Community Weaving Creative Solution for the New Century

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Community WeavingCreative Solution for the New
Century

• March 23, 2006
• American Creativity Association
• National Conference
• Austin, TX
• Cheryl Honey, Master Weaver

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To learn more

• Community Weaving How it works
• www.communityweaving.org
• Community Weaving In Action
• www.familynetwork.org
• Cheryl Honey
• [phone]
• cheryl_at_communityweaving.org

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Dream the Impossible Dream

• Community Weaving taps the creating potential
  of the grassroots to creatively address issues
  impacting society. The goal is to create a more
  caring, just and civil society to save our
  childrens future.

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Agenda

• Stories
• Opening Exercise
• Overview of Community Weaving
• Evolution of Community Weaving
• Video
• Community Weaving Theory Base
• Core Beliefs and Guiding Principles
• Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships
• Importance of Community Readiness
• Future and Challenges
• Burning Question
• Group Activity Share Care

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Opening Exercise

• Do you ever put on a mask so people perceive you
  the way you want them to perceive you?
• Do the people in your personal and professional
  life, see the same person?
• Are people aware of your strengths and
  weaknesses?
• Do you feel accepted just the way you are?
• Has there ever been a time in your life when you
  felt so comfortable with the people around you
  that you could be yourself and not worry about
  what they thought about you?

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Opening Exercise

• Pick a partner and tell each other a story
  describing a time when you felt free to be
  yourself without fear of rejection or judgment.
• Write down the common threads or themes that
  emerge in your stories.
• Merge all the themes into one list leaving off
  duplicates.

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Opening Exercise

• What does this list represent to you?
• How would you be impacted if these themes were
  the basic principles that people lived by your
  community or organization?
• Share ideas how to create environments where
  people can be their authentic self?

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Lets stimulate our thinking

• Why dont neighbors ask for help from others?
• Why dont neighbors extend a helping hand to
  those in need?
• Please take a couple of minutes to process and
  reflect on the responses. What is revealed about
  our society and culture?

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What is Community Weaving?Grassroots
Mobilization Tool

• Community Weaving fosters a community of
  responsible citizens who create Family Support
  Networks where they share their time, gifts,
  talents and resources with others in a cost
  effective manner

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Community Weaving How It Works

• Community Weavers recruit Good Neighbors who
  inventory their resources, skills, interests and
  needs, using the FSN Resource Treasury on a
  web-based technology. Individuals begin to self
  organize and connect with one another according
  to their needs and interests.

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Community Weaving Why It Works

• All participants are networked together.
• Community Weavers support individuals as they
  learn to take responsibility for what they care
  about and create and maintain their own FSN
  communities.
• Easy and immediate access to resources
• Community Weavers accessible by phone
• CW contact information distributed to local
  agencies.

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What is Community Weaving?Social Framework

• Community Weaving is a structuring method and
  is defined as a transformative community building
  approach that weaves an interconnected network of
  responsible and responsive citizens who
  coordinate efforts with each other and formal
  systems to create thriving communities.

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Purpose

• To weave the human and tangible resources of
  the grass roots with the knowledge and skills of
  formal systems using web-based technology.

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Why

• To engage citizens in meaningful ways.
• To increase individual and community capacity.
• To creatively address issues impacting society.
• To function at higher levels.
• To increase productivity.
• To raise social consciousness.
• To increase initiative and ingenuity.
• To build and bridge social capital.
• To prepare for a state of emergency.
• To mobilize volunteers in a disaster.

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How

• Engage passionate and caring people.
• Tap creative potential.
• Involving everyone who wants to participate.
• (Note Givers and receivers are equal. They
  needs and both have something to offer. Everyone
  belongs to the network and contributes toward the
  common good of the whole, even if they dont do
  anything.)
• Cross-train and empower citizens.
• Empower individuals to help themselves.
• Common purpose to save our childrens future.

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Collaborative Framework
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History of Community Weaving

• Early 90s
• Pioneered by Cheryl Honey
• (Bothell, WA)
• Evolved from the experiences of a small group of
  citizens in her neighborhood who formed their own
  social network to create a safe and nurturing
  place to raise their children.
• Weekly gatherings were held at local schools. In
  a sharing circle they told stories and conveyed
  their desires and needs. They pooled their
  resources, organized family fun activities and
  organized efforts to improve their lives and the
  community.
• Speakers from local agencies were invited to
  address issues that were impacting their lives
  and gave them tools to organize change
  initiatives.

