Did you know that February is Family Life Education Month?

By Leah Persky • Family Life Education Manager

 

Family Life Education (FLE) has been a vital part of JFCS for more than 30 years. Over the years, Family Life Educators have focused on creating lasting collaborations with the community by providing opportunities that enrich the lives and health of families. Family Life Education is focused on prevention efforts, educational opportunities and collaboration. Our partners include schools, synagogues, teachers, parent groups, healthcare providers, day camps, and cities throughout the metropolitan area. The goal of these efforts are to strengthen families and enrich our diverse community while addressing evolving and emergent needs.

 

A look back at some of the work of Family Life Educators over the years demonstrates that JFCS has been on the front lines of addressing the needs of families, ranging from helping children with special needs; supporting fathers and mothers as parents; supporting Jewish families with the adoption process; supporting the LGBTQIA community; providing grief and anxiety support to individuals and groups; addressing bullying issues; and so much more.

 

In the past six months, FLE has served more than 400 people. We have presented on topics of bullying, creating a healthy body image for young teens, social media and teens, interfaith issues, professional development topics for job seekers, conflict resolution classes and various trainings for teachers in the community.

 

We continue to strive to meet the changing needs of our community and to address the current political climate in our state and country. For example, we are partnering with Better Angels, a non-profit organization that works to bridge the political divide between families and communities, to create opportunities for safe, facilitated and meaningful discussions on topics that matter to families today.

 

If you are interested in the work of Better Angels, check out the upcoming Red Blue Workshop, which will be held at JFCS on Sunday, March 10. People of all political leanings are welcome and encouraged to attend where trained facilitators will lead meaningful political discussions for those that lean Red (Republican) and those that lean Blue (Democrat). For more information and to register, click here.

 

We are so happy to be here in Golden Valley and enjoy exploring connections and collaborations in our new “forever home.” In our efforts to meet the needs of our community, we would like to hear from you. We want to hear your input and ideas on how FLE can meet the needs of your family and your community. There are two ways you can take part in this:

• Send me a quick email or drop me a line to let me know your thoughts
• Attend this upcoming event designed to gather input from parents – Parent Ambassador Committee. The committee will help provide strategic direction for PJ Library and Family Life Education Programming and assist with outreach and engagement. Anyone interested in learning more is invited to attend this event on Monday, March 11, from 6:30-8 p.m. – pizza will be served. For more information and to RSVP, click here.

 

Our deepest hope is that you and your families reach your full potential and lead happy, healthy, and meaningful lives. We pride ourselves on being adaptable, innovative, supportive, and knowledgeable.