2GEN-2021 SUMMIT
The Literacy Cooperative’s 4th Annual 2Gen Summit
On Wednesday, July 21st, The Literacy Cooperative gathered over 80 workforce development, education, and literacy professionals for the 4th Annual 2Gen Summit.
Two-Generational (2Gen), or whole-family programming, is a family-centered, highly positive service delivery mechanism that seeks to reorder traditional ways that programs serve families. 2Gen focuses on each individual’s needs in the family unit, empowering families to learn and succeed together.
Family-Centered Coaching and two-generation (2Gen) approaches are important to their work because they offer tools to support the whole family. The FCC Community of Practice (CoP) facilitates getting to know each other’s strengths on a network-wide level so participants are met with holistic care throughout the network. The CoP offers consistent and ready-to-use resources and tools to support the whole family across networks.
The Literacy Cooperative spearheaded the process of establishing a CoP; what emerged by working together as a network was a wider perspective and better understanding of what the community offered. The 2Gen Committee Staff and leadership were able to see outside of their roles to reimagine the ways their organizations, their roles, and their communities are interconnected and could be resources for one another.
To learn more about Family-Centered Coaching:
- Watch this video.
- View this presentation.
- Read this article about powerful questions.
The Literacy Cooperative also helped facilitate Racial Equity and Inclusion training for 2Gen Committee Members. View that here.
The Summit began with a keynote presentation from President and CEO Bob Paponetti. Keesha Tolliver-Funches of Family Connections continued the Summit with an update on the state of 2Gen in Cuyahoga County. Over the past four years, The Literacy Cooperative has helped implement 2Gen programming in five organizations: Towards Employment, Cuyahoga Community College, Central Promise Neighborhood, MetroHealth, and The Centers. See the links below to learn more about the initiatives.
2Gen Initiatives
Towards Employment: Whole Family Approach to Workforce Development
Cuyahoga Community College: Parent and Young Adult Education/Credential Attainment
Central Promise Neighborhood: Family Partners Initiative: An Integrated Approach to Supporting the Whole Family
MetroHealth: Nurse/Family Partnership: Supporting First-time Mothers
The Centers: Journey to 2Gen
Best Practices for Adding 2Gen and Family Voice to Programming
- https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/resources/making-tomorrow-better-together-process-outcomes-and-measures-for-2gen-organizational-change/
- https://live-ascend-at-the-aspen-institute.pantheonsite.io/resources/
- https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/parent-voices/#
- https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/two-generation/guiding-principles/
- https://dev-ascend-at-the-aspen-institute.pantheonsite.io/resources/state-of-the-field-two-generation-approaches-to-family-well-being/