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Evolution of Community Weaving

• Peer support group at local school
• Local agencies invited to teach them new skills
  to address issues impacting their lives. People
  were attracted to the idea.
• All who attended agreed to be a Good Neighbor
  by sharing resources, caring for one another, and
  taking responsibility for what they cared about.
• Those interested in providing direct peer support
  services to agency referrals were trained as
  Family Advocates

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Family Support Network (FSN)

• FSN, a product of Community Weaving practices,
  was established as a non-profit organization in
  February 1993
• Purpose To mobilize human capital and stimulate
  a reciprocal relationship between community
  members, schools, organizations, and citizens
• FSN web-based technology used to share resources,
  collect data, and organize change initiatives -
  www.familynetwork.org
• Over the next three years FSN grew to over 400
  Good Neighbors and Family Advocates
• Articles featured in The Seattle Times in 1996
  and 1997 led to an increased awareness and
  interest in FSN

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A Glimpse of Community Weaving

• Lets take a look at a brief segment which aired
  on Lifetime channel
• June 28, 1999
• There was over 1,500 emails received after the
  broadcast despite the phone number being
  incorrect

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When is Community Weaving used?

• Community-wide implementation
• Bottom-up approach
• Collaborative partnerships
• Single-site implementation
• Disaster preparedness and response

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Community Weaving In Action

• Operation Safe Havens
• Effort to provide transitional housing to
  evacuees displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita
• Seattle, WA Community Weavers screened families
  offering transitional housing and conducted
  background checks
• Austin, TX Community Weaver approached local
  shelters to match evacuees with host families.
  (denied access)
• Resources available in Seattle, WA (Red
  Cross/Salvation Army) to transport families to
  their new homes.

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In Action A Closer Look

• Stengths and Assets Mapping
• Coop Resources (Food, Childcare, housing)
• Furniture Exchanges
• Community Gardens
• Transitional Housing
• Peer Support Groups
• Role Models and Mentors
• Free Social, Recreational Educational
  Activities
• Freely sharing ideas and materials to address
  issues
• Impacting lives and communities.
• All activities are published on FSN web-site and
  distributed to community leaders

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Increase Protective Factors

• Family Bonding
• Attachment to Community
• Positive Role Models Mentors
• Leadership through Service
• Experiential learning opportunities
• Build self-esteem confidence
• Improve motivation and engagement
• These factors increase learning, public health
  safety.

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Theory/Evidence

• Self-Organizing Principle
• Family Support Principles
• Open Space Four Fold Way
• Asset Based Community Development
• Building and Bridging Social Capital via Social
  Networking
• Spiral Dynamics

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Core Beliefs

• Giving and receiving are equal because both are
  needs and both are gifts.
• People working together create a synergy that
  increases the communitys capacity to identify
  resources and solve problems.
• Community as a whole has everything it needs to
  thrive.
• Lives are enriched through the sharing of
  diversity and experience.
• Individuals and community issues can be addressed
  through collaboration and shared resources.
• All individuals have the right to identify their
  own needs and be supported to choose their own
  solution.
• Everyone deserves respect and the right to
  confidentiality and privacy.
• Everyone has unlimited potential for development
  beyond their presently perceived capabilities.

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Guiding Principles

• Everyone has something to offer
• Everyone is welcome to participate
• Treat others the way you want to be treated
• Take responsibility for what you care about
• Experiment with new ideas
• Be open to outcome
• No Blaming or judging
• Reflect on experience
• Apply insights to new endeavors
• Pass on the gift of experience

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Why Community Weaving Roles?

• Inclusivity
• Safety
• Support
• Role Models
• Enables participation on many levels in a variety
  of ways.

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Ways to Participate

• Good Neighbor
• Family Advocate
• Community Weaver
• FSN Partner
• FSN Supporter
• Community Connector

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Process

• Invitation (sent to all levels of community)
• Choose appropriate participatory role
• Attend one or more Community Weaving event
• - Intro to CW (1 hour)
• - CW Workshop (2-days)
• - CW Certification (3-days)
• CWs access tools, techniques technology to
• teach and empower others.
• Background check is required
• Family Advocates attend 2-day orientation
• Fees collected to train Family Advocates pay for
  materials, facilitator fees,
• background checks and liability insurance

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Community Weavers are key

• Community Weavers represent the diversity of the
  community. They come from the public and private
  sector, grassroots and faith-based communities.
• A broad cross-section of community are invited to
  be certified as Community Weavers.
• Individuals with discretionary time, money and
  attend training. Staff are trained to build
  capacity.
• All Community Weavers are connected into the CW
  Network to mentor one another.
• Community Weavers engage and contribute to the
  effort in a variety of ways.

