TAP: Technical Assistance Partnership | Asset-Based Capacity Building Parent Empowerment Parent Empowerment

TAP: Technical Assistance Partnership: Getting Better Together

Parent Empowerment

Community resilience taps into the passions and strengths of people who want to make a difference. What started as a volunteer effort by one passionate community volunteer was adopted by a large urban school district as the basis of a family and community involvement program to create partnerships among schools, families, community groups and individuals to more fully engage and serve the comprehensive health needs of their constituencies.

Improved student achievement was just one of the positive outcomes from this strength-based approach. Many of the parents receiving training and participating in the partnerships have gone on to receive higher education degrees and work in community agencies. Their involvement and commitment, in turn, creates stronger communication and feedback loops for the community networks that support the schools.

This is classic strength-based capacity building. They didn't get there focusing solely on deficits and needs.

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"We start with paradigms and people's values and beliefs. It changes how they see the future. We ask them to write a mission statement in the present tense and see the future through a different lens."

Program Director,
school district

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TAP Tools is an e-publication of SLHI's Technical Assistance Partnership, or TAP. Its purpose is to provide practical resources, creative ideas and stories from the field on how to build organizational capacity and effectiveness. TAP is a growing community of innovative partnerships, experienced consultants, and learning networks committed to collaboration and positive change. Tap into TAP by visiting www.tapslhi.org today.