Request Information
and an Application

Please use the links below to request information and an application for the next Family Leadership Series 2006-2007. The dates for future series within each region will be posted to our website as they are received.

Metro - Boston Region
Request Information
Dates: Friday/Saturday February 1-2, 2008; Saturday/Sunday March 1-2, 2008; Friday/Saturday March 28-29, 2008

Central Region
Request Information
Dates: Friday/Saturday:
October 12–13, 2007
January 4–5, 2008
April 25–26, 2008

Advanced Leadership Series: Friday/Saturday, September 14-15, 2007

Northeast Region
Request Information
Dates: Friday/Saturday: February 1 -2, 2008
April 4-5, 2008
May 2-3, 2008
September 2007 Regional Newsletter
[in MS Word Format]

Southeastern Region
Request Information
Dates: Friday/Saturday:
October 19-20, 2007
January 18-19, 2008
March 7-8, 2008
April 11-12, 2008

Western Region
Request Information
Dates: Friday/Saturday:
November 16-17, 2007
February 1-2, 2008
March 28-29, 2008
April 25-26, 2008

Massachusetts Family Leadership Series

PRINT OUT THE FAMILY LEADERSHIP SERIES BROCHURE

The Family Leadership Series focuses on supporting families and individuals to live in their communities as naturally and typically as desired. Applications from families with children or adult family members of any age with any disability are encouraged. The Family Leadership Series is currently sponsored annually in five different areas of Massachusetts by the regional chapters of Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change.

The Family Leadership Series is patterned after successful family empowerment series in Minnesota and New Hampshire. The first series in Southeastern Massachusetts took place from October 1990 to March 1991.

The Family Leadership Series has a two-fold purpose. The first is to offer information about "best practices" for people with disabilities. The second is to assist families in creating a vision for their family member and a process to achieve the vision by incorporating that information.

The Family Leadership Series is organized into three (and in some regions, four), two-day workshops.

The Series focuses on:

Initiative and Leadership - family members are given information on the background of the family support movement, leadership, advocacy and the significance of self-advocacy, how to effectively advocate to create change and ways to influence funding and delivery systems.

Creating A Vision - a number of presenters offer their perspectives on a broad range of topics: Inclusion in schools; supported employment; positive practices; community living and family support. Families are supported to "imagine better" and to create a vision, with and for their family members, that becomes a guide for their leadership and advocacy.

Policy Making at the Local, State and Federal Level - family members receive information on how to develop networks with professionals and families, how to access and control resources that affect family stress and satisfaction and how to use legislative change to procure resources.

Food and overnight lodging for each family is paid for by the Department of Mental Retardation and other state agencies, organizations and businesses. Respite/child care/nursing for family members is arranged on an as needed basis.

Families who attend the Series are required to do the following:

1. To attend each of the two-day sessions
2. To participate in activities/experiences during the sessions and to complete assignments/reading between each session.

We expect that, upon completion of the Series, families will continue to advocate for and work to create change for their families and will be willing to help other families in their areas to do the same. The Series organizers provide support to families as they continue to do this. Events are held to re-connect the Series participants from time to time.

Families who have completed the Series during the past fifteen years have had a tremendous impact on systems change for families and individuals with disabilities in Massachusetts. Family members have been active in policy and decision making locally, regionally and statewide and some have decided to do legislative advocacy work. Some families have been involved in community organizing and advocacy on a local level. Others have used their talents and skills to create change for their child with a disability and/or their families.

For more information, contact:

CENTRAL
Laura Casey-Black
PO Box 358
Winchendon, MA 01475
978-297-2240
fax 978-297-5059
CaseyBlack922@aol.com

NORTHEAST
Susan Nadworny
Warwick Road
Melrose, MA 02176
781-665-5179 16
fax 781-665-3017
snadw@aol.com

METRO - BOSTON
Lauri Medeiros
Edward Street
Medford, MA 02155
617-605-7404 94
fax 781-396-7510
rjmede@aol.com

SOUTHEAST
Emily Murgo Nisenbaum
56 Bridge Street
Fairhaven, MA 02719
508-999-4436
fax 508-997-9239
tngemily@aol.com

WEST
Gwen Gosselin
3 State Street
413-562-4885
Westfield, MA 01085
fax 413-572-9707
mfofcwest@mcsnet.org

STATEWIDE COORDINATOR
Dianne Huggon
800-406-3632
mfofc@comcast.net

To request an application, please send us an email with your contact information.

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