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Ways Community Weavers Engage

• Recruit Good Neighbors
• Recruit businesses and agencies as partners
• Support Good Neighbor efforts
• Train Good Neighbors as Family Advocates.
• Help organize educational, social and
  recreational activities.
• Mentor one another

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Roles Community Weaver

• Trained volunteer or staff person who start FSNs
  in schools, churches, corporations, and
  organizations
• Catalysts who weave a patchwork of communities
  that care in communities, organizations and
  around the world.
• Recruit, train, and engage participants to
  network within community - 10 hours/week
• Strive to grow individual and community capacity
  across systems
• Weave people together using web-based
  technologies

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Roles Family Advocate

• Participate in 16 hour training and complete
  background check to become certified
• Understand root causes of societal problems and
  characteristics of healthy community
• Trained to provide direct peer support services
  to those requesting assistance 2-10 hours/month
  
• Recognized as leaders, advocates and change
  agents in community

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Roles Good Neighbor

• People with big hearts who share a common vision.
• People who take responsibility for what they care
  about.
• Compassionate people, willing to lend a helping
  hand.
• People who pool resources and use the Resource
  Treasury to help themselves or others.
• People who organize social, educational and
  recreational activities.
• People who treat others with dignity and respect.
  
• Good Neighbor registration at www.familynetwork.o
  rg

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Roles Partners Supporters

• Individuals, community organizations, schools,
  churches, agencies, and businesses who provide
  resources for citizen engagement.
• Encourage participation by signing up as Good
  Neighbor.
• Contribute financial resources, time expertise,
  services and equipment
• Serve as coalition member in Community Weaving
  initiatives

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Roles Community Coordinator

• Oversee large-scale implementation
• Infinite number of community member participation
  
• Responsible for administration, public relations,
  marketing, and building collaborative community
  partnerships

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Community Readiness

• Key to Community Readiness
• 1. Desire to change
• 2. Willingness to participate
• 3. Openness to outcome
• The correlation between the probability og
  success and the readiness of community cannot be
  overstressed.
• Kent Roberts Author of Community Weaving

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Community Readiness Assessment

• Are individuals open to the possibilities of
  change?
• What is the relational trust within the community
  between individuals and its institutions?
• Do people treat each other with dignity and
  respect?
• Can we accept others differences and build upon
  what we share in common?
• Kent Roberts, National Civility Center

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Community Readiness Why change?

• Roberts suggests the following questions be
  answered to
• internalize the importance of why change
• Why must we commit to working together
  differently?
• Are things really that much different than in the
  past?
• Why cant we just go our separate ways and still
  be members of the same community?
• The contextual culture of community must change!

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Community Readiness Survey

• Just recently, FSNI and the National Civility
  Center collaboratively developed a survey to
  assess if communities are ready to engage in
  Community Weaving Practices.
• Citizens demonstrate readiness for full-scale
  implementation by commiting to
• Being barrier busters
• Embracing diversity
• Exercising their power
• Becoming the solution

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Challenges

• Resources
• Time
• Money
• Establishing trust and community readiness to
  change
• Dealing with resistance from departure from
  status quo
• Misperceptions and fear of collective group
  organizing to instigate change.

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Future

• Institutions will share resources with community
  members.
• Individuals will be empowered to create their own
  future and thriving communities.
• Individuals in community will share power with
  private institutions and governmental
  organizations.
• Agencies will teach citizens new skills to absorb
  the impact of budget cuts in FY07 national
  budget.
• Grassroots will develop their own solutions to
  issues impacting quality of life and public
  agencies will back their initiatives.

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Capacity Building Share Care

• Activity
• Take a few minutes to think about a specific need
  you have today or in the future and write it on
  the piece of paper
• Put your name on the upper left hand corner and
  your phone number on the upper right hand of
  corner

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Share Care

• What percentage of the shares will be cared for
  by someone in the room or by someone you know
  that you could ask?
• Lets find out.
• Debrief exercise

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Burning Question

• How does society move towards creating a caring
  community and embracing one another while
  sustaining the momentum?
• Believing in the inherent goodness of humanity.
• Letting the people make decisions for themselves.
• Realization of personal power.
• Courage to make unique contributions to the
  betterment of society.
• Establishment of entities to collaborate with
  community systems.

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Thank you for your time and the contributions you
make to making this a better world for future
generations!

• The more resourceful we are among ourselves, the
  more valuable a resource we become to our
  families, our communities and our world.
• 
  Cheryl Honey

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Community Weaving References

• Cheryl Honey, C.P.P. Master Weaver
  Founder, Family Support Network,
  International206.240.2241www.familynetwork.orgw
  ww.communityweaving.org
• Murakami, K. (1996, March 2). A substitute for
  welfare? Volunteer help a better way?
• Broom, J., and Bjorhus, J (1997, February 8).
  Bothell Volunteer Grew Her Group into 800 Pairs
  of Helping Hands. Retrieved March 12, 2006, from
  www.archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com.
• Holman, P., Devane,T., Cady, S. Associates
  (2006). The Change Handbook (2nd Edition) The
  Definitive Resource on Todays Best Methods for
  Engaging Whole Systems. (not yet published).
• Honey, C. (2006). Community Organizing Past,
  Present, and Future. (not yet published)
• Family Support Network segment Lifetime channel
  produced for their New Attitudes program which
  aired on June 29, 1999.