Parents as leaders highlighted in February

Parents and their leadership roles in the community will take center stage in February when the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs’ Division of Youth Services and its public and private partners celebrate Parent Leadership Month.

Gov. Juan N. Babauta will kick off activities for the month with a proclamation signing on Jan. 31, at 10:30am, at the Executive Conference Room at the Office of the Governor.

Members of the committee will be featured in today’s TV talk show “John Gonzales” at 7pm on KMCV7.

Activities planned for the month include the Family Fun Day on Feb. 19 at the Garapan Fishing base, a conference for parents on the theme “Family Strengthening through Parent Leadership” on Feb. 24-25 at Hyatt Regency Saipan, a school skit contest, church activities, and a publicity campaign.

Parent Leadership Month was created to:

• Educate the public about this vital family strengthening and community building strategy;

• Encourage professional, policymakers and other community members to create opportunities to partner with parents to address issues that affect children and families;

• Raise public awareness about the important roles parents play in shaping the lives of children and families;

• Expand opportunities for parent leaders to participate in meaningful parent leadership activities;

• Recognize individual parent leaders whose contributions have made a positive difference to their families and communities; and

• Build successful partnership between Parent Leadership and professionals to strengthen and support families and communities.

Parent leadership occurs when parents gain the knowledge and skills to function in meaningful leadership roles and represent a “parent voice” to help shape the lives of families and communities, as well as shape the direction of programs and policies that impact them.

Parents, grandparents, kinship care providers, foster parents, and anyone in a parenting role who has personal experience in using resources and/or services to strengthen their families have the potential to be become parent leaders.

When parents are speaking and acting from the parent’s perspective rather than as staff from an organization or institution, they are parent leaders.

The DYS Parent Education Program and its partners join Parent Anonymous® Inc., the nation’s oldest family strengthening and child abuse prevention organization, in honoring anyone in a parenting role who has taken steps to provide leadership in their home or community or at the state of national level.

Member organizations of the Parent Leadership Month committee are DYS and DCCA, Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, Public School System, Ayuda Network, Saipan Chamber of Commerce, Saipan Rotary Club, Headstart Program, CNMI Youth Congress, Community Guidance Center, Marianas CableVision, Marriage Encounter, Women’s Affairs Office, CNMI Youth Alliance, and Northern Marianas College.

For more information, contact the DYS Parent Education Program at 670-664-2585 or parented@saipan.com.