Family Life Education. Written Assignment #5

1) In your own words, define Family Life Education (FLE) and describe the goal of FLE. Family Life Education (FLE) is an educational method designed to provide people and families the attitudes, abilities, and information necessary to establish and preserve strong family bonds. By providing knowledge and assistance on a range of family-related themes, including communication, decision-making, parenting, relationships, sexuality, and other related areas, it is a methodical and structured attempt to empower individuals and families. Family life education seeks to improve people's general well-being by providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully negotiate the challenges of family life. Fostering healthy relationships, enhancing communication among families, addressing obstacles that families may face at various phases of life are all goals of Family Life Education (FLE). Helping local communities build strong, stable, and successful families is the ultimate objective. 2. List three aspects of FLE from paragraph two in your own words. Three aspects of FLE are communication skills, parenting education, and relationship and marriage education. 3. List three principles and then describe how they relate to ONE volunteer position you have had to date that involved working with children or families (this can include working in a position as a nanny, day care worker, cap counselor, volunteering at your religious institution, or in your town or for a school, or as a camp counselor etc. (use examples if possible). If you have never worked with families or children, imagine you are helping homeless families to find housing for a state run agency and apply three principles to that job. Three principles that I would like to talk about is “be aware of the influence we have and avoid practices that harm or exploit.”, “treat individuals and families with warmth, respect, and sensitivity to their needs and rights as developing persons.”, and to “provide services and program environments that are safe and nurturing”. All of these concepts remind me of my past work as a daycare provider. I always had a responsibility to make sure that I was a good example for young kids, able to interact and converse with them while still letting them be kids. The daycare greatly encouraged cooperation by providing the kids with opportunities like birthday parties and fun camps to enhance contact between the kids and other kids their age. 4. Next write a few sentences about why these principles are important for protecting and/or respecting children/family populations you have worked with or can you imagine working with families if, for example, you worked in a volunteer activity finding housing for homeless families or helping disadvantaged families access a food pantry. How might you talk with them to make sure they feel respected -- not treated as a failure because they lack a place to live or are in need of food assistance. By implementing these concepts at volunteer or work locations, parents may boost the confidence of young children and demonstrate to them that they are strong enough to overcome obstacles. When you converse with them and support them through difficult times, you are also giving them consolation. You adults have no idea the mental health issues these young children are dealing with. You owe it to your coworkers to address their general and mental health, whether or not they are employed by family education programs. If you acknowledge a young person's concerns, even if they have little to do with your profession, they will feel more comfortable coming to you when they are facing big life challenges. Even when I'm down, I always turn to CAPS for help because I believe the organization genuinely accepts students' mental health issues in addition to their circumstances and hardships. Because they may not have friends or family nearby to assist them deal with the emotional challenges they may be facing for a long period of time, family education may also play a role in supporting college students who are suffering mental health concerns. As a method of assisting the staff, I used to volunteer at my town's local church and conduct bible lessons to the younger attendees. The children used to confide in me about all the difficulties they were facing as a result of their parents' illnesses, their own illnesses, and so on. I would just pray every Sunday for them to understand that it's acceptable to express their feelings in a safe environment and that I, as their role model, could provide them with the support they so much needed. I would occasionally speak with the children one-on-one in private to find out how they were doing. 5. Thinking like a Sociologist who studies families -- what are two macro-level factors that might lead to a family needing housing or food assistance? When changes in the labor market and economic inequality significantly affect a family's capacity to maintain financial stability, the family is more vulnerable to hardship. Changes in the labor market, such as job loss or stagnant pay, may make it harder for families to afford rent and food. The ability of families to locate a permanent home is impacted by housing market factors including urbanization, affordability, and laws. Government policies, market forces, and zoning regulations can all contribute to housing instability; yet, issues such as gentrification might force families to move and necessitate assistance.