Family Communication | Description

Over 14,500 people in our community live in poverty.  The neighborhoods surrounding IMPACT Ministries are among the most impoverished in Vanderburgh County—of the 2500 people living within walking distance, 800 live below the poverty line.

According to Froma Walsh, author of Strengthening Family Resilience, “Families living in poverty are some of the least resilient.  Many of these vulnerable, multi-stressed families fail to exhibit mutual support and problem solving abilities.”

The goal of IMPACT Ministries is to assist these families in every way we can.  Through working with these families, we have found that relationship skills training, having the resources of a support system, and participating in role-modeling are of great benefit.

In the course of life all families face suffering and hard times, but some families seem to have more than their share of suffering to contend with. Under ordinary demands and stressors, families will become stronger as a result of their struggles. But there are some things that can overrun and overwhelm a family’s capabilities: those include chronic addiction, mental illness, physical illness, and poverty (Henderson, 1996).

In order to help families deal with these stressors that are found within an impoverished community, we provide skills training and relationships that can be built through the Family Communication program.

This course actively involves children (aged 7-17) and their families in skills training sessions.   The program utilizes cognitive-behavioral approaches to increase resilience and reduce risk factors for behavioral, emotional, academic and social problems.  It builds on protective factors by: improving family relationships, improving parenting skills, increasing the youth’s social and life skills, and the creation of a support system through relationships developed during course.

Over the past three years, over 40 families graduated from the predecessor to this program, Strengthening Families (which focuses primarily on the teen/parent relationship).  A 2008 evaluation of this program, indicated significant improvements in parenting outcomes (100%) and family outcomes (80%).  The results suggest large improvements in the parents and the family environment as well as family resilience.  Several of the parents have returned to provide meals for later classes, speak to families beginning the class, and to express their gratitude for the support provided to their family.

The cost to IMPACT to provide the Family Communication program is $20,300 for up to 50 family participants which is approximately $8 per individual per session. The course covers 4 weeks and consists of 8 two-hour sessions.  The benefit to the individual, the family, and the community is priceless.