The Children's Advocacy Center of Jackson County

Tag: Rose Circle

  • Live United!

    By Tammi Pitzen, Executive Director of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County

    I have been reflecting on “community” a lot recently and really trying to name what it is to me.

    This could be as a result of the recent tragedy in Ferguson. It could be as a result of my son growing older and wanting him to find his place, where he belongs. It could be as a result of my moving to a new community last year and trying to build a new place of belonging for myself.

    It is a little of all those things. It is also because of building new friendships with the wonderful family that is the United Way of Jackson County. Because of these friendships I have been tuned in to the United Way slogan “Live United!” Their marketing person is genius! And yes, I did ask if I could use their slogan in this writing. The very kind Executive Director at United Way enthusiastically agreed to let me borrow it!

    Who would not want to Live United?

    I think about the families and young people that are served by the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County. I think about the staff that serves them. A staff that tries to model for these families we serve to show them how to care for the children that have been entrusted to them.

    I was humbled last week. My son’s school has a shoebox Christmas gift project every year where children bring gifts in, all wrapped in shoe boxes to take to St. Vincent De Paul to be passed out to families in need. I watched as kids filed in to the kindergarten classroom, each proudly grasping their gift. Every single child participated. My son was so proud to bring in his gift to share. I watched again today as each child brought in their canned foods to give to the needy.

    It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling to know that my child is surrounded by a community that reaches out to those in need.

    I can tell you countless stories of how Jackson County “Lives United” and why that is important to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County. One that immediately comes to mind is a young man that gave us his lunch money to kick off our Cherish a Child Luncheon in 2013. It was not a huge donation but that seed provided inspiration for the Center to meet its fundraising goal. It was not a direct ask. He happened to be waiting on our Development Director at a local business the day of the luncheon.

    If you ask him he will tell you he did it to give back. He had a family member come through the Center and was grateful for the work that was done on behalf of that child.

    There was the young woman who did her Bat Mitzvah project and chose to do a project that would benefit the children served by the Center.

    There is the stranger in Fred Meyer who saw a woman buying Christmas presents for the Center to give to children we serve whose families are having a tough year. She handed over money for her to buy more gifts. These stories are not unique here.

    I can take it even one step further. Living United is exemplified by the agencies that have partnered with the Children’s Advocacy Center this year to provide opportunities for the children we serve and their families. Non-profit agencies working together for the good of the families we serve together.

    They all came together with us to become involved in an auxiliary program of our therapy department called Building Bridges. Some of the community partners included United Way; the Touvelle Foundation; The Studio at Living Opportunities; Daniel Murphy of Integrity of Life Services; the Craterian Theater; professional dance teachers Jenna Trotter and Becky Hale; Rogue Valley Farm to School; Hanley Farm; Warhorse Alliance; the Oregon Conservatory of Performing Arts; and the Ashland Food Co-op. We are working with the Rose Circle in Ashland to provide mentoring circles to our young clients here at our Center. We are partnering with the YMCA to provide a rock climbing therapy group facilitated by one of our therapists.

    We are doing these collaborative efforts to expose the children we serve and their families to services and activities that exist in the valley that are available to them. We are all modeling working together so that the families receive the very best services from this community.

    I am so proud to live in a place that values our children. I am so proud to be a part of a community that truly understands “Living United”.

    This has been a great year here at the Children’s Advocacy Center. Everyone here knows that it is because of the support received from the community. We are thankful to you all.

  • A place to be heard ~ how mentoring helps kids

    This is a guest post by Ellen Craine, Executive Director of the Rose Circle Mentoring Network.

    The Rose Circle Mentoring Network is excited to offer a weekly mentor circle to 4th, 5th and 6th grade girls at the Children’s Advocacy Center.  The Rose Circle has been providing circle mentoring to Rogue Valley youth since 2006.  A few years ago, a veteran of our first girls’ circle was interviewed about her circle experience.

    “I think one of the most valuable things I learned in circle was a feeling of importance within myself and a feeling that I deserve to be heard and I deserve a space that’s for me.  That was important to me because there are so many times when people tell you you’re not good enough or just kind of push you aside.” Elizabeth

    Reflections like this remind us of the value of the circle!

    What is a Circle?

    The circle provides a safe, respectful and confidential place in which kids can learn to listen to one another and express themselves.  Each circle is typically comprised of 5-8 youth and two adult mentors.  When kids ask us what circle is, here’s how we answer the question:

    A circle is a safe place to talk about things that you are thinking about in your own life. A circle is a place to have fun while learning to explore and understand yourself and others. A circle is a place for you to listen to others speak about things going on in their lives. You will learn about confidentiality and how this contributes to making the circle a safe place for this kind of sharing. The circle is a place where the skills of listening, witnessing, sharing and supporting each other are modeled and taught.

    Who are the Mentors?

    A mentor is a member of the community who wants to make a positive difference in the lives of young people.  Our two mentors at the Children’s Advocacy Center, Suzanne and Megan, have a wealth of professional experience working with youth, as well as experience raising their own kids at home.  Rose Circle mentors are required to take a 2-day training in which they learn and practice the skills of compassionate, nonjudgmental listening.  All mentors undergo rigorous background screening.

    Benefits of Circle Mentoring

    Young people who participate in circle mentoring develop trusting relationships with their adult mentors, while also improving their ability to relate to their peers.

    Circle mentoring may be particularly helpful to youth who are having difficulties with peer relationships. Circle participation gives kids a safe context in which to develop their social skills in relating to peers.  Kids are often comforted to learn that they aren’t alone in the challenges, fears and frustrations they face.

    What Takes Place in Circle?

    The answer to this question varies on the age of the participants.  Each circle starts out with an opening, a structured way of beginning that marks the circle as a special time set apart from the rest of their lives.  This usually includes a “check-in”.  For the younger girls (ages 9—12) this may be as simple as asking each girl to say one word that describes how she’s feeling in the moment.  Another type of check in we like is “a rose and a thorn”—one happy thing and one not so happy thing that’s going on for you.  After check-in, the circle will participate in a group activity centered on a theme, such as “friendship” or “self-esteem.”  This may include games, crafts or writing activities.  At the end of the hour, the circle is closed with a “check-out”.

    As youth get to know one another, they tend to want to spend more time talking.  Circle conversations take place in a structured way, where one person speaks and others learn to listen respectfully.  All circle activities take place according to group agreements that the youth help draft during their first circle.  Some typical agreements might include respectful language, one person speaks at a time, and everyone has the right to “pass”.  Confidentiality—and exceptions to confidentiality—is an essential guideline for all circles.

    The first Rose Circle will be held at the Children’s Advocacy Center on Tuesday, March 5.  We look forward to collaborating with the Children’s Advocacy Center  in this way.

    Rose Circle Logo