Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Forming parent of gifted support group

I'm in the process of forming a parent support group in my area and am looking for some ideas of meeting topics that might appeal to folks. I only have one other mom who is working with me so far and we are going to produce a flyer about the group to give out at the gifted pullout open house. Please share any experiences you have with such groups, what you found helpful, or any other advice.
Thanks,
Moni

>How to read/interpret test results
>Local/Internet resources for enrichment/afterschooling/homeschooling
>Games and toys good for GT kids
>Dealing with 2E issues
>School advocacy tips and techniques
>Understanding your state and local GT laws and policies and how they affect your child
>Learning styles and how they affect your child
>Perfectionism and how to deal with it
>Underachieving
>Summer camps and opportunities for GT kids
>How to make a difference in GT education--advocacy at the local, state and national levels

These are our group's topics that stuck in my head...

Thanks Kriston! I appreciate it. How well attended are your group meetings? Do you meet monthly? Where do you meet? We are in the planning stages and I'd appreciate any advice.

Moni

We had about 25 attendees at our most recent meeting, which was pretty good considering that with the mass power outage, our announcement didn't go out at all in print form in the schools in the district, and apparently didn't even get sent electronically to all the parents who sign up for electronic notification.

We've had as many as 50, I'd guess, and as few as 5 or 6 for really poorly advertised meetings. Getting the notes out in school makes a huge difference! Ours is also a pretty new group, actually, so I think it's growing and attendance is generally improving.

Oh, and I forgot a couple of REALLY popular meeting topics:

>Is my child gifted?

I'd HIGHLY recommend this one for a new group! It is especially good for a Sept. or Oct. meeting, when people are just realizing that things might not be all fine and dandy in school this year...

>Teaching math

This is where I got my goofy calc for 7yos idea. Everyone in the room was all fired up after we heard this guy speak.

We meet monthly. We used to meet in a meeting room at a local retirement home (cheap/free, but a bit weird: sometimes random elderly people would wander across in front of the speaker...). Now we meet at the nice new city building. Much nicer!

Be sure to scope out state and local authorities on GT kids for speakers. Often they'll speak for cheap/free, and they can sometimes even provide a topic for you (from a presentation they already have prepared) that will interest your group. Local psychologists, state officers of your "X Association for GT Children," heads of GT schools, GT coordinators, teachers of GT kids...all have spoken to our group and done a bang-up job. But roundtable discussion on a directed topic with no official speaker whatsoever can also be a great meeting. People often just need to talk!

We also have kids events once a month or so, separate from the adult meeting. That seems less well attended, but is hopefully growing.

Wow, Kriston. That sounds really wonderful. The only support group that I have seen in my area is a SENG support group for parents, and I have never been to one of their meetings. Maybe I'm missing out? Are your meetings through an organized group, Moni and Kriston, or are your groups unique local creations?

Ours is the brainchild of a local woman who felt the need for such a group herself and so spearheaded its creation. It's a .org.

(BTW, my mom created a similar sort of group when I was a kid, only her "baby" was a support group that also included weekly enrichment classes for GT kids: chess, drama, newswriting, mime, explosive chemistry, etc. *That* was a pretty big undertaking!) It takes dedication and commitment, but it's not really a hard thing to put together your basic support group that meets once a month if you know of a couple of like-minded parents willing to help. Lots of phone calls, follow up, and publicizing, and you've got yourself a group!

You might want to contact your state Association for Gifted Children. I think they can help you with some of the details and can help you to affiliate with the NAGC for greater impact.

Personally, I think the best part is really just having someplace to go to get questions answered, to pool info and resources, to share experiences, to learn, to network. I found out about DYS through this group. I met one of my homeschooling mentors through the group (and am mentoring a couple of people in return this year!). I learned the basics about how to read test results thanks to this group--and back before I knew Dottie, that was really important help! I learned about state law and local policy.

Basically, pretty much everything I know about being GT in my area, I learned from this support group.

We're also trying to influence policy, though that's like pushing an elephant uphill, even locally. But then again, in the last school board election, a couple of candidates did nod to GT issues. That was a new thing! So I think even as new as we are, we're having some influence. Baby steps...

Thanks Kriston for all your input on this topic.
I really helps to get ideas for the group I'm trying to put together. There used to be a parent support group for our state about 3 years ago, but not many people attended and they decided not to do it anymore. It was run by GT teachers I believe so maybe parents thought they couldn't really vent if they needed to? Or maybe they got all they needed out of the group? Hard to tell.
I agree that it is nice to have somewhere to connect with others, share info and resources, and get help with questions.
This is one of the main goals for the group I want to start.
Thanks again,
moni

Well, you go, girl! I think what you're doing is a very, very good thing, and I'm happy to do whatever I can to support you!

Wow, Kriston! Thank you very much. This will be really useful for our just forming gt group.