Extended Family is excited to have just completed Leader Training on April 11, 2023 for Extended Family for Kids (EFK) Program!  Training new leaders is one of our proudest accomplishments because we want the support EFK offers to children and families to be available to all who need it, and this is only possible through training others to help share our message of coping skills, stress relief and, most importantly, hope to Our Kids!

The April 11 training was conducted by Extended Family Founder and Director Laure Clemons in DeKalb County, Alabama.  This project was supported by Subgrant #2023-DJ-02-254 awarded by the Law Enforcement/Traffic Safety Division of ADECA and the U.S. Department of Justice.  This grant allowed Extended Family to train 15 participants at a greatly reduced cost to each one and included the nine-lesson curriculum for EFK.  Several local organizations were represented, including R.O.S.S., CASA of North Sand Mountain, Extended Family, Domestic Violence Crisis Services, The Father’s House, DeKalb County Children’s Advocacy Center, and Fort Payne City Schools.

Additionally, with the support of this grant, we will be able to assist five DeKalb County schools and agencies starting EFK for their kids. Extended Family staff will be on-site to meet with parents and faculty, enroll students in EFK, and help lead the first two EFK Lessons! By training others how to lead EFK in their communities, we are exponentially increasing the number of children of the incarcerated that are served in DeKalb County. As one Trainee put it, “This training is more than a curriculum – It will change lives!”

Extended Family received positive feedback from our trainees.  Here are just a few comments:

And here are some of the responses from the question on the evaluation, “What was one thing that stood out for you in this workshop?”

“Every Trainee receives the EFK Curriculum Guide and gets to try out the same Lesson activities they will use with their students,” Clemons said. “For example, in Picture This, we all draw a picture of how we picture ourselves in 10 years, then talk about the steps we will take to get there.”  Other Lessons include 14 Stress Busters, Who’s to Blame (also known as the “coffee spill” Lesson), We Don’t Have to Do Their Time, and much more.  To learn more about Extended Family for Kids Leader Training Workshops, contact Laure Clemons at 256-927-3038, laure@extendedfamilyhelp.org.

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