Getting A Parent Group Started:
by Joanne Travers, MIM

Starting a parent group takes time and energy. The primary actions to keep in mind are consistency and follow though. Before starting your parent group, find another dedicated parent or two to get started.  Sit down and talk it through. Agree to work together to carry out specific goals and objectives that you define. It’s a busy road when only one parent is spearheading a group, so try finding others to offset the burden. You’ll reap the benefits of friendships, support and knowledge. Here are some steps to consider:

1. It’s not necessary to legally incorporate a parent group unless you wish to do major fundraising or start an organization that can be officially listed as am organization or agency in your state or country. You may wish to start the group in the first year, and then determine if legalizing your organization is necessary.
2. To incorporate a parent organization, you must consult local authorities on legal paperwork and procedures.
3. Gather a list of parent names, including address, telephone/cell numbers, child’s name and date of birth, plus relevant information such as degree of loss, cause of loss, school, and other useful data. Create a file, using index cards or folders. If computers are accessible, create a database that can be easily managed and updated. What’s App is a great tool to use as you broaden and build your network of parents.
4. Include interested practitioners in your group! They are resourceful!
5. Begin by meeting with a few people/parents committed to starting a parent group. At this meeting, discuss your objectives and goals. Discuss your purpose. Feel free to keep the meeting general, allowing time to flush out what’s most important to you and your community.
6. Determine if you want the group to have membership fees or if it should be free. Consider asking parents to contribute if annual fees are unaffordable.
7. Choose 2 – 3 tangible activities or events that you can easily coordinate amongst yourselves. Choose activities or events that you have contacts and resources for. For example, invite your doctor to talk about a subject matter, meet at your church or school auditorium, or pull information from a library or the internet to have a meaningful discussion around a specific topic.
8. Find a convenient location in which to gather parents. Welcome their children, since children need each other in this journey too! This will be hard since many parents travel from far distances, and you might consider alternating locations in order to accommodate families.
9. Ask parents for help from others. For example, perhaps a parent works at an office building that has a meeting room you can use on a weekend, and/or perhaps a parent works in a print shop and can create and print flyers or newsletters for distribution.  Talk with the spiritual leader of your church to inquire about meeting space, or maybe meet at a local playground or park.
10. Plan the content of the first 2 or 3 meetings. Ask people what they want to learn about at every meeting.
11. Set up regularly scheduled meetings: the last Sunday or first Saturday of every month…be consistent. You may want to poll several parents and ask what day and time works best before confirming a day. Evenings may work better for some while others prefer weekends. You might need to alternate day or night meetings, or  decide to have parent only meetings alternate with weekend family gatherings.
12. When planning events, you’ll need to always call people to encourage their participation. Word of mouth and personal chats are the best invitations. Again, What’s App is a great tool to utilize.
13. Meetings can be as simple as a social gathering at a local park where everyone brings something to eat or drink.  They don’t always have to be content driven. Allow opportunities for parents to share their stories; we learn from each other!
14. Circulating flyers at hearing clinics, health offices, schools and community centers serving children with hearing loss.
15. Promote your group meetings by word-of-mouth. Parents like to be invited, not told to attend. The main force behind motivation is that people want to feel they belong, and that they have friends. Build relationships.
16. In places where resources are more available, start a newsletter. Keep it simple and informative. Ask everyone to contribute (parents, practitioners, family members) but keep the tone of the newsletter educational and supportive. Invite children to draw pictures that can be printed in the newsletters. If possible, include photos too!
17. Be sure to make communication fun and interesting. It shouldn’t always be serious.
18. Invite a professional audiologist, counselor, doctor, or teacher to present. For example, a pediatrician can talk about nutrition, an audiologist can talk about hearing tests and discuss troubleshooting hearing aid problems, a counselor can talk about building self-esteem. Special guests are attractions and may encourage parents to attend because of the person or topic.
19. Find articles and printed information (internet has many resources) to share with people during every meeting.
20. Find out what your parents need. Create a survey for parents with choices they can check off or prioritize. What are they interested in learning about: social-emotional growth, child behavior, hearing aid technology, cochlear implants, behavior management, communication techniques, cooking with kids, sibling rivalry? The list is seemingly endless.
21. Structure your meetings so they have a beginning, a middle, and an end. For example, begin with time for parents to socialize, have your discussion or presentation, and then end with social time.
22. Always have a facilitator to keep the meeting on track. Disallow people from dominating and telling their problems.
23. Limit parent meetings to two hours. Family gatherings can stretch to 4 hours, depending on the activity.  When families must travel far, it makes sense to meet for an afternoon. Otherwise, keep the meeting succinct.
24. Every meeting must have an agenda. It must have a bit of fun, a bit of education, and a bit of socialization.

Take caution:

• Do not allow parents to gripe. Talking about problems is ok, but complaining is not allowed. Set this rule in the very beginning with gentle reminders.
• Don’t let one person dominate any conversation. Assign a facilitator who can gently interrupt and allow others to participate.
• Discussion groups are not personal counseling sessions. Try to encourage participation by asking people to be brief. One way to do this is to relate the concern to others so others can respond.
• Stick to your agenda…don’t allow conversation to move away from the topic you planned. Say, “That’s a great topic. Would everyone like to have a meeting to discuss this next month?

Information from this article should be cited/referenced as: “Joanne Travers, Partners for A Greater Voice, Inc. Content derived from Essential Programs to Coach and Empower (2016). Ipswich, Massachusetts U.S.A. www.greatervoice.com”.