Learning Goals

Participants will:

• Share ways we feel strong and supported: building and belonging as and among neuro-diverse bridge builders. 
• Share ways we feel overwhelmed and how we could use support while supporting others. 

Seminar Description

Post pandemic, I continue discovering beneficial ways to balance and navigate my multiple worlds: personal and professional. In the process, I have become a student of neurodiversity; there are multiple ways to learn and be resilient. What have you been learning?

Let's talk and share as we have in the past if you are a familiar face, or we welcome you for the first time if you are a parent or caregiver. Bring favorite pictures, music, shows, podcasts, thoughts, concerns, and / or questions. Here are some topics for building and belonging:

Ways to be kind to / build up yourself and your child(ren) or loved ones, students, and colleagues while special needs and other challenges and opportunities arise.

Tips and tricks to learn your parenting style while also learning your child(ren)'s / loved one(s)'s as well as those in your work community's special needs.

Strength-based parenting, caregiving, and being an employee community member when a parent / caregiver / staff and faculty member may be feeling overwhelmed.

Another possible component to consider in our meeting is whether or not it would be beneficial to host sub care groups, where there would be team-building facilitators for each group. The large group could meet at the beginning of each semester during the pd week, and the subgroups could meet throughout the semester.

Here are several possible examples of the subgroups:

1. Some of us are parenting young children and maybe want to connect with other parents experiencing similar challenges and opportunities.
2. Some of us may be parenting while also caregiving an aging parent or loved one
3. Some of us may be parenting / coaching / empty nesters because your child is now an adult. 
4. Some of us may be parenting children with a special need like autism, ADHD, etc.

The more empowered we are, the more we can empower others, let's belong and build.