1. Presence To Contribution March 2009 Tri-Counties Regional Center
By Claudia Bolton, HSA
Helen Sanderson Associates

2. Members of Each Other, by John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien, 1996
Community Building: A definition from the experience of Options in Madison, WI.
Community building is the way we learn about purposefully forming and organizing relationships, based on an emerging plan which captures a person’s desire to explore and develop new memberships and relationships.
Community building is focused on extending a person’s opportunities to contribute to mutual relationships and is consciously oriented toward building the habits and skills of welcome in community settings.
Members of Each Other, by John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien, 1996
Also look at community definitions in New Hats
And In the Company of Others
How it is not just being present in the community but it is intentional for a bigger purpose

3. What does “Community” Mean to You?

4. © The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices, Inc. 2008
Moving from Service Life to Community Life
A Good Paid
Life
Community Life
Service
Life
‘Important to’ recognized
Focus on connecting,
building relationships
and natural supports
‘Important to’ present
PURPOSE:
� To give people a way of thinking about what the training will help them accomplish – to move toward community life
TIME: 5 Minutes
Think about where the people we support are -
The required minimum standard is “service life”: issues of health and safety are adequately addressed. The presence of what is “important to” depends on who supports you, on how much they care about you – it is random and unpredictable.
A good but Paid Life is not a bad place to be. Most (about 80%) of what is important to you is present, you are healthy and safe. But if we look at who is close to you; they are either family, other people who use services, or people who are paid. You go to places in the community where you are welcomed, you have some community presence. But real community connections are lacking. What you have is fragile in that you are dependent on the ongoing commitment of the organization that supports you.
Community Life has been our goal for the past 20 years. When you are here you may still have people who are paid in key roles, but those who watch out for you and plan with you are mostly unpaid. You are not just present but participating. Your gifts are recognized and there are opportunities for you to make a contribution.
If we think about where people are on this continuum our goal is to help them move toward community life. We know how to do it one person at a time, but not how to do it for large numbers of people. This training will help. But we also need to look at the right hand side of the arrow – we know how to help everyone have a good paid life. A Good Paid Life should be the new place we start from. This training will give you some of the key components to accomplish this.
Where are the people you support? If you work with a few people make an X for each. IF you work with a lot of people think about it as a distribution curve and make an X where the middle would be.
TIPS:
This can take 5 minutes as a demonstration or 20+ minutes with discussion. With a small group you can draw the arrow on the wall and then give them dots or stickers or use markers to indicate where the people that they support are. Take a digital picture and this will give the group a baseline of where they are
NOTES:
My Notes: Suggest that the organization do this again in a year and see if they made progress with people moving on the arrow.
Talk about hierarchy of connections. You are known at the coffee shop. Then they want to spend time with you. Then they spend time with the person without staff present. Relationship does not have staff support. Then the com. Member has a barbecue and asks person to come.
Welcomed, spent time there, spend time without staff, they invite you over…ultimate : I care so much about you that I want your life to go well…..This training will give a foundation for community connecting..not the tools for community connecting. We have to start with the foundation first. So we can then add the community connecting
To and for present
Closest people are
paid or family
Few real connections
Important for addressed
No organized effort to address important to
To and for present
Active circle of support
Included in community life
© The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices, Inc

5. © The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices, Inc. 2008
Moving from Service Life to Community Life
A Good Paid
Life
Community Life
Service
Life
PURPOSE:
� To illustrate where we are and where we need to be.
TIME: 1 Minutes
Use this slide to illustrate where most people are on the arrow and where we need to be setting our sights on supporting people in building lives in the community.
To and for present
Closest people are
paid or family
Few real connections
Important for addressed
No organized effort to address important to
To and for present
Active circle of support
Included in community life
© The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices, Inc

7. Relationship and Community Building Work Must Be Intentional.
What Can We Do To Make Sure It Happens?
Even When the Laundry Is Not Done
Talk about how we use the four questions to focus on.
How we use the wall paper of who is in their life
Also use of the learning log.
Also lots of talk about community opportunities

9. The Community Connection Approach
Learning about the person
Community Mapping
Mapping our networks
Making a contribution
Sustaining and Building Opportunities

10. Learning about the Person
Several Tools:
Circle of Support
Relationship Map
Good Day, Bad Day
What is Important to Me (from PCT)
Who am I, My Gifts and Capacities
Who am I, My Style
Hopes and Dreams

12. Relationship Mapping How these tools help:
Identifies who is important to the person
Who can contribute to getting the person better connected
Identifies relationships that can be strengthened and supported
Shows the balance of family, friends and paid support in the person’s life
Identifies community opportunities for participation

13. Relationship Map Exchange Participation Friendship Intimacy
Original map developed by Judith Snow
Modified by Claudia Bolton
Exchange
Participation
Friendship
Intimacy
Participation: People, work, organizations, networks, associations, volunteering, community places you participate in
Intimacy: People you love, who love you, partners, family, friends, anchors, (can include pets and animals)
Exchange: People who you pay or who are paid to provide services to you: hairdresser, doctor, landlord, bank teller, teacher, personal assistant, employees.
Friendship: People you like, friends, family, people you like to be with, people who like to be with you (can include pets and animals)

14. Ties and Connections Friendship Acquaintance Membership
Keeping in Touch
Being Part of a Family
Having a Partner
Being a Neighbor
Being Known in a Neighborhood
There are a number of ways people relate to each other all of which can lead to a greater sense of belonging.

15. John O’Brien, Reflecting on Social Roles
June 2006

17. Pam the Artist
Pam loves doing art and any kinds of art supplies. Here she is at an artist studio taking an art class.

