Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Advice on Starting a Parent Group

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of course!!

it looks like i'm actually starting this parent's group. i have to say, i'm dreading it. i hate -really, am borderline phobic of- public speaking. i'm not very organized. and i have a lot of doubts about how much it can accomplish. and i really don't have the time or energy.

but.

i'm doing it anyway.

i set up an email address and a facebook page. i shared about the group at two HSA meetings, and the HSA for my son's school is "hosting" the first meeting.

i talked to the district about it. (they said they were supportive, but then asked that there be no mention of them on the page/flyer/etc.) they're distributing a flyer district-wide, so that's something.

so. i guess this is happening. unless i chicken out at the last minute. which i (probably) won't do.

thank you all for the encouragement and support, even if it does feels like an exercise is masochism... and the group hasn't even started yet. lol but seriously. i wouldn't have moved forward if it weren't for y'all.

and i'm sure i'll be back with more questions and the like.

So many parents are going to be so grateful to you for making this happen, they really will. You are doing an amazing thing!

I am proud of you. Really! You are doing what your family and a lot of other families need--stepping up, even when it's hard, because you care.

Sounds like a great start! As PP have mentioned, you're doing an amazing thing that will help a lot of families.

I'd be happy to share our slides from past presentations if you're looking for some ideas to help get you started. I've been doing this for about 5 years now and can blab about gifted stuff for hours now but I still prefer to have material that I can lean on and keep me focused (of course everyone is different so feel free to do whatever you feel most comfortable doing).

Good luck!

thank you, everyone.

i vacillate between:

"you know... i can actually make this a lot better and maybe even FIX it eventually!"
and
"what. the. heck. you know this isn't going to fix anything, right?"

i know it'll likely fall somewhere in between, and i definitely feel like i'm getting in over my head, but i also feel like i can affect some level of change.

time to buy a cape and go crusading!
ei

chay, i'll be pming you shortly. thank you!

Good for you, echofuzz! A friend and I recently--like in March--started a group in our district. We have not made any change yet, though we did have a couple nice meetings where like-minded people got the chance to gripe to a sympathetic audience. And I feel like that alone is worthwhile, because parents need support, too.