Definition1:
1: the act of connecting : the state of being connected: as
a : causal or logical relation or sequence
b (1) : contextual relation or association (2) : relationship in fact
c : a relation of personal intimacy (as of family ties)
d : coherence, continuity;
2 a : something that connects : link b : a means of communication or transport;
3: a person connected with another especially by marriage, kinship, or common interest
Considering connections is important in any work with children, families, and/or communities. By their very nature, families are connected. According to family systems theory, families feature wholeness (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts), hierarchies of subsystems (e.g., between two parents, between a parent and a child, between two children), and an adaptive self-organization that allows them to adapt to changing circumstances2. It is, therefore, important to consider these multiple layers and types of connections when looking to support children and families—recognizing that if you help strengthen one sub-system’s connection, such as between a mother and infant, than that change is likely to set in motion other changes within the broader family system. When seeking to provide support and services for children and families at a programmatic level, it is also important to take a systems perspective. Fostering healthy, mission-driven, connections between agencies across a community can provide impressive payoffs in children’s wellbeing3. While I believe individuals have great potential to bring about peace within their own families, for the broadest possible community impact I believe that collaborations with other individuals and between varying agencies is likely to be most effective. The connections inherent in true collaboration are more intense, potent, and durable than those found in coordination or cooperation4—making the relationships more likely to last for the duration needed to foster improved developmental outcomes in both the current generation coming up as well as the generations to follow them.
Sources:
1: Merriam Webster online dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/connection
2: Cox, M. J., & Paley, B. (2003). Understanding families as systems. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(5), 193-196.
3: Maggi, S., Roberts, W., MacLennan, D., & Amedeo, D. (2011). Community resilience, quality childcare, and preschoolers’ mental health: A three-city comparison. Social Science & Medicine, 73(7), 1080-1087.
4: Winer, M., & Ray, K. (2008). Collaboration handbook: Creating, sustaining, and enjoying the journey. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Fieldstone Alliance.
When thinking about connections within families or agencies, which ones do you think may be easiest for you to work with? Why? How would you go about creating and/or strengthening connections within your own family and/or with other families or community organizations?
***feel free to do your own post and/or build off of others' posts to create a discussion forum***
1: the act of connecting : the state of being connected: as
a : causal or logical relation or sequence
b (1) : contextual relation or association (2) : relationship in fact
c : a relation of personal intimacy (as of family ties)
d : coherence, continuity;
2 a : something that connects : link b : a means of communication or transport;
3: a person connected with another especially by marriage, kinship, or common interest
Considering connections is important in any work with children, families, and/or communities. By their very nature, families are connected. According to family systems theory, families feature wholeness (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts), hierarchies of subsystems (e.g., between two parents, between a parent and a child, between two children), and an adaptive self-organization that allows them to adapt to changing circumstances2. It is, therefore, important to consider these multiple layers and types of connections when looking to support children and families—recognizing that if you help strengthen one sub-system’s connection, such as between a mother and infant, than that change is likely to set in motion other changes within the broader family system. When seeking to provide support and services for children and families at a programmatic level, it is also important to take a systems perspective. Fostering healthy, mission-driven, connections between agencies across a community can provide impressive payoffs in children’s wellbeing3. While I believe individuals have great potential to bring about peace within their own families, for the broadest possible community impact I believe that collaborations with other individuals and between varying agencies is likely to be most effective. The connections inherent in true collaboration are more intense, potent, and durable than those found in coordination or cooperation4—making the relationships more likely to last for the duration needed to foster improved developmental outcomes in both the current generation coming up as well as the generations to follow them.
Sources:
1: Merriam Webster online dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/connection
2: Cox, M. J., & Paley, B. (2003). Understanding families as systems. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(5), 193-196.
3: Maggi, S., Roberts, W., MacLennan, D., & Amedeo, D. (2011). Community resilience, quality childcare, and preschoolers’ mental health: A three-city comparison. Social Science & Medicine, 73(7), 1080-1087.
4: Winer, M., & Ray, K. (2008). Collaboration handbook: Creating, sustaining, and enjoying the journey. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Fieldstone Alliance.
When thinking about connections within families or agencies, which ones do you think may be easiest for you to work with? Why? How would you go about creating and/or strengthening connections within your own family and/or with other families or community organizations?
***feel free to do your own post and/or build off of others' posts to create a discussion forum***