FASD.

Community coordinators are able to offer their support in a nonintrusive manner. This contributes greatly to the success of the project.

11

2. Shared Positions

Each community has two community coordinators.

This has lead to increased collaboration among agencies/organizations.

The wide range of competencies and experience of the community coordinators enriches the project as a whole.

12

3. Proposal Driven Component

There is an equal amount of funding set aside for each community for activities.

Community coordinators submit proposals for funding for community activities to the project supervisor.

A sample proposal form is available at the NSMDC Inc. FASD Community Coordinators Table.

This component respects the diversity of our seven communities as one size does not fit all!

13

4. Project Partnerships The NSMDC FASD

Project partnered with: Glenelg Youth Alliance New Brunswick

Community College, Miramichi

Partnered Activities: Development of the NSMDC

FASD Manual: Behind The Belly.

Three-Day Youth event in Metepenagiag. March 2011

Conference: Developing the Child’s Spirit, April 2011.

The community coordinators partnered with agencies / organizations in their communities on issues related to FASD.

Some community coordinators made presentations in schools.14

Highlights of District Level Activities Development of pamphlet customized for communities

Development of Behind the Belly Information Guide for communities

Collection and sharing of resources from across Canada for community resource centers

Conference: Developing the Child’s Spirit

Guest Speakers – Glenda Carson, Pre-Natal Nurse, IWK & Isabel den Heyer, Consultant

Meeting with District 16 School Board15

Highlights of Community Activities

Participated in the district-wide Youth Event held in Metepenagiag in March, 2011

Took part in leadership events, such as those promoting Shannen’s Dream

Held youth events in their communities and developed relationships with parents

Began to collaborate with other agencies / organizations in their communities

Shared information on FASD in communities

All Communities:

16

Highlights: Examples of communal events

Fort Folly•Traditional sweats and Talking circles were held were information on FASD was shared

Buctouche•Presentation to youth using the FASD knot and eggs in alcohol demonstration•Made dream catchers, and participants had to earn their feathers

Indian Island

•Pizza party and camp fire where issues related to alcohol consumption and FASD were discussed.

17


Metepenagiag

• Scavenger Hunt: All around the Rez, with messages containing information on FASD hidden with directions to hiding place and the making of a canoe

Eel Ground

• Produced Mary Moses DVD a few years ago and it was shown in all communities. ( A must see!)

Pabineau

• Logo Contest used as a focus to present information of FASD

18


Eel River Bar

•Used the Brigance Inventory with a young child and her parents. •Then collaborated with others to have the child referred for Speech-Language services in a timely manner.

Great Idea!•Indian Island developed permission from for parents which informed them that activities would involve discussions about FASD.

19

Lessons Learned1. “Working with partners helped me to adapt and

respect other’s views.”

2. “I had to be assertive when it came to sharing the workload – We now write things down and discuss how we share.”

3. “It takes time to build relationships with parents – don’t worry if things go slowly at first.”

20

Lessons Learned…

4. “When presenting to groups, understand that there may be people in the audience who may have symptoms of FASD, but have not been aware of it before. It may be a good idea to have a debriefing room available and somebody ready who can provide counseling.”

5. “Be organized and well prepared.”

6. “Be sensitive to the composition of talking circles. Some people may be afraid to talk if a person with power, such as police officer or social worker, is in the circle.”

21

Project Evaluation:How well are we doing?

As part of evaluation, we developed a questionnaire be given in years 1 & 2 of the project.

The results showed the areas where we had success and areas where we needed to do more work.

The results of the questionnaires given in years 1 & 2 can be seen at out table.

We are doing pretty good!22

Next Steps.

Continue what we are doing as we are starting to have success. The first year was really getting organized and building trust in communities. We built up hopes, we can’t let people down.

Do more work on healthy child development as a positive approach to preventing FASD.

Focus more on teen pregnancy with more family involvement.

Expand the FASD resource libraries and get kits to distribute to parents that support what we are doing.

23

Next Steps. Cont…

Continue to build community involvement in collaboration with other agencies / organizations and build community resource libraries

Look at the project activities as life-span activities.

We need more professional development on the effects of alcohol and drugs on everyone – then people will understand more about the harmful effects of alcohol on unborn babies

24

We have much more information to share!

Please look at our project’s display tables for more information on our

activities!

25

Thank you from

Jaime Levi Gina Patles Anna Augustine Kim Harrison Jolyne Knockwood

Lisa Steeves Pauline Sanipass Christine Leblanc Amanda Peter-Paul Tracey Gray

(List of all the coordinators)

26