Changing Children’s Worlds Foundation (CCWF) provides a framework and essential programs to strengthen children, parents, families and communities. The Community/Child Development and Violence Prevention (CCDevVP) framework promotes and establishes international best practice toward children/youth rights to survival, maximum development, health, social services and protection from violence, maltreatment and neglect through capacity development via education, training, social programming and advocacy.

Our foundational program for Parents/Caregivers and Children is the International Child Development Program (ICDP), a simple but deeply effective community-based program, which promotes and builds empathy and other psychosocial care competencies in persons responsible for children’s care-giving, whether parents, teachers, social workers, child care workers, extended family or other professionals. It stresses universally accepted human values of compassion and empathy which are the basis of the care which all children need for positive development. The program is inclusive and ideally, available to all who are interested in improving their caregiving skills. Local resource persons with community standing are engaged and trained as ICDP leaders, to both gain access to local community members and institutions, and to appropriately address local attitudes, perceptions, customs and conduct (Hundeide, 2010).

Problema

Parents, Families & Schools need help to protect and guide their children. Meanwhile, Chicago is facing cuts in INTERVENTION SERVICES for victims of violence and in the number of available DCFS workers and other professionals at a time when the existing programs cannot take sufficient care of those children who are already in the system, which still does not represent all the children who need help and support today. We need PREVENTION... and that is only possible through CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT opportunities available broadly through cohesive strategies with institutional and community-based partnerships. Utimately, jointly we need to leverage a public health approach to prevention programs - supplementing one another to create strong safety nets for parents/caregivers when they face challenges or need assistance to ensure children are not lost in the chaos. This includes proactive community awareness and education campaigns, such as the West Pullman March 2012 and tentative July 2012 Youth Basketball Tournaments called : "#TEAM-Stop the Violence: Peace in My Neighborhood," block and church activities and events.

Solução

Changing Children's Worlds Foundation has a unique approach - which is effective because it supports not only children and adolescents in their positive development, but also supports caregivers and communities to create positive, non-violent, productive environments for children, youth, families and institutions. Our framework of Community/Child Capacity Development & Violence Prevention brings together all constituencies in a common mission to develop mutually supportive programs and services to assist everyone in improving their lives. This united partnership approach and consistent message effectively supports families and communities - makes them stronger through the stepping stones of 1) Public Awareness & Community Engagement toward CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT/VIOLENCE PREVENTION, through targetted 2) EDUCATION & TRAINING for the various constituents; next advancing 3) ADVOCACY for Non-Violence & Peace-building POSITIVE COMMUNITY ACTION, and leading to 4) ADVOCACY for positive POLICY and SOCIAL CHANGE through Institutions, Community Leaders, Professionals and Government.

Exemplo

We have 2 very important programs: The first is for Caregivers/Parents of young children (0-8/12 yrs old) - a special empathy-based learning group & support group approach, anchored in best practice internationally ICDP strengthens parent/caregiver-child interaction, families and community. We focus on strengthening empathy between caregivers and children. Empathy provides the foundation of attitudes and values which motivates caregivers, enabling them to feel and communicate their love and to guide them in the positive development of their children. ICDP promotes a community-based expansion/replication program with community-based facilitators of caregivers/parents and supplemental program for their children. Another important program we hope to introduce in late 2012 or early 2013 for Adolescents/Youth and the adults in their lives, is the Integrative Youth Development (IYD) initiative - which assesses their developmental ecology to identify critical support they need to improve their well-being, educational and positive social/life success. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/30dqwMKls0I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>