April is Family Strengthening Month, and each year, New Destiny Family Success Center hosts an event that brings families together, empowers, and promotes unity during this big celebration. This year, New Destiny FSC hosted its first Parent Café! Parent Cafés were designed by parents for parents to facilitate a safe space for meaningful conversations, healing, and reflection. What a way to celebrate the strengths of families, despite the struggles and challenges they may be facing during these uncertain times. From the planning of the café to the execution, the Parent Advisory Committee and staff jumped in to ensure its success. A parent café takes 8 weeks to plan, and a team is needed including table hosts, scribers, decoration, food, flyer creation, childcare, outreach and more. Moreover, training the table hosts of the café is required beforehand. One Family Partner, two staff members, and the parents from the PAC said yes to the training. The goal was to have a maximum of twenty-five attendees, including table hosts. Thanks to our collaboration with the Passaic County Council for Young Children Coordinator, Ms. K, attendees enjoyed a delicious dinner, participated in raffles, including gift cards to the movie theater and Dave & Buster. Furthermore, she shared relevant information, and upcoming events for families and individuals that attended the Parent Café. Our chosen theme, “It Takes a Village,” was the core of the planning process, and the success of the Parent Café!
A total of twenty participants came to our first Parent Café. Resilience, Concrete support, and social connections were the protective factors discussed during the café. Without our resilient team of PAC and staff, the collaboration with CCYC, and the friends and colleagues that said yes to the Parent Café Team, the Parent Café, “It Takes a Village,” would not have been a total success. It took an entire village! The last question of the Parent Café evaluation asked the attendees what changes they will make for themselves, their families, and children after the Parent Café experience. Some of the responses to this question stated the following, “Be Stronger, spend more time with my family and the community, attend other Cafés, because this was a really an experience! I go to meet others with similar experiences and challenges, listen without judgment, self-reflection, and self-awareness.” The overwhelming amount of positive feedback has motivated us to continue hosting Parent Cafés. Our next Café will be in September, and we cannot wait. Thanks to the FSC team, and the PAC, without them, it would not have been possible.