I recently had the pleasure to speak with parents from the Wilkinsburg Boys & Girls Club programming site in Pittsburgh about the University of Pittsburgh’s fall field trip. My main goal was to make sure that the parents had received and completed the registration and permission slip forms so the girls could attend the trip.  In doing so, I discovered that these parents know A LOT about SWSG.
What they know is that their children LOVE the program! Unfortunately, they don’t always know what the program is all about. Strong Women, Strong Girls is constantly trying to improve parent engagement and get parents actively involved. Parents are able to gather more information about Strong Women, Strong Girls through summer community fairs that staff and volunteers attend, open houses at schools or parent nights at community centers and worksheets that the girls bring home after programming.  Parents are also able to attend a variety of SWSG events including the one and only Jump Into Spring, the awesome Strong Women, Strong Girls reunions and fabulously fun field trips.
Parent participation is an important component as we go forward and continue to expand our Strong Women, Strong Girls  community. What are some ideas to further engage these parents so that they can become a stronger part of the cycle of mutual empowerment?