Join us for Community Connecting!

Six 3-hour sessions to explore HCBS Requirement #1: Access to Community and learn ways to think creatively about people being engaged in their community and how to make it happen.

Topics to be covered:

August 12: Community and Belonging

August 19: Celebrating Who I Am

August 26: Discovering a Person's Gifts and Capacities

September 9: Making a Contribution Within Your Community

September 16: Finding the Best Fit

September 23: Sustaining Best Practices

What is Community Connecting?

Community Connecting is centered on fostering a sense of belonging and encouraging people to engage meaningfully within their community. Participating in Community Connecting training provides a platform to discover the types of connections people desire within their community and creatively identify how to make it happen. These sessions prompt thinking about what else people might do to build resilient networks of support that are not reliant on a service-customer relationship, supporting HCBS Requirement #1: Access to Community.

What will we do together?

In these interactive sessions, you will be provided with practical tools to use when seeking community connections with people you support, practice using the tools with your peers, and develop an action plan to take back to your own communities.

During this program participants will:

Learn how to explore the persons gifts, interests and passions in the community context
Explore ways to identify what is available in communities
Learn how to match the person to the available options
Practice evaluation tools and explore ways to increase the chances of successful and sustainable connections

How Community Connecting will help people thrive:

Supports people to build resilient networks of support that are outside the traditional framework of services
Enables people to build real, human connections that matter to them
Reduces loneliness and boredom
Increases a person’s sense of agency, personhood and self
Gives people an opportunity to contribute, increasing feelings of self-esteem and wellbeing
We are better able to thrive when we’re connected to others and able to contribute to our communities

Who is this training for?

Community Connecting training is recommended for service providers, people with intellectual/developmental disabilities, family members, regional center staff, and any interested community members.

How it works:

This Community Connecting series will be held remotely via Zoom. The course includes six 3-hour modules to be held from 9:00am-12:00pm. Participants must attend all sessions to receive a certificate of completion.

To participate in this remote course you will want to make sure you have access to the following:

Computer with reliable internet
Webcam so you can see and be seen by others
Computer speaker and microphone (headset or earbuds are recommended)
Ability to access Zoom.us (videoconferencing app)

Community Connecting has been developed and compiled by Helen Sanderson Associates and has drawn on information from John O’Brien, Beth Mount, The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices, Patsy Davies, Claudia Bolton, and Martin Seligman.

If you have questions contact Holly@helensandersonassociates.com

WRC Community Connecting