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UUA Family Matters Task Force Matrix Model
| Advocacy | Congregational Transformation |
| Education, Training and Curricula | Support |
There are four quadrants to the matrix we believe will help guide us as we develop a comprehensive and thoughtful response to the needs of our families in the coming years. The quadrants are:
- Support families in crisis or transition;
- Develop training materials, curricula, and resources to strengthen families;
- Advocate for Unitarian Universalist values in discussions of families in the larger community;
- Transform our Unitarian Universalist congregations into family-supportive and family-friendly institutions.
Support for Families in Crisis or Transition
Support groups: Some examples of groups in this category include:
- Families with mental illness
- Two-working-parent families
- Non-traditional families of many kinds
- Families dealing with drug and alcohol abuse
- Families experiencing violence
- Small Group Ministry for families in transition: (Empty Nesters, Elders)
- Families responding to trauma
- Families dealing with death and loss
Train religious professionals in crisis intervention, support of families in crisis, and ongoing support for families in transition.
Train Lay Care Ministry Teams
- Training to support congregations where there are no religious professional on staff;
- Training of lay leadership to supplement the professional ministry;
- Training for Small Group Ministry
Development of Training Materials and Educational Resources to Strengthen Families
Train Ministers and Religious Educators to enable them to minister to this diverse population;
Develop and promote curricula and resources for congregations and families to use together;
Develop resources for families to use at home to help them develop their spiritual connections;
Develop technology-based, interactive tools for use in homes and congregations: (videos and web tools);
Maintain and strengthen the UU Family Network.
Advocacy for Families in the Larger Community
Provide materials that promote an understanding of the issues related to all families;
Develop spokespersons to speak on behalf of our values related to families;
Develop training programs for Districts and congregations to help people develop skills to address the issues relating to families at the local and state levels.
Transformation of Unitarian Universalist Congregations
Develop assessment tools forcongregations determine the needs of families;
Coordinate with the Training, Curricula and Resource group to develop responses to those needs identified in the surveys;
Develop a method of sharing "Best Practices" between congregations;
Help congregations with appropriate planning tools as they move their communities into the family-supportive and family-friendly institutions;
Honor those congregations that do this work and keep their vision focused on the development, support and strengthening of families;
Instill a "Family Matters Lens" in congregational life. |
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