Strengthening Families = Stronger Communities
One of our biggest joys, is to have the opportunity to take a holistic approach to community building by working with families in Beaufort and Jasper counties through a program called the Strengthening Families Program (SFP).
SFP is a 14-session resiliency-based family skills training program (which helps to reduce the chances of child abuse & creates a stronger family unit). This is an international evidence-based program that was originally developed in 1984. In the state of South Carolina, Hopeful Horizons is one of only 20 partner agencies who offer this amazing program to their local community. What makes SFP different from most parenting programs is that parents and children attend sessions as a family and learn skills that they practice together before going home to implement them. It offers an age-specific developmentally appropriate curriculum for families with children ages 6-11. Parents learn skills such as how to hold family meetings, developing behavior change, giving clear directions, and managing stress. In the children skills training group, they learn things such as communication skills, problem solving techniques, and consequences of risky behavior. Both children and parents come together in separate small group settings to learn from and help each other grow!
Since 2014, Hopeful Horizons has partnered with Children’s Trust of South Carolina, Beaufort County School District, and Antioch Education Center in Jasper County to successfully graduate one hundred and forty (140) families which included two hundred and eleven (211) six-eleven-year-old children! The success of this program has been phenomenal and families involved have been an inspiration to us all.
At the end of the fourteen-week cycle, there is a graduation ceremony that celebrates the participation and success of the families involved. This celebration is always filled with fun, laughter, tears of joy, and happiness for the growth of each family. During our fall celebrations, Children’s Trust of South Carolina travelled across the state to document the success of the program. They brought in a team and recorded real family testimonies, and the outcome is heartwarming. Click on the links below to see what participants have to say about SFP.
Mother Theresa once said that “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” Through the SFP program, Hopeful Horizons is trying to ensure that we do our little part in helping to make the world a better place by helping families grow their love for one another.