20. Pam has a gift with animals

21. Good Day
Bad Day

25. Working Gifts and Waiting Gifts
“We all have Working Gifts…These are the gifts we develop and strengthen throughout our lives. But we also have waiting Gifts, Gifts waiting to be called and developed.
We don’t often know what are waiting gifts are until we’re pressed into service”.
Henry Moore, Asset Based Community Development, When People Care Enough to Act, Green, More and O’Brien, 2006

26. Having a Valued Role – Being Somebody!
Gifts and capacity. Being somebody
Look at Pam’s ELP

27. Matching Staff and Matching Community Support

29. Information and expectations about what will happen when we get there
Support For Pam
People who:
Will stay until the event is over
Can go at my pace (slow)
Will not get into power struggles
Will not take it personal when I am in a bad mood
Will laugh and be silly with me
Information and expectations about what will happen when we get there
Support to get ready to go
Physical assistance when the ground is uneven or I am tired
Close attention paid to me so I don’t do things that are unwelcome by others
Ability to; distract me or make me laugh when I am in a bad mood
Scout out new opportunities where I will be a welcomed member
Must love animals, country and Christmas music, crafts, visiting the elderly and my family

30. Community Opportunities

31. COMMUNITY MAPPING
People – who do you know? What are the key relationships you have or want to develop?
Groups and associations – where do people meet up regularly in an organized or formal way?
Third places- those places in every community where locals gather to visit, share news and be among others.
Such places are a great spot to meet the neighborhood “connectors” (those people who know everyone else) and to assist someone to become a “regular”.

32. COMMUNITY MAPPING Resources: McKnight Sheila’s cafe Citizens advice
Hospice shop
Betty
Health
Centre
Yoga
Slimming club
Church and Hall
flower arranging
class
Priest, Fr Simmons
home
Resources:
McKnight
Community centre
Women’s group
Coffee morning
George, pub landlord, darts, fishing, pool, open mike.
allotments
Library. Reading group.

33. Third Places Are on neutral ground Act as a leveler
Conversation is the main activity
Anyone can become a regular
They have a low profile
The mood is playful
They can feel like a home away from home
Alma’s Café
In Placerville, Starbucks for Michelle, Walmart Cafeteria for Bill, Dennys and Cozmic Café for cindy
Coffee shop for Jared
Share the book
Read “article - page 8 and 9 in booklet
Wendy and Rose’s

34. Cindy and Friends at Dennys

35. Stables are Great Places to Hang out and be Part of a Community
Talk about recruiting Lisa from a stable. Friends at tack store
Michelle and riding club. On the tack swap committee. About more than just riding.dances, barbecues..

38. Presence
Participation
Contribution

39. From Presence to Contribution
Activity
Being Present
Having Presence
Actively Participating
Connecting
Contributing
Football Game
Seated in the stand
Cheering along with the others
Dressed in team colors, commenting, shouting encourage-ment
Going to the pub after the game, joining supporters going to other team games
Selling raffle tickets, collecting funds, giving others a lift,
Example from Helen Sanderson Associates, UK

40. Presence to Contribution
Activity
Being Present
Having Presence
Actively Participating
Connecting
Contributing
Knitting
Knits at home by herself
Does not knit with others
Knits every night
Gives her dishcloths to her family and friends
Example from Julie Malette, HSA

41. Community Groups What are the groups expectations of it’s members?
What is the membership like?
Who are the welcomers?
What support will the person need?

42. Community Places-Supporting Participation Revision 11-08
Stages of Participation
Characteristics- Expectations
Support Needed
Preparing to Go
___________
Arrival
Unwritten rules
Getting started
Participation
Finishing up
Exit
Other things to know/do

43. Patterns of Community Building
Pay attention to natural cues
Stand alongside
Remember…
Nothing about relationships is fixed –
Community building work is rarely ever over

44. Characteristics of a Community Connector
Confidence in understanding the person
Trusts community members
Has high expectations
Trusts people to work out problems and
Gently assists when needed
Calls on others willingness to help

45. Community Connector Is well connected Focuses on gifts and capacities
Believes in community hospitality
Confidence in the capacity of people to do what is right
Has replenished capacity to forgive
Is flexible, and willing to laugh when things go wrong

46. Staff Development and Community Building Skills
Have staff do their own relationship maps
Identify staff who are natural connectors
Encourage staff to get involved in the community themselves
Encourage staff to be more curious, out-going, and to take more risks
Use the Skills and Tools to shape Habits

47. Learning About What Works and Doesn’t Work

48. Modify for Pam

49. With a Circle Graphic of the People in Her Life and their Roles
Cindy
With a Circle Graphic of the People in Her Life and their Roles

50. The Four Questions Things We’ve Tried Things We’ve Learned
Things We are Pleased
About
Things We are Concerned About
Plus One: Given what we know. What’s Next?
What the four questions are

51. Pam’s Family Participates
Monthly Focus meetings around each person we support
Everyone is invited
Food
Casual but structured around 4 questions
Mention Betty, mom

52. building relationships
Where do you reckon people you support are at along this arrow?
(Please fill in a square per person you support below, as in the example)
A Good But Paid Life
Community Life
Service Life
Important to recognized
Focus on connecting,
building relationships
Important to present
What is important for the person is addressed
No organized effort about what is important to the person, yet
What is important to and important for the person is present
Closest people are paid staff or family. Few other real connections with others
What is important to and important for the person is present
Active Circle of support, Included in community life

53. Action Steps for Getting Started
Think about yourself or someone you support
Think about several ideas that seem most appealing for getting started
In a Round: share with your table members the ideas you have.
The freshest thinking from the table will be shared with the entire group of participants.
Share in rounds

54. From Presence to Contribution…
What Did You Learn?
What Will You Try?

55. Cbolton@northstarsls.org Claudia Bolton 4171 Starkes Grade Road
Placerville, CA